Shared Harvest Farms and Farmers

Riverland farm is our primary grower for the shares.  Emily Landeck and Meghan Arquin have worked together managing the daily operations of Riverland Farm since 2016, and Emily took the reins as Farm Owner/Manager in 2020.  Emily coordinates with nearby organic farms to fill out our winter shares.

Meghan and husband Rob Lynch, bought the farmhouse and land at Riverland, and began stewarding the farmland the winter of 2008.  In addition to hundreds of thousands of plants, they have raised their 2 sons and nurtured many apprentices and assistant crew members on their way to becoming professional growers in our region and beyond.

Picadilly Farm helped found Shared Harvest and served as our primary, certified organic growers, coordinating and supplying the bulk of our shares since 2007.  Picadilly farmers and owners, Jenny and Bruce Wooster, have been growing high-quality produce on community farms since the mid-1990s, and currently supply regular season (summer/early fall) shares to hundreds of households, picking up at the farm and at several Eastern Mass. pickup sites.  Recently, Jenny and Bruce decided to continue with Shared Harvest in more of a supporting role.  A downshift each year after Thanksgiving time is part of what they’ve found works well for them in creating a balanced, sustainable farm living for their family, crew, and land.   “Our growing practices are rooted in sustainable farming methods for our environment, fair working conditions for the farm crew, and sustainable methods that benefit all of us.”

Baer’s Best Beans, Charley Baer and crew grow dried beans (certified organic) for the share. After farming for 15 years at Moraine Farm in Beverly, Charley bought Lover’s Brook Farm in Berwick, Maine.  He offers many varieties of heirloom beans that grow happily in Maine soils at Lover’s Brook and other nearby farmlands. Some of his fields (and hence some of his beans) are certified organic.

Cider Hill Farm, Glenn Cook’s fall apples (IPM) are in the November share.  Glenn and his wife Karen have owned and managed Cider Hill Farm for more than 30 years.  Not only does Glenn and his experienced crew know how to grow a wide variety of high quality apples, produce delicious unpasteurized cider, but their electricity is 100% sourced on their farm via solar and wind power.  Their greenhouses are heated when necessary only by wood from their farm.  They offer pick your own of a wide variety of fruit, all through the season, as well as their apple-picking.

Marketing and Distribution for Shared Harvest is currently the collaborative work of Amy Rindskopf, Farm Retail Manager at Wright-Locke Farm, Erin Koh, farmer at Bay End Farm, and Jane Hammer.

From 2012-2020, Shared Harvest CSA distribution and marketing were primarily managed by Jane Hammer, a conscientious eater of local, well-grown food and avid supporter of all who steward the land.  Jane also enjoys working part-time with NOFAMass, doing field assessments of soil health at farms across the state.

Gretta Anderson, a farmer with no knack at all for growing reasonably-sized rutabagas, founded and managed Shared Harvest from 2007-2011.  After she happily handed over the Shared Harvest reins to Jane, Gretta was the grower at Moraine Farm CSA in Beverly, and now continues to be an invaluable support to the growers and apprentices of Eastern Mass. via the E-Mass CRAFT collaborative and other behind the scenes endeavors.