The LocalHarvest Blog
27 Sep Mon 2021
Farmer John asks: Do you Eat Data?
LocalHarvest friends --
Are you noticing the nudge and pivot into autumn? We are, too. In nature and in the farming world, this is the moment when we savor the retained heat of summer and the abundance of autumn harvest. Soon we'll start tuning in to crisp, shorter days.
Autumn is a time of reflection. How has the year been so far, especially in the world of CSA farming? We asked our friends John and Haidy Peterson at Angelic Organics of Caledonia Illinois to find out.
Angelic Organics is a gem in the world of Community Supported farming, where community, poetry, the land and the nitty gritty of getting-it-done come together. When we spoke with John we could feel in our bones the dynamic and ever-changing nature of farming. Life has this quality no matter where you are, but on a farm, if you're there long enough and you tune in, you really know it.
Angelic has around 2,400 shareholders this year, about the same number as in 2019. In 2020, that number had increased to 3,200: during the nationwide shut-down, we saw an up-tic in people's connection with CSA. It's a reminder of how important our local food systems are, and how fortunate we are that small-to-medium-scale farms are there to support us. These farms are representative of years of cultivation, evolution, planning, and innovating. Included in the cycle of a CSA farm's life are the people that buy shares each year. Members are an integral part of the momentum that keeps the operation running.
Farmer John has many beautiful insights to share on what sounds to us like "farming from the heart." In his August posting "Do You Eat Data?", he shares about what a farm actually IS:
"Your farm is a being, a living being. What I realized [when touring and speaking to audiences] was that in general a farm was regarded as a source of food, a sort of factory (and for many, a data point). I would suggest that engaging the land through our hearts and our will would result in food...
...your farm, Angelic Organics, has not evolved out of data, but out of love, out of a sense of stewardship, of relationship, of connectedness. Of course we engage science, technology, engineering and math (daily, even hourly), but the underlying forces that guide this farm forward are love, compassion and devotion. When these are present, life flourishes at the deepest level, and food follows."
Everyone has experienced life-reminders during this past year and a half. A couple big ones for us are that change is certain, and it matters where we decide to place our attention. Do we know our community - our neighbors, our land - whether we live in the city, suburbs or country? How do we regard and care for one another, since certainly our well-being depends on it? CSA farming continuously emerges as an answer to these questions, providing a place to meet on the land, share food, share in some of the work, and most importantly, enjoy it all.
For over 25 years CSA farms have proved to be important players in creating vibrant local economies. When you create a relationship with your farmer you're saying 'my community counts.' It's easy to be dazzled by conglomerates that mimic the CSA model, but don't be fooled. A box of products without a connection to the farm is a bland version of something that's meant to be simple, rich and nourishing!
If you don't know the full story of Angelic Organics and John Petersen, (or even if you do!), you should check out the movie, The Real Dirt on Farmer John.
It's also a ripe moment to look back over our progress at LocalHarvest and CSAware. Businesses everywhere have had to ride the waves of the pandemic workplace, and we're no exception. We've continued to evolve to serve the changing needs of our farmers and their CSA subscribers.
This year, among other upgrades, we added automatic preference-based box customization to CSAware, our farm software toolkit. Affectionately named BoxBot, this remarkable tool customizes each individual delivery by allocating the week's harvest based on each CSA subscriber's options and preferences. (ie, "I love kale, but not so much turnips"), Simply put, BoxBot optimizes inventory while increasing customer satisfaction, and has proven itself extremely helpful for busy farmers.
If you are a farmer and you'd like a tour of CSAware, give us a holler.
Till next time, enjoy the September rays of sun, and each other.
-Kerry Glendening
