By Pat Hatfield
posted Jun 4, 2008 - 10:04:02pm
Is the time right for community-supported agriculture in West Volusia?
Elisha Lee, who runs the Lake Helen Trading Post Health Food Store, and Chris Baker of DeLand think so.
At the May 15 meeting, the two got the backing of the Lake Helen City Commission for the concept of Lake Helen Community Farm.
Lee and Baker, who has been involved in organic and cooperative farming in the U.S. and New Zealand, have called an meeting at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, June 8, to rally support for the idea. The gathering will be at the Creative Arts Cafe, 493-A South Lakeview Drive in Lake Helen.
They say community gardening is an idea whose time has come, pointing out:
• The cost of groceries, spiraling upward, as transportation costs rise, will spur more interest in locally grown foods,
• Local crops can be harvested and sold fresher and riper.
• More people want organically grown food.
• More people want to get closer to nature and and be a part of the process of growing their own food.
• More people want to preserve land for farming.
• More people want a sense of community – local community.
While not everyone can run a farm or successfully grow a garden, individuals can be a part of community-supported agriculture. Involvement can be limited to buying shares in the farm and getting produce in return, or can go as deep as getting your hands in the dirt and working on the farm.
The nitty-gritty details of the farm's operation will be ironed out by the people who elect to take part, Lee and Baker said. They want a core of 200 to 400 families and individuals. A good 75 have said they want in.
"Who will own the land to be farmed will be one of those decisions made," Baker said. Lee and Baker hope someone who owns vacant land in or near Lake Helen will offer it free, or for lease or sale, to the nonprofit corporation they will form. To start, they are looking for 3-5 acres of largely-cleared land, near paved roads.
"A central location is the key thing," Baker said.
The farm will hire one paid manager; volunteers and student interns will provide additional labor.
An organization called WWOOF — World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms — provides interns who work for room and board and the chance to learn on organic farms around the world.
Lee and Baker hope to find professionals who will donate their time, as well, such as an attorney to set up the 501-c(3) organization and handle other legal matters, and people who can direct their talents to needs on the farm, such as plumbers, well-drillers and carpenters.
Education to grow with vegetables
"Kids will be a huge part of the farm," Baker said. They will learn about growing and eating "good, raw, living foods."
He noted the toll junk-food diets and lack of exercise are taking on the nation's youth.
"We have to teach kids about food. They're not well," he said.
There aren't a lot of choices for fresh, local food in fast-food restaurants, and not that many more in grocery stores, Baker said.
Along with educational programs for children, the farm will offer a propagation house where individuals can purchase their own starter plants, and get free instruction for growing them in their own gardens. Volunteering at the farm will also be a way to learn about growing produce.
Experts will be on hand
Executive Director Rick Martinez of Sweetwater Organic Community Farm in Tampa will speak at the June 8 organizational meeting. That 6-acre community-supported farm was established in 1995, and and offers a template for what Lake Helen Community Farm can be, Baker said.
The Tampa farm offers educational field-trips, seminars, festivals, volunteer programs and intern programs, along with organic and environmentally-friendly gardening.
Dana Venrick, agricultural horticulturist with the University of Florida Extension Office in Volusia County, will also speak. Venrick owned and ran a certified-organic orange grove, which his brother now owns.
"We encourage more local produce, either conventional or organic, for freshness, reduced transportation costs, the food shortage and the high cost of gas," Venrick said. "There's a big push throughout the nation to shop locally from local growers."
Extension Office Director Dave Griffis and Venrick both said they're pleased with the plans.
"We've been trying to promote that for several years," Griffis said. "This is the first time we've had a chance to put it in motion."
He added, "You've go a couple of good people heading up the effort."
Venrick called establishing the farm "a top priority."
Elisha Lee has been a fixture in Lake Helen, where she's grown up, and she's already growing an organic garden, with Baker's help. She wants to network with other farmers in the area, too.
Baker, a massage therapist who's lived in DeLand for about eight years, has been involved in organic growing for many years. He likes to travel, and when he does, it's usually to visit an organic farm.
In 2006, for example, Baker spent six months on an organic farm in New Zealand, where he had gone to study applied organics at Taruna College.
He grew up in a farming community in Ohio, where he worked on a dairy farm during his teen years. For him, helping start the Lake Helen farm is a return to his roots.
Lee and Baker met at Lee's store a couple of years ago. Their effort to start Lake Helen Community Farm began with the talking stage, in 2007.
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