Season’s are changing!

Hey everyone,

Long time no talk. Since March, we as a family have been doing a lot of discussing, planning, and reconfiguring.

Today, I write to you to announce that we have updated our business plan and we have big changes in our future!
In order to make these changes we have been on the lookout for grants and other funding opportunities. One that we recently entered ourselves into is the Chase Mission Main Street grant competition.
If our farm business page receives 250 votes by October 17th (found at https://www.missionmainstreetgrants.com/business/detail/66585), we are entered to win a grant of $150,000.00!
It would be awesome if you could vote for us, share with your friends and help us on the path to reach our new goals!

To offer some perspective, if we win this grant, we could rebuild our Certified Organic dairy herd, have better fencing, get more equipment for hay-making and growing produce, and be better equipped to find more land in the future. This would help us to make money toward our long-term goals of a farm-t0-table restaurant, an on-farm event space and education program, and a successful dairy business.

Anything helps at this point, so if you have the time, please vote for us! The link again is: https://www.missionmainstreetgrants.com/business/detail/66585 . Note: You may be asked to complete a survey – this is not required for you to vote.

All the best!

Caitlan

CSA Shares still available!

Hi All!
Just a reminder that CSA shares are still available for the 2014 growing season.

Want to share our info but your friends are computer illiterate or resistant? We have a printable advertisement you can share with your friends available here: Stephens Farm CSA FLYER

If you would like to sign up, we also have member contracts for you to read, sign, and return to us with your payment. Download the contract here: CSA 2014 Stephens Farm Application and Agreement 3.16.14Hope to add you to our list of members for the upcoming season!

~ The Stephens Farm crew

CSA shares are still available!

Shares are still available for the 2014 growing season!

For $650, receive fresh, organic produce from May through November.
Seeds are starting to sprout and plans are underway for spring plantings in hoophouses.
Don’t wait, sign up today!

Email us at stephensfarmnj@aol.com for more details.
Payment plans are negotiable.

Have you signed up for your CSA share yet?

Stephens Farm CSA Share Sign-up is now open!

Stephens Farm CSA Share Sign-up is now open!

Looking for Certified Organic, locally grown, seasonal produce?

Want to get to know your farmer and be more connected to your food?

A CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) Share with Stephens Farm is the perfect way to eat fresher, healthier food, support small farms, and stimulate the local economy!

Join our summer CSA and receive a weekly share of fresh, Certified Organic vegetables, herbs and flowers. We will be growing a variety of vegetables this season, including tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet corn, salad greens, and herbs, among other things.

The Details

Cost: $650 for the season

Start date: The first weekend in May (May 3rd). Note: The growing season is typically from late May through October, but varies depending on weather and other natural factors.

Members will be responsible for picking up their shares at the farm during a designated weekly pick up time.

For more information, please email us at: stephensfarmnj@aol.com.

What is a CSA, you ask?

In a CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) Share program, the farm grows food for a group of members who purchase shares of the eventual harvest. The CSA member pays at the beginning of the growing season, usually March, and when crops are ready for harvest in late May the members come to the farm to pick up their weekly share of assorted vegetables, herbs, and flowers, among other products. In a CSA system, all of your food dollars go to the farmer growing your food. By joining a CSA Share program you are supporting sustainable local agriculture while getting fresh, Certified Organic product at a very reasonable price from a farmer who you establish a personal connection with.

About Stephens Farm

At Stephens Farm we are committed to providing the highest quality produce and farm products to our customers, all grown and raised using Certified Organic practices. Stephens Farm’s founder, Ted, has always raised his crops and livestock with the wellbeing of future generations in mind. This ethic has been passed on to his children, who will be taking the reins for the upcoming growing season. To extend the growing season on both ends we will be utilizing high tunnels for our tomatoes, peppers, and greens, and we intend to utilize more intensive weed and pest management practices this growing season.

Join the Stephens Farm CSA today!

Just a note

All the cows are now gone from the farm. It’s an odd thing to experience. They had essentially become a part of our family, each with her name and calves and personality. We had a mama pig who refused to leave and bestowed upon us 10 little piglets. Apparently everything has a silver lining.

This post is just a note for all of you interested in Herd Shares so that you can have access to raw milk:
Stephens Farm hopes to be back on the dairy track by this summer. This will be primarily under the care of my siblings and mother.

Please don’t hesitate to send us your contact information at stephensfarmnj@aol.com and we will be sure to get in touch with you when cows are back on the farm.
Thanks!
Caitlan

Big Changes

As some of you may already know, as of this past weekend my family’s farm is no longer home to any cows. A new year required major changes, major changes required very difficult decisions.

What I would like to stress is, although we are down, we are absolutely NOT out.

The decision to liquidate the dairy herd was not made lightly, and was, in fact, spurred by my father’s health. In January 2011 my dad was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that affects, among other things, an individual’s coordination, balance, and mobility. Since the diagnosis my dad has been trying to reduce his workload and his stress levels to make sure that he is as healthy and strong as possible. Caring for a dairy herd and coordinating this care with family members who work off the farm was becoming an immensely stressful burden, and was in turn negatively affecting his health. My family wants to see my father healthy. If that means taking a break from being a Certified Organic dairy farm, that is what we have to do at this point in time.

The land will not sit idle, however. With the help of my brothers our farm will continue to be a working farm and we will be planting hay and produce come spring. Although this is life-changing and very difficult, we as a farming family agree that the well-being of my father and our family as a whole is what is most important to us at this point in time. If you are still interested in raw milk shares in the future feel free to send the farm your contact information at stephensfarmnj@aol.com and we will notify you when we are once again in the dairy business.

Best, Caitlan

Livestock for Sale

Stephens Farm has livestock for sale! We need to make more space in the barn for all our lovely bovine ladies and our upcoming Herd/Cow Share Program – that means we have to bid a fond farewell to a number of our other animals.

We have, for sale:

• feeder pigs,
• pregnant sows,
• a boar,
• 4 Certified Organic steers, and
• Certified Organic chickens.

Call (973-875-2849) or email (stephensfarmnj@aol.com) for more information!

We also have beef, soup chickens, and eggs for sale for those of you looking to stock up this month!

Giving Thanks

Here at Stephens Farm we are thankful for a lot of things.

Here are just a few:

We are thankful for our customers, who support us through the growing season.

We are thankful for the opportunity to become the first Cow Share Program in the state of New Jersey.

We are thankful to have happy, healthy cows, and for the calves that have been born in the past month.

Charlie, the Thanksgiving calf, with his Auntie 6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are thankful to be a small, family-owned farm, and we hope to be around for a long time.

We are thankful for the fresh, local, Certified Organic food that nourishes our family and our customers throughout the year.

We are thankful that Hurricane Sandy did not affect our farm as Hurricane Irene did, and we are thankful for the electricity that is once again powering our barn and house.

 

What are you thankful for?

Stephens Farm Cow Share Program

Want to drink raw milk legally, but can’t keep a cow in your backyard? Become of a member of the Stephens Farm Cow Share Program! The sale of raw milk, as well as the transportation of raw milk across state lines, is illegal in the state of New Jersey. However, it is legal to purchase a share of a cow through a Cow Share Program and drink the milk that your cow produces each week.

A Cow Share works like this. First, you purchase a share of a cow who is living on Stephens Farm – this is a one-time charge of $85. Then, each week you pay $8 for the care of the cow and receive a gallon of milk from your cow. You can purchase as many shares as you want. As a part of the Stephens Farm Cow Share Program, you get to drink your raw milk each week, while Stephens Farm does all the work of caring for the cow for you!

If raw milk, from Certified Organic cows, is something you would like to have access to, consider a Cow Share with Stephens Farm. Contact Stephens Farm today for more details.

P.S. Stephens Farm is the first Certified Organic dairy in New Jersey!

Steak and eggs and some exciting news!

Hi Everyone!

Where did the time go? As usual things are very busy on the farm. We have a greenhouse to put up, row cover to lay down, fence to move, livestock to care for and so much more.

But, just because we’re busy doesn’t mean we won’t continue to provide fresh, quality products to all our wonderful customers!

We still have meat in the freezer, so stop by the farm to pick up some Certified Organic beef (prices listed on our “Products” page”).
Or come by to get a dozen Certified Organic eggs laid by our beautiful Rhode Island Red hens!
We also have a variety of fall produce available, including (among other things) acorn squash, kale, jerusalem artichokes, and broccoli.

In recent news, Stephens Farm is now the first Certified Organic dairy in New Jersey! Stay tuned for more info on where we are headed now that our dairy is Certified.

Happy Autumn!