Week 3 Newsletter

This week we want to introduce you to the people who are growing your food and caring for the farm. They are a pleasure to work with and we hope you are able to meet some of them this season.
John Middleton is back for his third season on the farm. We are glad to have a third person to share the weight of managing the farm. John has stepped up to manage the maintenance and upkeep of our considerable fleet of equipment. He also helps to oversee the greenhouse production and has started to take on much of the field work that only Jean-Paul and I used to do. He is also a good teacher and helps us to instruct the apprentice crew on how the farm works. As we write this, he is in Brazil visiting his fiancée, Lidia. Due to visa issues, Lidia won’t be able to join John on the farm until the fall. We look forward to having Lidia become part of the farm crew next season. John and Jean-Paul will take turns delivering the vegetables to New York City.
Justin Wilder joins us for his second season. Justin, along with his wife Sarah and their son Dylan, also lives on the farm. Justin is a Minnesota native and moved to New York when he met Sarah. Justin is also an artist and spends part of the year drawing caricatures at fairs and festivals. We appreciate his hard work and willingness to do what needs to be done. Having people return for more than one season helps us to have a consistency with the work on the farm. Justin, Sarah, and Dylan also care for the pigs on a daily basis. Our new Tamworth boar has been christened Sweet Heart by Dylan for his bright red color. Justin is taking on the Westchester delivery route this year.
Dave and Linda, Jody’s parents, are starting their fifth season on the farm. They joined us from Iowa after they retired from teaching. Linda provides us with a presence in the farm office. She is there on Mondays and Fridays putting together the newsletter and answering your emails and phone calls. She also takes in your enrollment forms and payments. She maintains the member database and keeps track of your membership, fruit shares, and meat purchases. Her work allows us to serve you better. Dave is our resident carpenter, electrician, web man, and driver. This winter he took on the building of the apartment for John and Lidia. He has helped us improve the farm infrastructure with electrical work, building projects, and fencing. He also updates the website each week. The Capital District members will see him on Tuesdays when he delivers the produce.
Cara Fraver most recently has been working for Just Food in New York. She was responsible for connecting farmers to community kitchens and food pantries. This program is called “Fresh Food for All.” She helped to manage the relationship between the farmer and the community kitchen to make sure both parties’ needs were met , which isn’t always an easy task. She and her partner, Luke, decided
that farming was what they wanted to do, and so made the big move from Brooklyn this spring. This season Cara is taking on the greenhouse production and transplanting in the field. We appreciate her attention to detail and positive spirit.
Luke Deikis studied film at Sarah Lawrence University. For the past few years he has been a freelance lighting technician for commercials and movies in the city. While living in the city, Luke and Cara gardened and grew hops to brew their own beer (which we hear is quite tasty). Luke has a talent for construction and is always trying to build a better mousetrap. This is a skill that will come in handy for starting a new farm. We appreciate his ability to look at a situation and see how we can improve what we are doing.
Mike Yund is a Capital District native, but is arriving at the farm by way of California. He moved out to California after college and found he loved working in agriculture. He worked on two farms, doing greenhouse production and managing a market stand at a large farmers’ market in the Santa Cruz area. He decided that he wants to pursue a career in agriculture and wanted to learn farming closer to his family. His aunt is a longtime Capital District member and told him about Roxbury. We are grateful to her for bringing Mike to the farm. His laid-back style is a welcome addition to the farm. His willingness to get the job done with a smile is a pleasure to be around. He is helping Jean-Paul out with hay making by doing the tedding and raking.
Wouter van Nuil is from the Netherlands. He is a student at the agriculture school Jean-Paul attended. As part of his schooling, Wouter needs to complete a five-month apprenticeship. We are fortunate that Wouter chose to do his at Roxbury Farm. While he is working all day on the farm, he is also required to write an extensive report on the farm that includes all areas of production – plant and animal. He comes to the farm with a lot of experience and knowledge. He is also always willing to work at whatever needs to be done and does so with precision and care. Wouter is the youngest of the crew this year.
We are fortunate to have these people helping us to grow your food with such dedication, care, and love for the work. ~Jody