Today we’d like to introduce you to Dan Kaplan.
Dan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
After graduating from Tufts University in 1987 with a bachelors in History, I decided to pursue environmental education. That led me to a University of California teaching farm in Half Moon Bay, CA where I first learned how to connect environmental education to agriculture. From there, it has been a steady line towards production agriculture – and using that pursuit to connect consumers to the processes which underlie their choices for food. In 1994, after 7 years of in-the-field training, I was hired by Brookfield Farm to develop their CSA (which was the 3rd one in the USA – started in 1986). I have been here since then, eventually growing the farm to encompass 100 acres, with over 30 acres in vegetable production and a small herd of beef cows. We grow, using no synthetic chemicals as fertilizer or pest control, for a supporting community of over 600 families every season. 75% of those families pick up their CSA shares on our farm and 25% of them live in the Boston area and pick them up at distribution sites scattered around the Boston Area.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Agriculture in Massachusetts in the early 1999 through the present day, is not exactly a smooth road but we have enjoyed great success and support of literally thousands of people who are grateful for being able to eat delicious healthy local produce right from the farm. The struggles have been: people thinking we were crazy to make a living in agriculture. People thinking we were crazy to grow food without chemical pesticides or fertilizer. Competing against much larger farms with economies of scale. Dealing with long hours and lots of uncertainty with the weather.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Brookfield Farm – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Producing and distributing locally grown, delicious, over 250,000 lbs. of healthy produce year after year. We also train 3 young, interested people each season to learn how to do this job – so that they can go out and build a more sustainable agriculture in an ever-widening circle of activity.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Our plans for the future are to try to survive in a sustainable fashion; not growing anything besides the plants and animals which make up the farm every year. We have a good thing going – we’d like to keep it that way!!
Pricing:
- CSA Share – $600 per season – 24 weeks of delicious, seasonal, local, healthy produce from your farm!
Contact Info:
- Address: 24 Hulst Rd, Amherst, MA 01002
- Website: www.brookfieldfarm.org
- Phone: 413-253-7991
- Email: info@brookfieldfarm.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brookfieldfarm/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrookfieldFarm88/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/brookfieldfarm8
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/brookfield-farm-amherst?osq=brookfield+farm
Image Credit:
Dan Kaplan
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