next barn over farm

Next Barn Over Farm is located in the heart of the Connecticut River Valley, in Hadley, Massachusetts, off of a main route between Amherst and Northampton. Situated at the foot of the Holyoke Range and near the confluence of the Fort and Connecticut Rivers, the Farm consists of a total of twenty acres of prime vegetable growing land.

Once the rich bottomland of ancient Lake Hitchcock, archeological research suggests that this fertile valley has been farmed for several thousand years. In addition to the corn-beans-and-squash that was grown here for millennia by Native Americans prior to the arrival of European immigrants, the last several hundred years have seen a variety of uses including dairy, hay, tobacco, and mixed-vegetable production. Hadley loam, Hadley asparagus, and Hadley corn are some of the delights that have distinguished this otherwise quiet New England town.

Because of its rich soil and strong agricultural industry, Hadley has the most farmland in Agricultural Protection Restriction (APR) in the state of Massachusetts, with over 2,400 acres protected from development. The APR program has helped farming remain viable and new farms like ours possible. Almost all of the land that we farm is preserved for agricultural use forever.



We come to this work with a deep love of this land, hard work, and sharing vegetables. We believe everyone should have access to healthy, local, sustainably-grown food and we envision our farm as part of a greater movement for food justice and security. We think the CSA model is a great way to provide nourishing food, support local farming, steward the land, and act as a gathering place for vibrant community.

Ray Young
Head Farmer, info@nextbarnover.com

In 2005, Ray Young traded in stage life for the glamorous work of crawling through manure. And although it wasn’t the romantic pastoral work of Ray’s imagination, it is, as you might imagine, a sticky profession and Ray has been gratefully knee-deep in it ever since. Ray spent three seasons as both an apprentice and manager at the Food Bank Farm, and worked as an assistant farm manager in 2008 at Casey Farm - a twelve-acre organic vegetable and livestock operation in Rhode Island. Prior to pursuing a path in farming, Ray co-founded and worked with the political theater troupe Liberty Cabbage Theater Revival and on many grassroots community justice projects in Western Massachusetts. Ray is grateful for the mentorship of Michael Docter, for the connection to a vibrant and supportive community, and for the opportunity to do meaningful and joyful work.

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Tory Field
Projects Manager, tory@nextbarnover.com

Tory is thrilled to be working with people she loves in the Hadley sunshine. She worked as an apprentice at Food Bank Farm in 2006 and 2007. Her longest passion is community organizing and justice work. In addition to Next Barn Over she works for Other Worlds, an organization that creates multi-media materials documenting inspiring alternative economic and social models around the world. She has big love and dedication to Arise for Social Justice, a community organization in Springfield, MA, and is working towards becoming a trainer with the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond anti-racism trainings.

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Kristen Wilmer
Assistant Manager, kristen@nextbarnover.com

Kristen started farming while taking a year off of college to work at a therapeutic farming community in Western MA. She was immediately hooked on a life of steady movement outdoors, farm-fresh food, and hard meaningful work alongside friends. Back in college she developed a stronger passion for global food justice and sustainability issues, and the creases in her hands never quite came clean again. Since then Kristen has worked on a variety of farms in PA, NY and MA and also spent several years working for the Northeast Sustainable Ag Research and Education program. She owns her own farmland in Easthampton and in the off-season you can find her growing and selling winter greens. She is excited to return to Next Barn Over this year to work with friends who share so many of the same values (along with good humor and a love of playing in the dirt!).

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Rania Spade
Membership coordinator & bookkeeper, membership@nextbarnover.com

Rania Spade is our new membership coordinator and bookkeeper and the go-to person for all member billing and other CSA info and farm share inquiries. Rania is also a full time mother of two. She is a big supporter of local food and is happy to help keep the farm organized from within the comfort of the farm office. If you have any billing or other logistical questions (or if you just want to say hi), please feel free to contact Rania via email at membership@nextbarnover.com or visit her on Fridays in the (new!) farm office. Rania will be taking over for Alice Fiddian-Green who has been working with us for the last year. We are super grateful for all of Alice's work in our inaugural season.

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New farm crew apprentices

Edgar Foudray

Edgar is happy to be an apprentice farmer at Next Barn Over for the 2011 growing season. Edgar is a Fruit & Vegetable Crop major at the Stockbridge School of Agriculture at UMass. Farming is an important part of his family heritage and the cultural heritage of Massachusetts which Edgar intends to promote for the benefit of current and future generations of health-conscious New Englanders. Edgar's goals at Next Barn Over include serving as Seeding Assistant and developing his knowledge of annual vegetable crops, engaging with socially conscious members of the local farming community, and improving his cooperative work and trade skills through planning and completing on-farm projects. Edgar is looking forward to biting into juicy watermelons grown in our own Hadley fields.

 

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Rich Gallo

Rich was locally grown in Boston Massachusetts, and planted in the fields of the Pioneer Valley. Here, a love of all things green and leafy sprouted in his heart, and he's been farming ever since. Rich has worked for Red Fire Farm and Hungry Ghost Bread, and is thrilled to be a member of the NBO crew. You will find him managing the pick your own patch by the barn, or driving our lovely new Farmall tractor among the fields of cover crops. Rich is looking forward to meeting our CSA members, picking pumpkins and a season full of laughter and sunshine.

 

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Jaclyn Pryor

A recent transplant from Austin, Texas, Jaclyn comes to Next Barn Over with an interest in food, dirt, social justice, and manual labor. Prior to moving to the Valley, Jaclyn worked as an artist and educator, developing site-specific performance installations in public places. When not farming, Jaclyn teaches experimental performance and queer studies at Hampshire and Mount Holyoke Colleges.

 

 

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Zemora Rose Tevah

Zemora worked as an intern with Henry Got Crops! CSA in Philly last summer. She learned about diversified vegetable production and came back to western MA with a strengthened interest in food justice, an appreciation for the immense amount of work that farming requires, and a new love of gazpacho. She currently studies globalization and agriculture down the road at Hampshire College and believes that community will ultimately triumph over capitalism. Zemora is really excited to work with the Next Barn Over crew this season!

 

 

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.... check out Former Farm Crew Members

 

 

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