Above: Erin Espinosa is the new CHF Farm Manager, and one of the Women of Trustees Agriculture that TTOR will be “Celebrating” at an event this month. (images L-R cropped from contributed photo, promotional photo of TTOR event from their website)
Chestnut Hill Farm has a new Farm Manager. The new face of the Southborough farm is Erin Espinosa.
The announcement is well timed given an upcoming event at the farm this month and their efforts to promote one of the programs she’s overseeing.
A message this week* from The Trustees of Reservations touts:
Erin Espinosa brings many years of experience in both agricultural production and education, and a keen interest in food security and justice, to this new role. She will be an exciting addition to the Trustees agriculture team and an asset to both the organization and the community.
In addition to being in charge of the field crop operations at the working farm, Espinosa will be in charge of the farm’s CSA, which allows the public to buy “shares” of the farm’s produce. I also confirmed that Espinosa will be one of the panelists in a special event during International Women’s Month — “Celebrating the Women of Trustees Agriculture”.
Scroll down for details on both the CSA and the event. But first, here’s more on Espinosa from a press release* TTOR shared:
In addition to managing the field crop operations at Chestnut Hill Farm, Espinosa will oversee the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program and collaborate with farm staff on public engagement and education programs. She most recently worked at Gaining Ground, a fully no-till, non-profit farm in Concord, MA. . .
Espinosa brings with her extensive experience, starting with volunteer work at a local farm while she was a high school student. Prior to joining The Trustees, she worked for 13 years at farms in Massachusetts and North Carolina, managing greenhouses and field operations while developing a focus on food justice and agricultural systems.
“I am passionate about the social impact of farming. The intersection of food security and sustainable farming practices inspires the way I farm,” Espinosa said. “These two concepts go hand-in-hand. The more socially and environmentally resilient Chestnut Hill Farm is, the more people we can feed for a longer period of time.”
Resiliency is just one area of emphasis at Chestnut Hill and other Trustees farms, where daily farming practices happen alongside a wide variety of opportunities for the public to explore and experience the farm.
Read the full press release here.
As longtime customers/visitors of the farm will know, Espinosa isn’t the first female to manage Chestnut Hill Farm. (After TTOR took over the property, the first several years of public events and the CSA were under the management of Desiree Robinson-DuBois.)
This month, the farm is hosting a special event celebrating TTOR’s women in agriculture. . .
Celebrating the Women of Trustees Agriculture
Tuesday, March 21st, 5:30 – 7:00 pm
Cost: Free for members and $5 per non-member
On March 21, join us as we host an inspiring group of our farmers who are breaking new ground—both literally and metaphorically—in the historically male-dominated farming industry.
A group of talented, passionate, and dedicated agriculture professionals, they work across Trustees farm properties to manage pastures, livestock health, organic field crop production, post-harvest handling, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs, while also overseeing the complicated logistics of agricultural operations, building community relationships, and teaching the importance of local farm fresh food.
(Click here to learn more/register)
Of course, as referenced above, the main reason TTOR employs farmers is to produce food. And the main way they sell that produce is through CSAs. . .
CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program 2023
The release includes a promotion of this year’s CSA at the farm. I looked up the details. As always, signing up requires first being a TTOR member (which does come with other perks). You can learn about that here.
The CHF CSA offers two options – Weekly ($695) or Bi-Weekly ($450) over the 20 week season, June through October. Pickups are of “100% certified organic produce” on a regular pre-selected day of Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday.
CSA customers collect their shares “market style” in baskets sized as “appropriate for a 2-person household who enjoy a lot of vegetables in their diet or a family of 4″. They also often add on the option to “Pick-Your-Own” items from the fields like green beans, cherry tomatoes, or flowers . To register for this year’s program, click here.
*Although, I received the announcement this week, it included the press release dated February 10th. So, I guess Espinosa has been at the farm for about a month now.
