| Miller’s Crossing Farm,
owned and operated by the wife and- husband team Katie Smith and Chris
Cashen, has supplied produce to Honest Weight Food Co-op since the
farm’s first year. In 1995, Katie rented three acres to grow organic
vegetables. At the Menand’s Market, she met Honest Weight produce
manager Gayle Anderson, who encouraged Katie to supply the Co-op with
fresh vegetables as much as possible. In 1999, Chris joined her farming
efforts and they married. In 2000, the couple purchased Chris’
childhood home and farm on 200 acres in Claverack, and began developing
it. When Chris describes what they do, who they work with, and for whom
they do it, one becomes aware that their farm is more than a “place.”
Katie’s first years of farming are a concrete example of this: She
started on three acres of rented land. Nor is their farm defined by the
labor of workers who produce for a generic population. For eight months
of the year, Miller’s Crossing has five very special full-time workers
from different parts of the globe, who have their own needs met by
their farm work while helping to produce for very targeted customers.
Last, but not least, their products are not typical, but are custom-fit
for their growing environment and their consumers, who give feedback
that helps the farm decide what is most appropriate for each venue in
which they sell. Miller’s Crossing is all about relationships — between
farmers, workers, customers, children, animals, plants and, of course,
the planet.
Claverack is about a 10-minute drive from
Hawthorne Valley Farm. The farm straddles the Agawamuck Creek, which
feeds into the Claverack Creek, which in turn flows into an estuary of
the Hudson River. The land of this Hudson River Valley farm is rolling,
both high and low, and has two basic soil types, sandy and clay. The
soils which are not good for vegetables are used for hay and pasture.
Beef cattle enjoy the grasses, and also the cover crops before they are
plowed under. During the growing season, a total of 30 acres are used
to grow vegetables. Some plots may be cultivated to grow two successive
plantings, while others just have one crop grown in them, depending on
the life cycle of the plant. All areas get a cover crop before being
planted with the next year’s vegetables as a part of their
fertilization process. Composts and manures are also used as
fertilizers.
From its inception, Miller’s Crossing has
been “certified organic.” Chris explains that certification is a
necessary designation for them because they sell in retail
establishments, where they may know the produce department managers but
not the customers. In order for those customers to know that they are
getting organic produce, the farm maintains the right to label
everything they grow “organically grown.” The farm’s offerings include
mesclun, baby arugula, tomatoes, potatoes, squash, zucchini, cucumbers,
head lettuce, chard, beets, turnips, Asian greens, dandelion greens,
basil and strawberries. Katie calls Gayle at the beginning of every
week and tells her what is available that week. Gayle puts in an order,
and Chris delivers to the store himself. This produce is local,
organic, very fresh — and gives shoppers at Honest Weight the
opportunity to enjoy premium quality produce while reducing their
proverbial “carbon footprint.”
The people who have shaped Miller’s Crossing
include Gayle and the shoppers of Honest Weight, who have been their
largest and most consistent customers through the years. This has
helped the farm by maintaining a steady income throughout the growing
season year after year. Without customers there would be no farm, and
Chris is grateful to have a strong relationship with the people who buy
from them in all the places where their products are sold. Miller’s
Crossing operates a CSA with 80–100 families every year. In addition,
they sell at farmers’ markets in Hudson, Kinderhook and Lennox (Mass.),
and to Hawthorne Valley Farm.
Among those who have an ongoing impact on
the farm are three Guatemalan men who come to the farm as guest workers
each year. They have become trusted friends of the family (Katie and
Chris have three children ages 5 and under), and are knowledgeable,
dependable workers during the months they are on the farm. The farm
pays their airfare and arranges their legal papers in order to
facilitate their annual commute, and these workers benefit by having a
reliable place to work with a wage that goes much further in their home
country.
The other two full-time positions are filled
by international interns from a program that places college students on
American farms. These workers experience American culture while
learning different methods of agriculture. Chris and Katie act as
managers, taking care of the business and filling in wherever they’re
needed.
November is the last harvest month of the growing-and selling cycle for
Miller’s Crossing. Winter months are spent cleaning up, repairing and
preparing for the next year. As the calendar year comes to a close and
we celebrate the year’s bounty, look for their vegetables in the
produce department — and appreciate the flavors and the community
you’re helping to support.
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