Wednesday, December 31, 2008

A Tale of Two Farms: Essex’s Secret to Happiness

Our 2009 conference on January 9 will feature an up close look at the innovative systems of two successful farm operations. Essex Farm will be one of the featured enterprises. Learn more about the conference.

Mark and Kristin Kimball operate Essex Farm, featured in Bill McKibben’s Deep Economy as a unique example of a farm producing a complete food supply for local eaters. The 75 families who are members of the farm receive a wide spectrum of local food, enjoying both summer classics and nutritious winter staples. “Except for paper towels and dental floss, you’d never have to set foot in a store again,” writes McKibben.

The diverse range of products creates its own share of challenges for the farm. Kristin (a former travel writer) wrote in a 2005 article about the difficult task of managing multiple time sensitive projects at the same time. But the rewards are also great—for both customer and producer. “I felt like I had discovered something no less profound than the secret to happiness,” she said. Read more in her article for New Farm magazine.

Next time, we'll share some farm news directly from Mark and Kristin!

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