The Land

The Intervale Community Farm (ICF) is a 35-acre community-supported agriculture (CSA) farm situated on the lower Winooski River flood plain in Burlington, Vermont. Started in 1990, we grow about 20 acres of mixed vegetables and 1 acre of berries, flowers, and herbs, with the balance in green manures, facilities, and hedgerows. At nearly 500 member households, we are one of the largest and oldest CSAs in the region.

The ICF exists in the wider context of the land and community of the Intervale. Our land is leased from the Intervale Center, a non-profit umbrella-group dedicated to developing the Intervale as a local agricultural resource. The IC runs a farming program (of which ICF is a part) aimed at supporting the development of new farms and farmers through graduated supports. Farms in the program, of which there are about 10, lease land, equipment, and other facilities from the IC for initially-low rates; as the farms age and prosper, services diminish and rates increase accordingly. Learn more about the IC at www.intervale.org.

In terms of production, ICF is a typical mid-sized, diversified Vermont veggie farm. Certified organic by Vermont Organic Farmers, we employ the usual mix of crop rotation, green manures, and compost to manage the soil. We aim to do as much work as feasible with mechanized equipment. Nearly all tillage and planting is tractor-based, weed control is a mix of tractor cultivation and hand work, and most harvest is done by hand. Our primary harvest days are Monday and Thursday, prior to the CSA distributions.
     

All CSA distribution takes place on the farm, Monday and Thursday afternoons. Distributions can be busy, with several hundred people filing through in a 3.5-hour period. In order to engage members and give them a bit more of a sense of the farm, many of our crops are only available as pick-your-own. Members pick most of the labor-intensive crops like peas, beans, berries, flowers, and herbs, while the farm crew gathers the remainder.

Different from most CSAs, the membership of ICF owns the farm. Essentially a consumer cooperative, the ICF is governed by a Board, elected by the membership at its annual meeting. In conjunction with the Farm Manager (FM), the Board sets the overall goals of the organization and the FM is then charged with achieving those ends using appropriate means. Overall, the system functions well, with the membership involved at the governance level, and the staff charged with all operations. More information about the Board of Directors.

ICF has three full-time, year-round employees. The remaining staff are primarily seasonal employees, with some experienced returnees serving in key roles. Core summer staffing runs about 8 full-time staff, with fewer in the spring and fall. Most years the ICF hosts farm apprentices as part of the staffing mix. Training aspiring farmers is one of the goals of the ICF, and education about farming is part of achieving this.
     

2009 Farm Crew
Back row, l-r: Keri Latiolais, Andy Jones, Becky Maden, Diane Abruzzini,

Carolyn Schroeder, Abbie Harris
Front row, l-r: Meg Klepack, Mollie Klepack, Aly Martelle
Not pictured: Erik Rehman

Andy Jones
Andy Jones has managed the Intervale Community Farm since 1993, and is one of the pioneers of the CSA movement in Vermont.  Andy’s diverse skills, optimistic outlook, and incredible vision have helped the farm grow into the largest CSA in Vermont.  Andy wears many hats at ICF – financial planner, mechanic, carpenter, community builder, teacher, and horticulturist.  Along with the farm’s Board of Directors , Andy has built the farm into the wonderful community resource that it exists as today.  Besides his incredible dedication to the Intervale Community Farm, Andy has served on the NOFA-VT board, the Vermont Vegetable and Berry Grower’s Association board, and has been a sought after speaker in many classes and workshops relating to agriculture. 
Andy attributes much of his farming success to a high consumption of coffee.  He also enjoys eating vegetables in all stages of growth and loves to share the farm with his wife Helen and sons Davis and Ian.

Becky Maden
Becky apprenticed at the Intervale Community Farm in 1999 and returned in 2005 as a full-time farmer.  Becky oversees the greenhouse and bedding plant operations at ICF and helps manage field operations.  Becky first fell in love with farming as a student at the Mountain School in Vershire, VT and has worked on farms for over ten years.  She feels fortunate to be a part of the ICF community and hopes to help ICF serve more of the Burlington population.  Becky also consumes coffee on the farm, and loves all vegetables.  When she is not out in the fields, she loves to travel, write, hike, run, read, and cook.

Keri Latiolais
Keri Latiolais has been a seasonal staff member at the Intervale Community Farm since 2005,  and in 2007 joined the Farm in a full-time role.  A native of Iowa, Keri came to ICF with a strong plant background, including a degree in Horticulture and Environmental Studies from Iowa State University. Prior to her first season here, she was a market garden apprentice at Shelburne Farms. Keri is responsible for member services, which includes billing, bookkeeping, organizing recipes and other CSA pick-up-related activities, and responding to membership-related inquires. Keri is also experienced in all aspects of field operations, from tillage to harvest, and will tag team with Andy and Becky with crew management. Keri lives with her husband, Matt, in Winooski, and enjoys cooking, reading, and hiking.