Over the past week, the livestock team has been busy preparing for this new season while reminiscing on all that we shared through the season past. It never ceases to amaze how fortunate we are to have your support and share an enthusiasm for this meat. Tim and I have been recounting many of the meaningful conversations we have had and relationships developed with you all. We are truly grateful and hope that you all enjoyed this experience as much as we did.
This is the last blog post for the Winter CSA. Most importantly, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you, but also let you know what to expect in the near future.
2017/18 Winter Meat CSA:
Given how successful the program was and how positive our feedback has been, we have decided that we are definitely offering the Winter Meat CSA again next year. You will all have the first opportunity to sign up before we open it up to new members. The season schedule will be very similar and we will contact to you in the months leading up to that so you don't miss out. One of the main changes to expect will be a smaller size option to add to our list so that we can better meet the needs of our diverse group. Secondly, and this isn't totally confirmed yet, but we are doing our best to increase the number of chickens we distribute and potentially offer lamb as an add on for those interested. We will keep you posted.2017 Summer Beef CSA:
I am so excited to announce that we are going to launch our first ever Summer Beef CSA! We wanted to keep this momentum going and to continue offering meat on a regular basis to our supporters. On Monday, I will send out an email with the details and how to sign up. You will be the first people offered a share. As a quick overview:The Summer Beef CSA includes 2 lbs. of beef per week distributed over the course of 20 weekly pick-ups. This will total 40 pounds of meat over the course of the season.
The meat CSA begins in June 2017 and ends in October 2017. Pickups will be held every week, for a total of 20 pick-ups.
Pick-ups are offered at the following locations and times:
- Moose Hill Farm, Wednesdays 4-6PM
- Chestnut Hill Farm, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 2-6PM
- Powisset Farm, Tuesday 2-6PM, Thursdays 10AM-6PM, Saturdays 10AM-4PM
- Weir River Farm, same time as before Saturdays 11AM-3PM
The cost of the Summer Beef CSA is $22 per pick-up, or $440 for the season. On average, these prices represent a cost of $11/lb, which includes all cuts. This is the same price as the Winter CSA.
New Livestock Manager, Jesse Robertson-Dubois:
In preparation for this new season, I looked to hire a new Livestock Manager who would oversee the daily management of our animals and continue our efforts to improve the soil and pasture systems, which is the foundation of sustainable farming, healthy animals and top quality meat. We didn't have far to look because the ideal candidate already lived at Chestnut Hill Farm.I want to introduce the newest member of our team, Jesse Robertson-Dubois. To say Jesse brings a vast amount of sustainable farming experience to The Trustees is an understatement. Jesse has managed many diversified livestock operations and is an effective leader and advocate in the agricultural community. Jesse is joining us from American Farmland Trust where he served as the New England Director.
If you don't know Jesse already, I hope you have the chance to meet him soon. He will continue all Meat CSA programming and will be the point of contact going forward if you have any questions. I will email you all on Monday reiterating this, but our email: meatcsa@thetrustees.org is always a great way to reach us.
Thank you,
Connor
P.S. The piglets have been born, the chickens are pasturing, and the cattle will be grazing in no time. Please come visit us and see the animals. And of course, if you're interested in checking out new Trustees properties, visit: www.thetrustees.org
