Although Ben Shute didn’t grow up on a farm, he’s been immersed in the profession for his entire career. He first began working for other farmers while he was in college, and many of the farms that he apprenticed at were farms that functioned via community supported agriculture (CSA), which is a direct marketing model in which a community of consumers supports a farm via a weekly share of the farm’s harvest.
“They all grew a wide variety of vegetables, so I learned a lot about growing different crops and different systems in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Oregon,” Ben explains. “After working on other farms for a while, I was interested in taking on more responsibility. I met a friend who was in the Hudson Valley and wanted to start a farm. The location was perfect because it was close enough to the city to have a large customer base, but far enough away that it’s still a farming community, so we joined forces to rent a little bit of land in Red Hook in 2004.”
That’s how Hearty Roots Community Farm, based in Clermont, NY, came to be. The farm is family-run by Ben, his wife Lindsey, their family, and a crew of hard-working farmers. A first-generation farm, Hearty Roots’ land base has grown over the past two decades from three-quarters of an acre of rented land to now encompass over one hundred acres of vegetable fields and pastures.
An average day on the farm
Hearty Roots has a lot going on. They currently grow 60 different types of vegetables on land across three locations that are all within a few miles of one another. In addition to growing and harvesting vegetables, Hearty Roots also cares for chickens, pigs, sheep, and goats.
Ben’s day typically starts with meeting with the vegetable crew and going over the harvest list for that particular day. The vegetable crew typically harvests around 20 different items each week, some of which are for CSA shares and some for the farm market in Clermont.
“Most of the people on the farm have a set list of tasks for the day, but my list is always changing,” Ben says. “I do all of the seeding, so if there are vegetable seeds to plant, that’s a priority. But my list of tasks changes and often depends on what’s gone wrong! If something is broken, I’ll fix it. If someone is sick, I might be driving a delivery. If a group of sheep needs to be moved, I’ll work with the animals.”
About Hearty Roots’ CSA
Hearty Roots’ CSA has always been at the core of how they farm. Ben was trained on CSA farms, so it was a no-brainer to run Hearty Roots the same way. “CSA members are how we were able to get our farm started, so I really appreciate the CSA of a group of customers coming together to partner with a farm in a way that supports the farm and the health of the members,” Ben explains.
If you look back to Hearty Roots’ first season over two decades ago, the CSA is very similar today in terms of the list of vegetables that the members receive. However, the farm has grown significantly and added more convenience for members over the years. For example, CSA members can pick up their share on the farm, at five other Hudson Valley locations, or at one of five New York City locations.
Over the last decade, Hearty Roots has not only grown bigger, but also added more to their repertoire. When the Shutes purchased their own land in 2012 in Clermont, they were able to add livestock to the farm, which was great because they provide food that Hearty Roots’ CSA members want, add fertility to the soil, and in the case of grazing animals, make good use of marginal land that isn’t as suitable for growing vegetables.
Additionally, for the past five years, Lindsey has operated Farm Generations Cooperative, an organization that is committed to empowering local farmers while promoting transparency in the food supply chain. Farm Generations Cooperative provides tools for farmers around the country to sell directly to customers, including its app, GrownBy, which is a free, farmer-owned software platform built for local farm sales and connecting growers across America. Hearty Roots currently utilizes GrownBy to manage its CSA sales and offer convenience to its members, allowing them to take vacations, swap pickup weeks and locations, and pay via flexible schedules or with SNAP benefits.
Growing sustainably
Hearty Roots is certified organic for all of its vegetable production, and on top of that, they strive to utilize regenerative farming practices whenever possible to build soil health and sequester carbon on their land.
In addition to strictly adhering to organic practices for their vegetables, they also “set a high standard” for themselves in other aspects of their farming, including land preservation and environmental stewardship.
“To me, that’s important because our goal is not just to provide food to our CSA members, but to take care of our community’s health, which includes taking care of our town’s water, our neighbors’ air, and our climate,” Ben says. “The beauty of organic agriculture is that you can do both at once. As you build healthy soil, plants become more resilient, can withstand drought better, and have more nutrients available to them, so we are encouraging a more productive system overall over time.”
Speaking of extreme weather conditions, the heat waves that the region encountered in June and July were particularly challenging for the Hearty Roots team. To avoid being out in the sweltering heat of the day, the Hearty Roots team often started their harvest days at five o’clock in the morning so that they could end early.
The heat was not only challenging for the workers, but for the animals, too. During the heat wave in June, the nights weren’t cooling off as much as they typically do, which makes it uncomfortable for animals like sheep, who are able to tolerate hot days so long as they can cool off at night.
The Shutes’ short term goals based in sustainable farming are actually the beginnings of longer term, more expansive goals. “We are partnering with an environmental group to plant a pollinator meadow at our new land in Red Hook next spring, which we hope will provide food for beneficial insects for decades to come,” Ben explains. “If we have good habitat and food for beneficial insects, we hope that they will help keep pest insects in check, making our vegetable fields healthier over time.”
Above all else, being able to run a business that directly contributes to and benefits the community and the environment is the most rewarding part of operating Hearty Roots. “There are lots of daily frustrations when things break or go wrong, but stepping back, we see the big picture – fields buzzing with activity and life, happy animals and people, and both us farmers and our CSA members enjoying the farm. Never underestimate the power of supporting a small farm or a local business. Each of our CSA members and customers makes a huge difference in allowing us to do this work.” •
To learn more about Hearty Roots Community Farm, visit them in person at 1822 Route 9, Germantown, NY, online at heartyroots.com, or on Instagram at @heartyroots.
