One in Westport and the other in South Dartmouth; these two farms have found success in the fast-growing farm shares/CSA universe. They are owned and operated by two extraordinary couples – Allison Nightingale and Earl Matthews, owners of Hilltop Farm on East Horseneck Road in Westport, and Katie and Derek Christianson of Brix Bounty Farm on Tucker Road in Dartmouth.
What I found were two different farms and four people with a whole lot in common.
Dedicated to a sustainable model of agriculture that both restores and maintains the productivity of soils, whether farmed for years, or just more recently, the focus of each farm is on the enrichment of its resources and the production of what Katie Christianson calls “nutrient dense foods.”
It pretty much goes without saying that both farms employ nothing but organic and biodynamic farming practices – no synthetic fertilizers of any kind at either.
Sustainability and community
Whether due to a maturation of the community supported agriculture (CSA) movement into mainstream American consumerism, or just from word-of-mouth between families looking for better food, both Hilltop and Brix Bounty Farm are the beneficiaries of this growing lifestyle.
While they’ve each brought different skill sets to the fields they farm, they’ve all brought the same goals, the passion, dedication and vision for producing the most nutritious and best tasting vegetables possible while improving their soils, farms and communities.
It is noble work indeed.
read the entire article in the June edition of the South Coast Insider.
