Good Afternoon

New day and we are moving onward with our plans to finish out the 2011 season.  Now that we have been able to absorb and come to terms with the situation that we are in, we have decided to finish the season with deliveries of the Fruit Shares. We plan to double the shares and deliver every other week.

The Fruit farms that we work with were not affected by the storm and will take a hit if we do not finish the fruit share season.  The orchards have been with us for the last 15 years and we do not want to make this time harder on any other farm. Hopefully the fruit will keep spirits high and some fresh produce on our members tables. We feel this can help keep our members and our CSA structure together to get through this year and difficult time.  Continuing on and being able to supply members with their fruit is important to us and to our members as well.  There will then be no refunds for the Fruit Share because we will be packing and delivering the shares.  I am sorry that our plans are in bits and pieces, but that is what we are dealing with day to day.

The Fruit Share deliveries would follow the schedule below.  It corresponds with Lewis Waite Farms and the deliveries that they make to the CSA groups they serve.  We think this will help consolidate the deliveries for the Core Groups and also the members.  We will also be able to deliver any Market Place orders that are placed with the Fruit Share.

We will make a double Fruit Share delivery in amount every other week for the Fruit Share members.  The fruit this time of year is very hardy and will easily make it for a two week time period.  The Fruit Share is for members that already ordered and paid for the share.

The schedule for Fruit Shares will be:
Monday Delivery -Rye/Soundshore CSA, City Island CSA, Mt. Sinai Farm Share, Lenox Hill Neighborhood House CSA, 92nd Street Y CSA
September 12
September 26
October 11 (a Tuesday delivery due to sites being closed on Monday the 10th for Columbus Day)
October 24
November 7
November 21

Tuesday Delivery-Chelsea CSA, West Village CSA, Carnegie Hill CSA, East 88th Street CSA, Yorkville CSA, Greene County CSA
September 13
September 27
October 11
October 25
November 8
November 22

Thank you
Deb

Each day that passes puts a new light on what we need to do as we move forward.  We did hear back from NYS Ag and Markets this morning and they are supporting  the FDA recommendation. They will be sending an official response from Ag and Markets, but it has not arrived yet. What the representative from Ag and Markets said was it is an official recommendation from FDA. I thought the Cooperative Extension Agent said it was a ruling and had that incorrect, it is a recommendation that the producers need to follow.  What he said was that means is if a farm goes against their recommendation and sells produce and there is a complaint it will trigger an investigation by Ag and Markets and also by the FDA.  At that point the farm would have the products seized and be issued a fine.  Any resulting law suit from the consumer would hold the farm completely liable because the farm did not abide by the FDA and Ag and Markets recommendation. I think by making it a recommendation they do not have to go out and enforce but do have the power if there is a complaint and it also covers them from any liability in the issue. This is a guess on my part but seems to make sense.  Puts each farm in a position of either taking a risk that could result in losing their farm or stopping sales for the season.  He said it was a roll of the dice for the producer but NYS Ag and Markets does not want the produce sold because they can not guarantee if there was contamination due to the excessive flood damage. We just can not take that chance.  We have the whole farm to lose and would rather give up this half of the season than be under the possibility of an investigation and law suit for the remainder of the season.

Thank you for all of your effort, but we feel that we need a plan of action for the farm and so we are abiding by the FDA and Ag and Markets recommendation and will not distribute any more produce.  We can then get to work cleaning up and get ourselves on track for 2012.

Deb

After yesterday’s positive report it is with great sadness that I report a ruling by the FDA prohibiting the harvest and sale for human consumption of any and all flood covered crops.  This ruling impacts on the vast majority of farms on the east coast and virtually every farm in the Hudson Valley.  As the ruling stands, this ends the season for Stoneledge Farm.  Deb and Pete are making inquiries to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets as well as the US Food and Drug Administration.  I am looking for a time to schedule a time when they can come to the city and meet with members to explain how things stand.  The farmers have asked that anybody planning to help this weekend refrain from doing so.

Why did the FDA make this blanket ruling?
The general theory is that flood covered crops are susceptible to water borne pathogens coming from septic systems, animal waste, and chemicals from flooded equipment and runoff.  Robin Kenwood provide this link to the FDA notice on food safety.  Whether or not this is the specific case for Stoneledge Farm is debatable.  We would certainly like to let them have an opportunity to have a fair inspection.

What does this mean to members?
Again, as it stands this stops all crop harvesting activities at the farm for the season.  The materials and labor for the remainder of the season were already purchased so the farm is not in a position to refund members for vegetable shares.  The fruit shares are mostly purchased from neighboring farms on a weekly basis so members will receive a pro-rated refund for the remainder of the fruit season only.

What can be done?
There are crops in the fields, enough to continue deliveries for the rest of the season.  Pete spoke with the commissioner’s office at the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.  He was told that the best course of action is to have as many people as possible contact their local and national officials to try to get consideration for farms on a case-by-case basis, keeping in mind that this is a federal ruling.

Member Lori Stein writes:
When I write my letters, I’m going to make it clear that I understand that the ruling is meant to protect us from contaminated food–but that there are situations, such as ours, where the floodwaters are as clean as the water that is used to irrigate and that it is a terrible waste to destroy food that is clean and pure. A blanket ruling means that tons of healthy food will be lost and many farms and consumers will suffer needlessly.

NY State Dept. of Agriculture and Markets
http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us, select the Contact Us link.

Information on contacting your congressperson in the House of Representatives
http://www.house.gov/representatives/

Senator Kirstin Gillibrand (Gillibrand is from the Hudson Valley area and is very interested in agriculture; she toured the region after the hurricane):
Phone: 212 688 6262 or 202-224-4451, fax at 866 824 6340
http://gillibrand.senate.gov/contact/

Senator Charles Schumer
202-224-6542
http://schumer.senate.gov/Public/contact.htm

Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture is scheduled to tour the region on Saturday.
Phone number: 202-720-3631
Email: AgSec@usda.gov

- steven waxman