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Simple Gifts Farm

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Farm Operation: NACF leases its farm property to Simple Gifts Farm (SGF) which operates an organic CSA on the site. NACF selected Simple Gifts Farm because of their commitment to sustainable farming practices and their strong interest in engaging with the community.

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Simple Gifts Farm is a partnership of Jeremy Barker-Plotkin and David Tepfer. Both Jeremy’s and David’s families live in houses adjacent to the farm and play important supportive roles. David’s partner Marcy Lowy is a veterinarian and Jeremy’s partner Audrey Barker-Plotkin is a forestry researcher at Harvard Forest. The CSA operation has been highly successful and now serves roughly 300 households each season. A winter share – of root vegetables and greenhouse grown salad greens – was added in 2008.  The livestock, are moved around the farm over the course of the year, so that the entire site benefits from increased soil fertility. Meat from the pigs and lambs raised on the farm is also available for purchase at CSA pickups.

NACF & SGF: It might be a bit confusing, having two entities with the word farm in their names – North Amherst Community Farm and Simple Gifts Farm.  Here is the story…

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SGF is the for-profit farming operation that leases land from NACF and produces healthy, organic vegetables and farm raised animal products. When you buy a CSA share you are buying fresh high quality food and supporting local farm families and their business. Here is a link to the Simple Gifts Farm website.

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The farmers and interns

 cropped-nacf_logo_outlines-copy-21.jpgNACF is a non-profit, community organization that purchased the land and buildings in order to prevent its development into a housing subdivision. When you make a tax deductible donation to NACF, it helps us to maintain and improve the farm property and to create interesting farm-related programming for the community.  NACF supports SGF’s mission of training apprentices who live on the farm; some plan to become farmers, and some plan careers that support sustainable farming in other ways.

In 2017 NACF has embarked on a project to improve the farmhouse where the apprentices live on-site and to make other long-promised improvements to the property.