Cropsey Community Farm
An Historic Collaborative Project
Rockland Farm Alliance, under a licensing agreement with Rockland County and the Town of Clarkstown, has launched Rockland's first community farm in New City, at the retired Cropsey farm on Little Tor Road. This project represents an historic intermunicipal collaboration, and is the first tangible step toward developing a local foodshed in Rockland County.
RFA is initially developing 5 acres of this property; the project consists of 2 core components: a working, revenue-producing farm, and an education/demonstration area. The working farm focuses crop production to support a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) progam, and plans to dedicate a small portion of acreage to growing specialty crops for schools.
What is CSA?
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Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a farm model whereby members or "share-holders" of the farm pledge in advance to cover the anticipated costs of the farm operation and farmer's salary. In return, they receive weekly shares of the farm's bounty throughout the growing season, as well as satisfaction gained from reconnecting to the land and participating directly in food production.
In addition to purchasing a share of the farm's harvest, members of the CSA model are expected to take an active role in the farm operations, contributing to field work or any of the necessary tasks involved in running a functioning farm. As members engage with the farm production, their sense of ownership increases, as well as their awareness of and connection to where their food comes from.
If you are interested in becoming a member of the Cropsey Community Farm CSA, please click here or email us at info@rocklandfarm.org.
The Outdoor Classroom
Cropsey Community Farm has strategically partnered with the Cornell Cooperative Extension to create an onsite venue for ongoing educational and community mentorship programs relating to organic, sustainable farming and land-use best practices.
If you would like to learn more about Cropsey Community Farm's educational programs, please contact us at info@rocklandfarm.org.
Start-up Funds
While our goal is to develop an economic model that will be self sustaining, start-up is capital intensive. This is Rockland County's first opportunity to begin localizing our food supply, and we hope it is the first of many, but we cannot succeed without community support. If you are interested in helping, please consider becoming an RFA member, or making a donation toward this project.