We are pleased to report that the Post-Morrow Foundation and the Hamlet Organic Garden continue to work closely to support farming in Brookhaven.
The Gesso Foundation has generously awarded a grant to the Foundation to support organic farming in Brookhaven.
With the support of the Gesso grant the Foundation and HOG will be able to begin an apprenticeship program for the 2007 season. A widespread practice among the organic farming community, apprenticeship programs support the goal of training the next generation of farmers. The program will enable two interns to participate in hands-on learning on how to grow organically as well as to learn marketing and the techniques to operate an environmentally sustainable farm.
The HOG has also reached out to the Bellport High School student group, Students for Environmental Quality (SEQ). Students from SEQ will work with the interns and provide volunteer help to the farm as well as learn about food production.
The grant will enable the farm to enhance its educational programs both for the interns and the members. The grant will also enable us to purchase some much needed equipment that will increase production on the farm.
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The Hamlet Organic Garden has provided fresh organic produce to our community for 10 years. HOG represents a model for a small, organic farm that is financially and environmentally sustainable. In Community Supported Agriculture (CSA - See Post-Morrow newsletter, Spring 2005) farm "members" pay for their vegetables at the beginning of each growing season, sharing both risk and bounty with the farmer. The CSA model espouses farming and lifestyle practices that improve the environment. The farm strengthens the local economy. The HOG has been growing for the past decade and now provides over 200 families with weekly "shares" of fresh organic produce. The best way to ensure that small, local, organic farms continue to survive is by training the next generation of farmers, so they may start their own small farms. "Growing a community of well-trained farmers is just as important as growing healthy fruits and vegetables."
The HOG is located on 11 acres in Brookhaven Hamlet. Throughout the summer and fall members pick up their share of food produced on the farm. Members volunteer to assist the farmers (Sean Pilger and Jill Garrick) in weeding, picking, and caring for the crops. The farm holds workshops on nutrition, food storage and canning. |
