For the past 15 years, Food Bank Farm in Hadley, Massachusetts, has operated one of the most successful Community Supported Agriculture projects in the United States. Food Bank Farm produces food for 640 shareholders over a five-month season.

But that’s only half of Food Bank Farm’s production. The other half of the food it produces, by weight, is given away to a food bank for distribution to low-income people. Last year, Food Bank Farm gave away 162,000 pounds of vegetables, primarily hard vegetables with a long shelf life such as winter squash and potatoes.

“It’s been such a win-win situation for everyone,” said Jillian Hanson, associate director of development for The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, which owns Food Bank Farm. “The produce is fantastic, all organically grown. And it’s supporting the fight against hunger.”

The volume of food produced on Food Bank Farm’s 45 cultivated acres is the result of a combination of factors including great soil, extensive mechanization, enthusiastic workers and, the mastermind behind it all, farm manager Michael Docter.

Michael has been with Food Bank Farm from the start, when its first venture was the Chili Project, in which The Food Bank grew beans, peppers, onions, and tomatoes for a processed chili that was distributed to food pantries and shelters.

“The media loved the project; the only problem was that no-one liked the chili,” Michael recalls. “Over time, we realized the same agencies wanted fresh ingredients as much or more than processed chili.”
At the time of the Chili Project, Michael had no experience as a farmer, just gardening experience and a desire to be a farmer. He had worked in community development and housing in Philadelphia and Trenton, New Jersey, but was ready for a career change. He convinced The Food Bank to buy land and start a farm.
“We wanted to make the project self sustaining, so we explored the CSA model,” he said. “At that time, the CSA model was on a garden economy of scale. We felt that if we expanded the model to actual agricultural economy of scale, CSA could be a lucrative form of farming and could generate a profit in the form of surplus produce.

“We did a business plan, bought some wonderful farm land, planned to break even in three years – and did it in two!”

Although several food banks throughout the United States now have their own farms, The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts was the pioneer, Jillian Hanson said. And though there are numerous CSAs in the area now, “Food Bank Farm was pretty instrumental in helping foster the popularity of CSA farms around here,” she said.

Leased land
During the 1990s, Michael was on the payroll of The Food Bank as farm manager. Then in 2000 he struck out on his own, becoming an independent contractor with a one-year lease on the farm. In exchange for the use of the land and buildings, Michael pays The Food Bank $20,000 a year plus donates 40-50% of the farm’s produce, by weight. Why did Michael leave the security of a paycheck to run his own business? “We always ran the farm like a business and felt that if the farm was to actually sustain itself over the long haul, it needed a formal structure that reflected our operation as a business. A working farm and a nonprofit organization can potentially have very different and sometimes conflicting missions,” he said.
Michael feels the new arrangement is an improvement over being an employee. For one thing, he no longer has to show up for staff meetings on Monday mornings, he says. And he thinks it’s much healthier for the farm, because it clarifies the farm’s objective, which is to produce food.

“There’s a lot of land owned by non-profits – churches, land preservation organizations and so on – that is an incredible resource for new farmers,” Michael said. “However, I would counsel any prospective farmer who is considering working with a nonprofit to be sure both parties share exactly the same goal: the success and viability of the farm. These relationships work best when the nonprofit organization’s mission is exclusive and limited to this goal. If the nonprofit has other goals, they are likely to conflict over time with the functioning of the farm.

“It’s also a good idea to structure farm self-sufficiency over time or else the farm can become a huge financial drain on a nonprofit. I’d suggest that if the nonprofit is going to subsidize the farm, it be for capital, not operational, expenses and that any operational subsidies be limited to the initial years of operation. There also ought to be a way for the farmer to build equity in the project, to keep their interest and make it more like a family farm.”

One possible drawback to his leaseholder arrangement with the nonprofit is that he now has only a four-year lease. “My primary job security lies in the fact that few people are willing to run a farm, give away half their production and pay $20,000 in cash for the privilege,” he said. “In that sense, I guess I’m pretty secure.”

A great place for kids
Food Bank Farm adjoins the scenic Connecticut River, where the crew often adjourns for a noontime swim and lunch on a houseboat. The farm is blessed with the soil type called Hadley loam, which is locally famous as being the best soil for vegetables. At the other end of the farm, along a paved road, is the farmstead which includes a house where Michael and his family live. His wife is Lynn Bowmaster, who manages the CSA membership, and their children are Benny, 11, and Jesse, 7. Living on the farm is one of the chief motivations for Michael and Lynn: “It’s a great place to raise a family,” he says. Michael’s parents recently built a house on land adjacent to the farm, so the kids also have their grandparents nearby.
For shareholders, the heart of Food Bank Farm is the big barn where CSA distribution is held and the broad flat field in front that is used for pick-your-own crops – primarily herbs, beans and flowers. Because the field is accessible and well-maintained, PYO crops are a popular aspect of the CSA for most members.
The farm does not have a greenhouse, so plants of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and melons are purchased. Everything else is direct seeded and cultivated mechanically. Succession planting is essential to productivity and customer satisfaction. Michael decided early on that certain staples should be available to customers for as much of the season as possible. As a result, he seeds lettuce and baby greens every week and harvests all summer. There are six succession plantings of herbs and beans, three of flowers, five of carrots and three of cucumbers and squash.

To keep track of this cornucopia, Michael has come to rely on his Palm Pilot, which is attached to his belt in a little “bombproof” case. He uses a database, a calendar and a to-do list that he updates constantly as he moves through the fields. He prints it out for the workers every day, so everyone knows what’s going on that day. “It’s way too complicated for my brain,” he jokes.

The farm operates with seven or eight apprentices each year, most of whom have finished college and want to farm themselves.

“We have very high expectations of our crew, which they rarely fail to meet, and in return they learn how to run a viable farming operation,” Michael said. “Farm management is divided into several management components, each apprentice has some areas of responsibility, each has a tractor to operate and maintain.”

Member loyalty
Food Bank Farm is in an area with many colleges and universities, and there is a good base of people who understand and appreciate the concept of Community Supported Agriculture. The farm does almost no marketing, but instead finds new members by word of mouth, and has an excellent retention rate of 85-86%, Michael said. The CSA grew rapidly at the beginning, with 80 members the first year, 160 the second and 300 by the fourth year. Since then, it has grown about 3% to 5% a year. It currently has a waiting list, and Michael hopes to continue the 3-5% annual growth as long as he can continue to expand the acreage under lease.

The share price is $400, or $535 for a large share. The share price includes two pickups in November and December.

“I think scale is a very important part of the CSA equation,” Michael says. “Most CSAs fail because they fail to address this issue. Growers need to figure out how much income they need to support themselves or their family over the long term. It takes 10 years to become a good farmer. What so often is referred to as ‘Farmer burnout’ is actually farmer inability to generate enough cash to run a farm. An 80-member CSA with a $400 share gives you revenue of $32,000. That’s what most families need to live on – there’s nothing left to buy seed, inputs, equipment, etc. If you run the numbers, you need 300 to 400 shares to hit break even.”

Free choice
One feature of the CSA that has helped with renewals and recruitment is the mix and match distribution system. Several years ago, the farm switched from a fixed share where the farm told members what to take. Now members check a magnetic blackboard that tells them the amount of each item they can take if they want it. They walk through the barn, filling their own bags with whatever vegetables they like. “It saves us a lot of time, because we no longer have to bunch carrots or beets or unitize our produce in any way, but saving time is not the only reason we do it,” Michael said. ‘People respond well to choices.”
Food Bank Farm tries to encourage more local food support by buying and reselling products from other farms. There’s a cooler in the distribution barn where members can pick up meats, eggs, blueberries, pasta, mushrooms, salad dressings, cheese, muffins and scones, pies and handmade soaps.

“We’re trying to make it more of a one-stop shop for people,” Michael said. “When we started out, (products purchased for resale) was not a big money maker, but it nets about $20,000 a year now.”
Michael attributes the longevity and success of his CSA to an ongoing emphasis on customer service and satisfaction. His plan for the future is simple: “Keep tweaking the system.” And that, quite simply, means to keep producing good food, tons and tons of it, for CSA members and the hungry.

The Food Bank Farm
121 Bay Rd.
Hadley, MA 01035
413-582-0013
foodbankfarm@yahoo.com