About Peacework Farm CSA

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Peacework Farm

History

Peacework Farm was established in 1998 by now-retired partner and GVOCSA founder Elizabeth Henderson and Greg Palmer. It is a for-profit business separate from GVOCSA but it was established to be the primary supplier of main season vegetables and herbs to GVOCSA. Many GVOCSA farm work shifts were spent in 1998 helping Peacework Farm set up: building the greenhouse and cold frame, setting up the packing shed, building the walk-in cooler, wiring the barn, etc.

Greg's wife, Ammie Chickering joined the partnership in 2000, the farm's second year in production. At that time, Peacework Farm rented its land, buildings, and tractors from Doug and Becky Kraai, owners of Crowfield Farm. After Doug's death, Becky sold a 137-acre portion of her farm (which included Peacework's leasehold) to Genesee Land Trust (www.geneseelandtrust.org), assuring the land's protection as open space in perpetuity. The majority of the donations to Genesee Land Trust for the purchase of this land came from GVOCSA members. A portion of the parcel along Ganargua Creek has been set aside as the Kraai Preserve with a nature trail and beautiful spring wildflowers. The trail can be accessed from the end of Norsen Road just west of the farm off Welcher Road. Peacework Farm leases the remainder of the parcel (106 acres) from the land trust on a 25 year "rolling" lease (renewed annually for the next 25 years).

In 2005 Peacework Farm became a limited liability company for the purpose of leasing the land from the land trust. This LLC structure makes it possible for new people to join the farm partnership and old partners to leave or retire without interrupting the lease agreement. Peacework Farm purchased the buildings and much of the equipment used on the farm from the Kraai family and owns them outright. The relationship to the land is that of stewardship, not ownership: this land will never be sold to finance the farmers' retirement, which has been the demise of so many family farms in the U.S. New partners will have the opportunity to farm for a ready market (GVOCSA) without the enormous debt burden of purchasing land.

Production

Peacework Farm grows vegetables and cover crops on approximately 20 acres and subleases the hayland to John Ramph, a local producer of beef and grass-fed American plains bison (John & Evelyn Ramph Peacework Farm uses organic production methods certified organic by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY) Organic Certification Program. Over 95% of Peacework's produce is sold to CSA members. If and when there is extra, it is usually sold to Abundance Cooperative Market or Lori's Natural Foods in Rochester.

Peacework's production year begins in early March when the first seedlings are started in the greenhouse. Hoop houses (steel-framed, unheated structures with one layer of plastic) are used for early spring greens and to extend the harvest of ripe peppers and cherry tomatoes several weeks longer in the fall. Irrigation is done via a drip system through "trickle tape" laid next to each row of vegetables; the water is from three wells on the farm. About half of the crops are transplanted from seedlings started in the greenhouse and half are direct-seeded. All tillage is done by machine and weed control is done with a combination of machine cultivation and hand tools. All produce is hand-harvested. Perishable crops are washed, boxed, and stored in the walk-in cooler as quickly as possible.

Employment Opportunities

Peacework Farm often has one or two farm worker positions available each year for people seriously interested in organic vegetable farming on a commercial scale. We prefer to hire people with some farming experience or who are used to strenuous outdoor physical labor and who have a strong interest in CSA. Positions are for the full season from March/April through the third week in November. Contact Greg Palmer and Ammie Chickering for more information at Peacework Farm, P.O. Box 48, Phone: home) or cell) or at .

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