Put the Well in Wellstone Farm

It’s Always Been About Feeding People Amazing Food Sustainably Grown

At Wellstone Farm we are driven by a single passion: get as much fresh, delicious, nutrient-rich food into as many people’s hands as possible using sustainable, holistic, and organic practices. With this guiding principal and the support of our members, customers, and local community, we have grown from a tiny 11-member CSA in 2007 to a mainstay of Middlesex County’s sustainable agricultural community feeding 100s of people through our 60-member CSA, booths at farmers markets, supplying local eateries, and donations to local food pantries and soup kitchens.

 The Opportunity

A major factor in our ability to grow has been our partnership with the Haddam Land Trust.  In 2012 we signed a lease with the Trust assuming stewardship of a 6-acre field in Higganum that has become home to almost all our field crops: peppers, potatoes, onions, eggplant, squash, melons, garlic, cucumber and tomatoes. We’ve been able to add 6,000 additional bed feet to our original acreage.
 
The Challenge
It is a beautiful space with one crippling limitation - it is bone dry - completely unirrigated with no water source.

For the past 5 years, two things have provided water to those crops: Mother Nature and my Dad's 1994 Toyota T-100 carrying 100 gallons at a time that then must be pumped into drip irrigation lines. It’s inefficient.  
It would take 20 trips/week to adequately water our crops at the height of the growing season with each delivery taking at least an hour. We don’t have the time or labor to spare, so that doesn’t happen. The land suffers. The crops are under-watered and the farmers over-stressed. It’s not environmentally friendly. Both the truck and pump run on fossil fuels. Every load of water makes our carbon footprint unnecessarily bigger.  It’s not sustainable. We want to ensure that farmers after us keep the land healthy and productive. That won’t happen unless there is access to water on site.

 Well on Our Way, But Not Quite There
Last year, we finally said enough is enough!! We applied for and were awarded a grant by the USDA for a new solar powered well and all the appropriate irrigation. But it is not a complete grant...not by a long shot. The anticipated cost of the well and associated infrastructure is $36,000; the grant covers $17,000. We need your help to raise the remaining $19,000 to complete the project. When finished it will reduce our carbon footprint, keep our current crops in top shape, allow us to grow more, especially for charities, and last but not least, help keep the tradition of small scale farming alive in Higganum for decades to come.
 
Any support you can send our way is greatly appreciated. In addition to monetary donations, please help us spread the word by sharing our GoFundMe link and video  with your friends and contacts. Look for updates on our project and farm life on Facebook and Instagram.

Doing Well by Doing Good – thank you gifts for your donations

Every donation will receive a shout out on our Facebook page 

Have a Drink on Us
$50 - quench your thirst with a Wellstone Farm stainless steel mason jar (estimated distribution date: Spring/Summer 2019)

Looking Good
$75 – show the world your great taste in food & fashion with this American made, 100% cotton T shirt in forest green, featuring Wellstone’s logo (estimated distribution date: Spring/Summer 2019)

We Tip Our Cap to You
$100 – nothing says Farmer chic like sporting our forest green canvass baseball cap embroidered with Wellstone’s logo (estimated distribution date: Spring/Summer 2019)

It’s in the Bag
$250 – a week’s share of Wellstone produce in a custom cotton tote bag (estimated distribution date: July/August 2019)

The Complete Look
$500  - a week’s share of Wellstone produce in a custom cotton tote bag, a bouquet of Melissa’s flowers, and swag:  mason jar, T shirt, and hat. (estimated distribution date: produce & flowers- July/August 2018, swag- Spring/Summer 2019)

Cornucopia
$750  - Thanksgiving veggies in 2 custom totes plus select swag. (estimated distribution date: November 2019)

Knowledge = Power. Knowledge + Swag = Amazing
$1,000  - 1 two-hour site consultation for home vegetable or cut flower gardener within 50 miles + deluxe tote bag w/ veggies & bouquet, and swag (estimated distribution date: visit TBD between donor & Ian or Melissa, produce - July/August 2019, swag – Spring/Summer 2019)

Fruits of Your Labor
$1,500 -  Your name on our well building, a curated field forage of up to 40 lbs. from the field you helped, plus custom tote bags and swag (estimated distribution date: produce - July/August 2019, swag – Spring/Summer 2019)

Future Farmer
$2,000 -  1 season share for 2019 season, your name on our well building, plus swag & tote (estimated distribution date: summer 2019)

Eat Well
$2,500 -  Dinner for donor + 5 guests at farm prepared by local chef utilizing all locally sourced food and featuring Wellstone Farm produce & select swag for all and your name on the well building (estimated distribution date: August/September 2019 details TBD between Ian, Melissa, the chef and the donor.)