Support Bari & Sean in Growing Healing Poem Farm
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Hello :)
We’re Bari and Sean, farmers at Healing Poem Farm in Java, NY. We grow veggies and herbs on less than an acre using ecological, human-scale practices. Our farm is in the heart of Western New York, 35 minutes from Buffalo, 15 from East Aurora and 35 from Letchworth State Park.
We’re first-generation farmers with a fervent love for the land and good food. We share our passion and produce with our community through a CSA/farm share. You can find our produce seasonally at local markets and restaurants.
“If the farm is a poem, the soil is the poet,” is what we say. Our veggies and herbs are thoughtfully and organically hand-tended for the fullest vibrance, flavor, and nutrition. Our approach centers soil health and honors Mother Earth; we farm without dependence on fossil fuel driven equipment and never use chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. We adore heirloom crop varieties.
Ecological, human-scale farming is a labor of radical love and deep intention. As we work to contribute to the health of our farm ecosystem, community, and local economy and defy unjust farm and food systems, we need the support of others. Near or far, we humbly invite you to help us grow!
We are fundraising $30,000 to support building soil health, creating wildlife habitat, installing infrastructure, and accessing tools for a small farm vital to starting and growing Healing Poem Farm in Western New York.
About the Farmers:
Learning from mentors, Bari developed a deep passion for and knowledge of organics and permaculture at Heartstone Organic Farm, A Way of Life Farm and Frost Valley YMCA Farm. Through Multinational Exchange for Sustainable Agriculture’s Applied Agroecology course, Bari learned about traditional, indigenous and peasant farming systems. She also developed a knowledge of local food procurement and preparation by working part-time as a prep cook at the Neversink General Store, on the Early Bird Cookery catering team, and with Cornell Cooperative Extension/TasteNY. Bari is the Women’s Affinity Representative of National Young Farmers Coalition's Federal Policy Committee. Bari is the Farmer Representative on the Northeast SARE Executive Committee and is on the Board of Directors of Unadilla Community Farm and Catskills Agrarian Alliance. Locally, Bari is involved with the Good Farmers Guild of Western New York and Providence Farm Collective.
Sean grew up in East Aurora exploring the woods. He was introduced to farming through Bari while in college together at SUNY Geneseo. After working on election campaigns, Sean began his journey in municipal-scale renewable energy development. At the farm, Sean loves chopping firewood, making secret piles of farm rocks, and envisioning long-term projects.
Our Mission:
Healing the relationship between Mother Earth, each other and the Self through ecological, human-scale agriculture.
History:
Healing Poem Farm is inspired by Bari's Grandma Lila, specifically her legacy of healing through poetry therapy as Creative and Social Director at the AIDS Day Treatment Program on West Twentieth Street in New York City for 18 years from the early 1980s until 2000. The farm is an ode to her deep passion for food + cooking, the pursuit of knowledge and, of course, poetry + healing.
Budget:
$30,000 will pay for:
-soil building materials, including compost and organic amendments plus cover crop seed that will re-enliven the soil ecosystem and reduce compaction resulting in sequestration of atmospheric carbon and improved water holding capacity for climate resilience
-flowering perennials and trees for hedgerows that will provide habitat and food for beneficial insects, animals and pollinators, including native bees and birds, as well as soften erosive winds and running water from harsh rain to protect the soil and crops
-installation of an improved irrigation system to provide soil and crops with the right amount of water to meet their needs
-tool shed with a small solar panel to charge batteries of electric hand tools
-small farm, scale-appropriate tools, such as to flail-mow thick stands of cover crop without tillage to bolster soil health
Farming Principles:
ECOLOGICAL & HUMAN-SCALE
-We never use chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilizers on our farm. Ever.
-Our practices meld traditional agroecology, innovation and ethics.
-If the Farm is a poem, the soil is the poet. A robust, living soil ecosystem provides crops with resistance to pests and disease, climate resilience, enhanced nutrition, longer self-life and superior aroma and flavor. Well-balanced soils rich in organic matter sequester atmospheric carbon thereby defending our environment from the damages of anthropocentric climate change.
-As such, we enhance the soil with the guidance of four principles: maximized photosynthesis, extensive diversity, complete soil coverage and minimal soil disturbance. Our practices involve no-till, mulch, compost, cover crops, crop rotation, intercropping and companion planting.
-We derive carbon and fertility from local sources, including waste streams (ie: leaves & wood chips), and the farm itself.
-We grow food on a human scale, 1/2 acre of bed area, without the use of fossil-fuel driven equipment. We are empowered by the strength of our hands and bodies. Our direct, intimate working of the land exemplifies craft, care and attention to detail that yields exceptional quality produce and stewardship of the land.
-Human-scale also enables our produce to be grown bio-intensively, meaning our farm optimizes resource use, including water and land area, by spacing crops according to their needs rather than the needs of mechanized planting, cultivating or harvesting equipment.
-We share the abundance and wisdom of Mother Earth with our community through markets and interactive on-farm activities. We proliferate knowledge and skills to regenerate the land and provide for ourselves.
-In order to be truly sustainable, we value our labor, profitability and quality of life and apply lean, efficient approaches.
Check Out Bari's Media Features:
Good Farmers Guild Brings Advocacy, Education, and Community Together
Organizer
Bari Zeiger
Organizer
Buffalo, NY