The average age of the American farmer is 58.  While that makes me feel young, it is a distressing statistic.

I believe that the future of farming will not be with the industrial food producers, we are beginning to see a shift already.  However where do we find the next generation of growers?

This year we are hosting three young men who are intent upon not only learning to farm but learning the business of farming.

These men will spend 9 months learning every aspect of our operation from greenhouse seedling production in the spring to cover crops (green manure) in the fall.  They will see the entire season and receive training all along the way.  Each one will be blogging about his experiences and areas of interest.  All three are bright, intentional and gentle spirited.

Our hope is that they will be able to learn and duplicate their experiences on another farm, and feel blessed with the willingness of these young people to join with us on this adventure.

If you know of anyone that would like to apprentice on Silverbrook Farm for the 2010 season, please send them in our direction.

Silverbrook Farm, 592 Chase Road, Dartmouth, MA  02747

Phone:  508-991-5185

Email: Silverbrook.Farm@comcast.net

Web: www.SilverbrookDartmouth.com

In October of 2008 I sat in an international conference with 7000 other participants from 153 countries and listened to a group of speaker’s discuss how to bring fresh, quality food into poorer sections of cities.  People from all over the globe spoke about lack of access, high cost and an absence of solutions.  I was beaming like a fool, smiling from ear to ear.  Why?  Because world food experts had no idea how to work on this problem, but some bright young women in Dorchester, Massachusetts had found a solution, and we were part of their plan!

Family Inc. and the Codman Square Health Center in Dorchester, MA operate one of the most unique markets in the world.  They encourage the Health Facility Staff to purchase CSA shares in advance of the farmers market insuring the farmer a set amount of sales each day the market is held.

Not only does it provide a base for the market, but it provides an Example for their clients.  Patients shop alongside the medical director and the nurses and doctors they see at the facility.  Talk about walking the walk!

Our farm is able to lower our prices at this market to provide greater benefit for the local consumers many of whom reside in one of the lower income areas of Boston.  This is an area where this type of selection quality, freshness and service is a rarity.  Customers love the fresh seasonal product.  Neighbors shop at the market as do senior citizens from a facility across the street.  Local children help set up and tear down the market and bring good food home as well.

This market works on so many levels!  In this model, health care workers can deliver excellent health care and be a role model for their patients.

As a farm we are very proud of the women, especially Cynthia from Family Inc. who worked so hard to make this happen.  My beaming smile at this large conference was due to the brilliance of these young women in Dorchester.

1. 20% of all petroleum in the US is used in Agriculture – Equivalent to the petroleum usage of all the autos in the US.

2. Each American consumes 400 gallons of petroleum/year just eating! For every One calorie of Food at Shaws – You consume 5-10 calories of Petroleum to get it there. This is referred to as the “Carbon Foot Print” of the food.

3. SOOOO…If each American was to eat locally one meal a week – The Nation would save 1.1 million BARRELs of Oil per WEEK! Talk about easy conservation!

4. Processed foods are the cheapest because the government subsidizes Commodity Corn and Soy growers rather than your local vegetable and Fruit growers ( then, strangely, tells people to eat more vegetables and fruit). Obesity is rampant in our nation -60 % of the population – processed foods provide empty, cheap, fattening calories.

5. For every $1 a consumer spends on processed food, the processors make 85 cents. Eating locally grown food means that every $1 spent goes to the local farmer and on to the local economy.

6. Local farms provide local jobs, keep money in the community, provide open space, maintain local food traditions and let the consumers see how they produce. (Consider visiting a large, industrial agriculture , animal confined, 100 acre feed lot with your family vs. visiting your local family farm. Those two visits will completely convince you about transparency, animal treatment and worker safety in each environment. Oh, sorry, the large agribusinesses won’t let you visit…why?)

7. Local food is healthy, tasty , transparent and environmentally friendly.

8. While 1 in 4 Americans eat at a fast food restaurant every day (1 in 3 Children), this latest generation will be the first to have less longevity than previous generations due to obesitiy. Eating locally means substituting processed foods for vitamin rich fruits and veggies – which reduces obesity!

9. Hidden Costs of “Cheaper Supermarket Foods”: Taxes (subsidies) $22billion for agricultural fuel, $3 billion for direct corn and wheat subsidies, $10billion for food related diseases, agricultural chemical cleanup costs $17billion, collateral cost of Pesticide use $8billion, cost of erosion $20billion to a breakdown of $725/household.

10. Future healthcare costs projected with a current 60% obese population is staggering.

11. Eating locally is EASY, FUN, and an INEXPENSIVE way to reduce your petroleum usage, stimulate the local economy, educate your children about healthy eating and connect to our growing Heritage.

Winter 2009

Dear Members,

As Silverbrook Farm sleeps under a blanket of snow we are looking forward to the third year of the Six Farms CSA.

Preparations are under way as seeds are being ordered, manure is being spread and improvements have been made to our web site.

We have listened to your suggestions and have made a few changes this year that hopefully will make your CSA experience even better than last year.

1. We are reducing the number of times that pea tendrils are included in the share. Our plan is to include them only 2 or 3 times in the spring when they are most tender. The rest of the time you will receive a mix of salad greens.

2. Bread will no longer be included in the share. It was difficult to satisfy so many different tastes. Bread from the same bakery will be available by special order at the Dartmouth location only.

3. For those of you that had your shares delivered to communities outside of Dartmouth we heard from some of you about the problems you had with Strawberries arriving in good condition. We will insure that the Strawberries are slightly less ripe and the container will be cooled. We hope this will allow the berries to arrive in good condition.

4. We are not raising prices for 2009. In light of what is happening in our economy we are working very hard to keep the cost of our production down. The CSA is scheduled for 19 weeks starting the week of June 21^st and finishing the week of October 25^th.

5. We have made several improvements to our website. www.SilverbrookDartmouth.com

• You may now sign up online without having to send in a form.
• We have added a Blog to improve communication in both directions.
• We will be having a variety of classes including jam making, vegetable canning, how to control pests organically, and several more, some especially for kids.
• We will be hosting a series of catered dinners here at the farm using local, organic food and free range, grass fed, hormone and steroid free meat and poultry. As dates are firmed up we will send more information via e-mail and post it on the Blog.
• You can also check out our new Harvest Calendar for a good idea of what your share might include each week.

CSA shares for the 2009 season are now available! You may pay as little as one third down to reserve your share. You may pay the remaining two thirds any time before May 15^th. Last year we had to close enrollment at several sites after they filled up, so we are giving you this first opportunity to sign up for 2009!

Please let us know if there are other improvements that you would like.

E-mail:  Silverbrook.Farm@comcast.net

Best Regards,

Andrew Pollock,

Six Farms CSA @ Silverbrook Farm

508-991-5185

Web: www.SilverbrookDartmouth.com