According to Vasse, the farmers hired to replace Eschenroeder did not have the experience necessary to farm the 65 acres. In the one year Anne was gone, things took a turn for the worse.
Farmer Anne was heartbroken when she saw the state of the farm in July 2013. She came in as a special consultant to assess the problem. “It was a really sad situation,” she said. “At that point, it was kind of a ghost farm.”
Eschenroeder agreed to come back in the fall — to at least sow cover crops and get the fields back in order after the disastrous 2013 season. “It felt unbelievable. By cover cropping, I felt like I was putting some goodness back into those fields.”
She’s got a big connection to the Phillies Bridge land, as one might imagine. As the farmer, she lived in the old farmhouse for three years. It was her home.
Board members started pushing to get Eschenroeder back. Farmer Anne had built a good reputation with the CSA members, who loved her youthful vitality and her selection of crops.
“Every single week was better than the previous week for three years,” Torquato said, remembering Anne’s time as the farmer.
After some negotiation, the new board members convinced Anne Eschenroeder to return. The farmer signed a four-year agriculture management deal, which puts her back in control of the farm. But it’s also unique, since it gives her a few designated fields to grow her own crops. Eschenroeder will sell those extra veggies to local restaurants under the name Big Little Farm.
Young farmers have it rough in today’s world. They have the skills, but land and equipment are usually far outside their economic grasp. The Phillies Bridge contract is essentially a farm incubator program to help Eschenroeder gain independence and build a brand as a farmer.
Why people love Phillies Bridge Farm
Many of the CSA members at Phillies Bridge Farm have an intense loyalty to the farm, from weekends spent there — oftentimes helping out. Many of the board members who spoke to us for this story talk about it as “their” farm.
For kids who’ve grown up around Phillies Bridge — which is unique because of its summer camp and educational outreach — there’s a huge sense of ownership too.
Amie Baracks is the farm’s education director. They run a seven-week-long summer camp for kids ages 5 to 12, school fieldtrips to the farm, adult education opportunities, and a parent-toddler program called “Growing Together.”
Baracks also boiled down the appeal of a CSA — and perhaps why people are so passionate about them. “Not everybody wants to be farmer, but it allows everybody to have a farm,” she said.
Phillies Bridge wasn’t the first community-supported farm in our area, but they were the first non-profit CSA. They’ve become a regional model for other non-profit farms.
Repaying the debt
Back in 2013, when the farm board announced that Phillies Bridge wouldn’t be giving out crops, there were 180 shareholders. They weren’t guaranteed a thing.
As a way of repaying people, Phillies Bridge is offering half off the share price for returning members for both 2014 and 2015. Shares had cost on average $500 per growing season, but could be around $700 if the CSA member bought extra corn or fruit shares.
According to Eschenroeder, additional soil testing proved that last year’s claim that soil conditions at the farm were poor and stressed out from overuse was not totally true. Even so, they’re scaling back a bit this year. Phillies Bridge intends to sell only 120 shares for 2014 — just to make sure the fields get back to full health. Also a larger percentage of acres — about one-third — will be devoted to cover crops.
Board of Directors members say they’re going to work hard to make sure 2014 sees clear and transparent communication from the board table to the public.
An open house is planned for May 10 so that people can see Phillies Bridge Farm Project is back on its feet.
To learn more about the farm and all they have to offer, visit https://philliesbridge.org/.
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