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Hello CSA members!
One of the most satisfying things about being a grower is getting to feed our community healthy, delicious fruits and vegetables. Here at the Cat Farm, that means feeding you, our CSA members; UVM students returning to campus, who will enjoy our produce in dining halls or straight from our farm stand; and, of course, ourselves! This time of year, there’s nothing better than a dinner of sweet corn, tomato salad, and watermelon—especially when you grew it all yourself.
As FTP students, we’re passionate about getting food to those who want and need it, and we’re deeply aware of the problems of food access and food insecurity in this country. We try to extend our impact in the local community by making regular deliveries to the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf with our surplus produce, sharing our incredible summer harvest with those in need.
We hope you’re enjoying the abundance as much as we are!
Meet Your Farmers!
Where are you from?
Born in Nebraska (and still a Midwesterner at heart), but grew up in Georgia. I spent the past several years in Washington, DC, which is where I currently consider home.
What is your favorite vegetable?
I adore all vegetables. I love to eat vegetables all day, every day (seriously, even for breakfast). Ironically, my favorite thing I’ve grown on the farm isn’t even edible—it’s ornamental gourds. They may be funky looking, but they’re going to make my front stoop look awesome come October.
Why are you an FTPer?
I’ve always been passionate about healthy food and sustainable agriculture. After working in environ-
mental advocacy for the past several years, I decided that I wanted to transition my career to focus more on issues around food and farming. I figured there was no better way to understand our food system than by actually getting out and growing my own food, so here I am! FTP has not only given me real-life farm experience, but also a solid understanding of everything from business planning and marketing to food insecurity and land access. Plus, it’s a ton of fun, and I couldn’t be happier to be here!
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Last week I started the farm stand rotation. We sell on the UVM campus every Tuesday afternoon, and we have a fancy new mobile farm stand that debuted a couple weeks ago. I've really enjoyed the CSA and farm stand rotations because I get to interact with our customers. The farm stand is especially fun now that students are back in school. We got so many questions about the program and the farm, and it was fun to see the students get excited about the produce we grow!
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| The farm-mobile on UVM campus |
Last weekend a few of us took a trip up to Montreal to visit the Quebec farmer training program (which is pretty different from ours, in that it's a three-year program, and students earn university credit). We toured a nonprofit farm outside the city that employs troubled young adults to give them job skills, while using farming as therapy. That night we were invited to a corn roast hosted by one of the Quebec farmer training students. They were a very friendly bunch, and had as many questions about our program as we had about theirs. The night ended with a dance party in the barn with everyone singing to French-Canadian hip-hop, and camping in the fields. It was a pretty great weekend!
The temperatures are still scorching here, but September has definitely brought some back-to-school energy and the anticipation of fall. I'm nervous about figuring out what I'm going to do when the program ends, but mostly I feel really excited for the future. I'm hopeful that this program will open a lot of doors for me in the food and agriculture world, and I think this has been a big step toward figuring out where my career will take me. Being in the farmer training program has solidified my passion for improving food systems, and I can't wait to see what comes next. Plus, it's been such a treat to grow nearly all my own food, or buy from other local producers. That's a habit I definitely hope to continue!
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