Welcome to the New Harmony Farm CSA. We are still accepting membership applications for the 2012 Summer Harvest Season.

Erin and friends at New Harmony Farm, 77 Bridge St., West Newbury, MA


Please click the link below for our 2012 membership application

New Harmony Farm 2012 Summer CSA Share Application

To join on-line please go to the membership page.

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Teenage Chicken Angst

May 5, 2012

Teen chicks in their new digs

Although I have raised chicks before, raising a motley crew of 37 chicks with so many different varieties has been a new experience. It has been fascinating to see them grow from day old chicks into 6 week old teens. For the most part they have been getting along well in spite of the increasing discrepancy in size as they grow into their genetic destiny. The Buff Orpingtons, and Black Austrolorps tower over the little White Silkie that was a bonus “exotic chick” that came in our chick delivery from MacMurray’s Hatchery. Though a third of the size of some of her peers this little Silkie holds her own and is often the aggressor to make sure no-one gets an idea to pick on her.

I now understand the origins of “pecking order” as a description of social hierarchy. These birds often will give each other a little peck to determine dominance and this has been mostly benign for our growing chicks. Last week however, this hierarchical jostling went to the dark side when some of the birds started attacking the weakest chicken and were drawing blood. If I had not been there to rescue and isolate the hapless Buff Laced Polish Rooster it would have been quickly killed and partially eaten. Yes! It certainly takes teenage social angst to a new level when your friends are cannibals! Happily after a few days in chicken rehab our little rooster was reintegrated into the flock and is doing fine.

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Ploughwoman’s Progress III: A Girl and Her Tractor

March 14, 2012

One of the most daunting challenges for me as I enter my first full year of farming is the need to embrace heavy machinery. I am now a proud owner (at least after 5 years of my payment plan) of a Kubota tractor with a cool front end loader. When my tractor arrived at the [...]

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Ploughwoman’s Progress II: Bluster and Near Calamity

February 26, 2012

Yesterday’s extraordinarily wicked wind storm was very exciting in more ways than one at our farm. I have been trying to tighten up the open ends of the hoop house for several weeks and finally had my farmer partner Gary from the New Hampshire CSA scheduled to help me fix it this upcoming Tuesday. Unfortunately, [...]

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Save our Bees! Screening of Queen of the Sun Fundraiser Sunday, February 12

February 2, 2012

The beloved and essential honey bee is under serious threat and with colony collapse disorder raging through our nation’s bee hives almost 1/2 of all honey  bee colonies die each year. Though this is a challenge there is hope. My friend and best man at our wedding Taggart Siegal (director and writer of “The [...]

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Welcome to the Plough Woman’s Progress

January 21, 2012

Answering the call to become a farmer at the not so tender year of 52 last July was nearly a spontaneous leap of faith. Those who choose to follow me on my sojourn through my first year of starting an organic permaculture farm shall bear witness to my trials, tribulations, and revelations (and may learn [...]

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It’s Official! New Harmony is Certified Organic – You Can Now Join On-line for Summer 2012

January 13, 2012

After much anticipation (on my part anyway), I’m delighted to report that I have now recieved my certification from Bay State Organic Certifiers that states that all produce grown at New Harmony Farm is 100% organic! I am very proud to be the only Certified Organic CSA in the Greater Newburyport area (the next closest [...]

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How I came to New Harmony

September 18, 2011

One of my first loves was gardening and I became the youngest member of the National Herb Society at the tender age of 13.  My love of gardening became dormant as I lived in cites while I developed my art and then taught painting and drawing at the University of Iowa. 15 years ago I moved with my husband Mike [...]

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