Visit to Clay Bottom Farm near Goshen Indiana

On Thursday, July 9, Agroecology Summer Intensive (ASI) students visited Clay Bottom Farm owned and operated by Rachel Hershberger and Ben Hartman. They were able to purchase the property in fall 2008, and are spending this growing season conducting trials, planning drainage and irrigation, and getting ready for full scale production. They continue to rent land for vegetables this year.Though they have been growing and marketing vegetables for several years, Rachel and Ben started offering produce this year under a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) arrangement. They have 11 shareholders, each of whom paid at the beginning of the season for a weekly box of food. Clay Bottom Farm runs the only on-farm CSA in the Goshen area.

Our visit began with Rachel telling us about CSA models and about the history of Clay Bottom Farm. Later Ben gave us a tour of the farm. We saw the moveable greenhouse, cover cropping, compost bins, tractors, implements, and the farm buildings. Most intriguing was a chest-type freezer adapted to serve as a refrigerator for produce.

Moveable greenhouse in the Clay Bottom Farm trial plot. Ben is working with a local welder on finding a way to put wheels on his larger greenhouses.

Agroecology Summer Intensive students check out the compost set up. Clay Bottom Farms gets duck manure from a neighboring farmer. The manure is composted and then spread on the soil as fertilizer.

L to R Darin Swartzentruber ASI student and Ben Hartman of Clay Bottom Farm. Both Rachel and Ben shared their suggestions for helpful farming resources.



RM 07-15-09