Small Scale and Hand Labor is Bloomfield Farm’s Model for Success
by Ashley Boyd
March 25, 2010, page 12

Bloomfield Farm, run by Tanya Srolovitz and Matt Burke, was named after Tanya’s grandfather. Tanya says, “He loved to garden. He liked to make compost and dig around in the earth. I think I’m like him.”

After graduating from college with a degree in art Tanya was trying to figure out what to do with her life. She found it when she took an apprenticeship at the Everdale Environmental Learning Center on a large farm in Ontario. There she met Matt, a volunteer in the sustainable building program. Matt, who grew up in Ohio, had majored in natural resources and environmental education. They realized they shared similar dreams of working for themselves, providing their own food, working outside and contributing to the local food system.

They moved to Vermont in 2004, and Matt discovered online the opportunity to farm the conserved land at Champlain Valley Co-housing (CVC) on Greenbush Road. They worked out details of land use and infrastructure development with the Vermont Land Trust, which holds the easement for development rights on the land, negotiated a lease with the CVC homeowners association, bought a home at CVC and began building their farm from the ground up.

Low capital input, small scale and hand labor is Bloomfield Farm’s model for success. With some assistance, Matt and Tanya built every structure on their land and pride themselves with using only hand tools, with the exception of a walk-behind tiller. “We try to produce just what we need for our customers,” said Burke as he pushed a wheel hoe in their hoop-house, preparing a bed for early carrots.

They have built a mobile chicken house to hold about 60 chickens, the hoop-house for starting plants and summer production, a small barn for tool storage, cold storage and vegetable wash-up, and most recently a farm stand, which will be used to host the CSA pick-up, and for retail sales one or two days a week this season. “I think this will be the first year we will not build any major structure,” said Tanya.

Bloomfield began marketing produce through a CSA in 2006 as well as the Charlotte Farmers Market and the Shelburne Farmers Market. In 2007 the farm was expanded to include chickens and sheep (raised for wool and lamb) and began offering produce to wholesale accounts. The CSA is limited to about 30 families, and there are a few shares still available for this coming season. Bloomfield Farm offers more than 40 different vegetables, herbs and flowers as well as eggs and lamb. “We like to offer a lot of choice for our members and customers.”

Bloomfield Farm continues to sell produce at the Shelburne Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. “It is in a great location and has a great feel to it,” said Tanya.
While having a profitable market farm is important as their major source of income, Tanya and Matt are also “building an educational component.” They enjoy teaching others about their intensive farming system. This summer they will be participating in the Farmward Bound program at UVM, where, with two other farms, they will participate in an intense two-week schedule. “We will teach the students how to farm using mostly hand tools on a small piece of land,” said Matt. Students will have the opportunity to compare the differences among the three farms.

Matt and Tanya also offer workshops at Bloomfield Farm. “We recently received a grant from the Vermont Farm Viability program, funded through the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, to buy more tools to teach with. I think that will be more of our emphasis as we go ahead,” said Tanya.

Throughout the off season, besides computing numbers, ordering seeds and designing the layout for the next season’s crops, Tanya participates in the weekly Africa Djolie West African dance classes at the Charlotte Congregational Church vestry, taught by Simbo Camara. Matt is a volunteer with Transition Town-Charlotte helping with home energy visits. “We are trying to make more time for us,” said Srolovitz. “It’s a dynamic balance.”
Bloomfield Farm is always open to connecting with new wholesale accounts in the Charlotte and Shelburne area. More information about Bloomfield Farm, its CSA and wholesale program, workshops and apprenticeship opportunities can be found on the website, bloomfieldfarm.net.
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Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) creates a partnership between farmers and consumers. Shares are sold during the spring for that year’s harvest, and shareholders pick up their share of produce on designated days throughout the season. There are two CSAs in Charlotte:

Bloomfield Farm, Greenbush Road. Matt Burke and Tanya Srolovitz, 425-2256, website bloomfieldfarm.net.

Stony Loam, Hinesburg Road. Dave Quickel and Emma Burrous, 238-0255, website StonyLoamFarm.com.

Ten Stones Cooperative Garden offers a different approach based on hours worked. E-mail for information to steven@cvcompost.com.