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A SUCCESS STORY
Community Supported Agriculture in Historic Cromwell Valley
Good Fellowship Farm, Willow Grove Farm, Sherwood Farm, these are place-names from out of a Maryland history book. There might be little remaining but weathered photos of those farms, some settled as early as the 1700's, if it were not for Project Open Place, the primary funder for Baltimore County's eventual purchase of the lands that comprise the Cromwell Valley Park.
The 371 acres were gradually acquired from three different property owners during the course of March 1993 to December 1994. Today, a scant 1/2 mile from the bustle and traffic jams of suburban Towson, you can drive down the winding entrance road to the park and find yourself in a scene as bucolic and serene as any on a pretty wall calendar. The road crosses over a glimmering little stream, Minebank Run, that courses through the center of the valley. Then it curves up the rolling piedmont hills towards the restored barns of Sherwood Farm and the beautiful stone Sherwood House, which now serves as the park's administrative offices. Along the way you'll pass the cultivated fields of the Cromwell Valley CSA -a Community Supported Agriculture farm.
The Community Supported Agriculture arrangement has gained tremendous momentum since its introduction to the United States in the mid-1980s. The concept originated in the 1960s in Japan, when women interested in healthy food for their families, and farmers seeking markets for their crops, joined together in economic partnerships. This arrangement, called "Teikei" in Japanese, translates to "putting the farmer's face on food." The idea was first adapted to American economic systems and given the name "Community Supported Agriculture" at Indian Line Farm, Massachusetts, in 1985.
A CSA consists of a group of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation by purchasing "shares" or "subscriptions" to the coming year's harvest. Members or "share-holders" of the farm pay in advance to cover the anticipated costs of the farm operation and the farmer's salary. In return, they receive shares in the farm's bounty throughout the growing season. Although CSA agreements are fluid and take many forms, all have at their center a shared commitment to building a more secure, local and equitable agricultural system, one that allows farmers to focus on good land stewardship and maintain productive, profitable smaller farms producing a healthy diversity of crops. The Cromwell Valley CSA was one of the earliest operations of its type in this country, and it's unique in that it is not an individually owned farm, but is instead a non-profit organization that leases 20 acres from Cromwell Park. Ten years ago Earth Home, a local organization focused on "building a sustainable Earth-human relationship," negotiated the lease and launched the CSA as an outreach project. (One of Earth Home's current outreach programs is committed to supplying every single classroom in the country with an image of our planet as seen from space.) Earth Home still supports the CSA by funding its internship program but the farm is now an independent non-profit entity in its own right. Members vote on what will be planted and are asked to contribute seven hours of work during the year. A volunteer Board of Directors assists with administrative tasks, while a professional staff lives on site and handles the day-to-day operations of the farm.
Cromwell Valley employs two professional farmers: Matt Belmont works full-time and is the head farmer; Nick Read works half time on the farm. Matt studied at the University of California's School of Horticulture in Santa Cruz. He came to Cromwell in 2005, after six years in Southeast Asia, where he worked with the Peace Corps and the United Nations, and a stint on a farming operation in central Tennessee.
As head farmer, Matt is responsible for the over-all operation and production of the farm. He plans the sowing, planting and harvesting, prepares a yearly budget outline for the Board's Treasurer and juggles the work schedules of the interns, members and volunteers -all in addition to being The Farmer! Nick studied at the Institute for Environmental Studies at Sheperd University in Sheperdstown, West Virginia. In addition to working half time on the farm, he works with the University of Maryland and the local Master Gardeners program developing educational projects centered upon urban agriculture and sustainability issues. Matt and Nick are assisted this season by three interns: Peter Manrodt, Amy Oxenham, and Angela Smith, as well as by the CSA members and various volunteers who enjoy lending a hand. Ten years later, the Cromwell Valley CSA endeavor still holds true to the words of Earth Home's original mission statement: "It is about building sustainable, supportive relationships between people, the food we eat, and the planet we inhabit." The farmers who have worked there through the years, the members who have supported the effort, and Baltimore County, that was open-minded enough to see the value of this unique partnership, all deserve congratulations for a powerful success story. Cromwell Valley Park |
