Coronavirus

I am sequestered here on the farm and although our own lives are distracted and disrupted, the natural world pays no notice and things proceed as usual. The squirrels and birds outside my window continue their lives as before; the plants sprout on cue with the change in the seasons, preparing for the heat of summer that will come as it always does. The vegetables will be as fresh and good as ever. Since the farm is much more dependent on natural systems than human systems, it is a fairly resilient place and I do not forget how fortunate I am to be able to spend my time outdoors and have a steady supply of fresh food. Still, while I am confident about the farm itself, the uncertainty about the future is a real force in my life now, as it likely is in yours.

As you know, each farm season is based on long-range plans made in the winter and executed in the summer. Not knowing what this year will bring, I've been re-thinking this year's plans and figuring out how to build in the most flexibility for yet-unknown challenges. I have scrapped plans to add more office pickup sites as many people begin to telecommute, and I have only added new sites where I have an existing strong connection so we can adjust quickly if needed. I am planting more storage crops than usual so that if necessary we'll have the flexibility to alter the timing of the CSA weeks themselves. I don't know exactly what will happen, but we've certainly handled many complications in past years, and the CSA has gone out every single week. The coronavirus may offer a new genre of issues to solve, but I am confident that we can figure out this one too.

You, too, will have the flexibility to adjust. We can offer more skip weeks if necessary, and if someone needs to cancel the CSA or switch pickup sites mid-season because their circumstances change, it will not be a problem. We'll all need to be flexible to meet these new challenges, and we will do what we can to be sure that the CSA can work for you.

We all are thinking about safety and social distancing.  Fortunately, there are only about 5 people who work on the farm, and it is fairly easy to limit our contact with the wider world. We are lucky not to be going to any farmers markets. Most CSA pickup locations are outdoors, and we may look at ways to move the few indoor sites outdoors as well. We are of course doubling-down on handwashing protocols and making sure that nobody comes to work sick. We'll look at offering paid leave if it's not included in Congress's relief package.

Many of us are suddenly spending more time cooking at home and putting more energy into making healthy, nutritious meals. There is no more reliable source for fresh ingredients than a local farm that grows food with natural systems, and there is no better way to get this food than from a CSA. Spending dollars on real food produced by people close to home is what makes us more resilient in uncertain times, and now, more than ever, is the time to be a part of our local food economy. We're not sure what will happen with farmers' markets this year, but the CSA will be here. We are ready to get creative to find ways to feed people. And we are open to suggestions.