![]() They also don’t till or disturb the soil structure, which increases aeration and its capacity to absorb water. Their planting beds follow the contours of their sloping fields, slowing and collecting water while preventing erosion. Recent weather patterns in our region bear out these models: Last year, we saw prolonged rains through much of the growing season, while this year was marked by drought.Īt Foxtrot Farm, Ferla is using several adaptation techniques. The result? Stressed-out plants, animals and farmers alike. That phenomenon is projected to intensify.įarmers are facing longer and more intense droughts and flooding, and a greater risk of soil erosion and crop damage. Department of Agriculture’s Climate Hubs. More severe storms are dumping rain and snow faster over shorter periods of time and with much less consistency, as documented by the U.S. ![]() “Managing water was already heavy on my mind.”Īs our atmosphere has warmed, the Northeast has gotten more yearly precipitation on average over the past century or so, but the bigger story is when and how it falls. “When I started the farm, I knew already what the climate projections were for this region,” Ferla explained. Two seasonal farmhands and her partner also contribute to the work.įoxtrot Farm was designed for a changing climate from the beginning. ![]() “We sell locally through our CSA (community-supported agriculture) and to the Hilltown Mobile farmers market and have a good following of herbalists and apothecaries nationwide who buy our dried herbs in bulk,” she said. Herbalism, culinary arts, teaching and climate activism are also folded into her background. She founded Foxtrot in 2017 after farming elsewhere in western Massachusetts and across the country. “One of our answers is, we’d probably grow different plants.”įerla is the force behind Foxtrot Farm in Shelburne Falls, which grows what she terms “organic herbs and climate-resilient, high-nutrient foods,” now on almost 8 acres of hilltown land. SHELBURNE FALLS - “What would happen if farmers adapted to climate change without relying so much on plastic and petroleum?” asks Abby Ferla. CONTRIBUTED Photo/FOXTROT FARMĪbby Ferla cuts a roll of chilled dough making rosemary sage shortbread cookies. CONTRIBUTED Photo/FOXTROT FARMĮlderberry saplings at Foxtrot Farm in Shelburne Falls CONTRIBUTED Photo/FOXTROT FARMįarmer Abby Ferla gazes across a field of Tusli basil. CONTRIBUTED Photo/FOXTROT FARMįoxtrot Farm’s 3.5-acre elderberry orchard. Milky oats hang to dry at Foxtrot Farm in Shelburne Falls. ![]() CONTRIBUTED Photo/FOXTROT FARMĬalendula in bloom at Foxtrot Farm in Shelburne Falls. CONTRIBUTED Photo/FOXTROT FARMĪ swath of echinacea growing at Foxtrot Farm in Shelburne Falls. Many of the herbs grown at Foxtrot Farm are hung or set on racks to dry before being packaged for their CSA or sold in bulk to stores around the country. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/FOXTROT FARMįrom left, farmer Abby Ferla of Foxtrot Farm in Shelburne Falls with her 2022 farm crew in Olive Malone and Ced Clearwater. Pictured here are chamomile and calendula. Herbs and climate-resilient plants grow in fields with spectacular hilltown views at Foxtrot Farm in Shelburne Falls. ![]()
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