2008 Organic Farm Tour

Sponsored by CT NOFA
Fairfield County, CT
Sunday, June 22, 2008
10am to 4pm

This year the CT NOFA farm tour visits three very different member farms along a 6 mile drive in western Fairfield County.

The farms we will visit are:

Holbrook Farm in Bethel is an intensive vegetable and egg farm run by John and Lynn Holbrook.  The farm primarily supplies their farm store and bakery.  John and his family have deep roots in farming and long connections to organic farming. John tries to get 5 different crops from each of his raised beds.

New Pond Farm is a broad based, non-profit, environmental education center on 102 acres in Redding. It provides opportunities to learn about and appreciate natural science, Native American heritage, farming traditions, astronomy and the arts.  The farm includes a dairy, Romney sheep and a Community Supported Agriculture program.  It was named the Connecticut Dairy Farm of Distinction in 2007.  Its eight milking cows produce 250 gallons of milk a week that is sold as milk, cheese and yogurt in the farm store.

New Pond Farm’s educational programs reach 8,000 children each year in school programs, farm visits and summer camps for children from Bridgeport, Danbury and Norwalk.

The Hickories in Ridgefield is run by Dina Brewster.  She spent part of her youth on this farm that her grandparents bought.  It was operated by a conventional farmer until he died suddenly two years ago.  At the time, Dina was teaching high school English in the Bronx and had been featured in The Times for her horticultural work with students.

For several years, she had been trying to convert the farm and the farmer to organic practices.  With the farmer’s sudden death, Dina decided to leave teaching to run the farm. Dina became accredited as a NOFA Accredited Organic Land Care Professional this year and will apply those principles to her farm.  Besides vegetables for a stand, a CSA and wholesale, the farm produces eggs, maple syrup, pick your own fruits and pork.

Rob Kelly and Dina Brewster of The Hickories in Ridgefield, CT
 
A delicious local, organic lunch will be served.  Participants will drive themselves between farms.  Carpooling is encouraged.  Bring a cooler to take advantage of this opportunity to buy delicious local products.

   

Fee (includes lunch): $45 for 1 or $80 for 2 CT NOFA members, $55 for 1 or $100 for 2 for non-members.
We encourage you to join and take the member discount!

For more information, call the CT NOFA office at 203-888-5146.

Click here for a printer-friendly registration form.

Online registration available here. Online registration will close on June 19th.
Directions and maps will be sent the week before the tour.