Now accepting members for summer, 2010.  Fresh picked fruits and vegetables direct from the field to your kitchen are available every week.   If a tomato that tastes like a tomato and a salad mix picked at peak vitality appeal to you, then search no further. 

Farm Shares

We are honored that you are considering us to be your Farmer.   Over the past five years we have devoted much of our energy, time and equity in a farming operation that is sustainable.  During this time we have established relationships with an increasing number of members, customers at farmers market and local chefs at restaurants including Trattoria Stella, The Cook’s House, Siren Hall, etc.  Last fall we had 16 CSA members and even though it was a tough October for growing we successfully delivered.

Our season will start the first week of June and last for 16 weeks.  We will be growing a wide variety of produce and will always include a usable portion of staples items such as: onions, broccoli, cabbage, tomato, potato and of course, greens for salads and/or brazing each week.    A good-sized plot of day neutral strawberries will again be a significant part of our plantings.  We will also appeal to your culinary side by featuring less usual foods and information about the item(s) and recipes in a newsletter.

Dollar Lake Farm humbly invites you to participate in this seasons bounty and to come enjoy our woodland community of people, plants, wildlife, insects and mysterious organisms that make the soil that produces the wonderful food we enjoy.

2010 Summer Share Prices

$440 Premium Share – intended to provide a family of 4 with produce

$315 Standard Share – intended to provide a family of 2

·        The total number of shares will be limited to approximately 25 depending on how many are standard shares.

·        Our planting plan significantly exceeds the average yields needed to provide for everyone.

·        We will harvest the excess produce to be sold at the farmers market or to restaurants or it may be donated to a deserving group.

·        Labor is not required as part of your share but you are welcome to help experience working on the farm, all we ask is that prior arrangements be made.

Partial working shares are available with a limit of 3.  Please inquire with farming or basket preparation experience in mind.

On farm pick-up is scheduled for Mondays and Fridays. 

Off-farm delivery MAY be an option if we are able to attend and there is enough demand:

·        Wednesday mornings at the Traverse City Farmer’s Market, one time $25 fee

·        Friday mornings at the Elk Rapids Farmer’s Market, one time $25 fee

·        Select neighborhoods for an additional fee of $25.  Which areas will depend on the number of members we get from each area for instance, Holiday Hills, City of Traverse City, Fife Lake, Williamsburg, etc. so tell your neighbors.  

·        We may also organize a mountain bike ride at the single-track trailhead. Why not get some exercise with your share?

Please email at dollarlakefarm(AT)live.com (replacing AT with @) or call us at (231) 499-9479 to schedule a tour of our farm.  We are closed on Saturdays.

Fall shares will be announced as it approaches.

Farming is a simple way to promote personal health, the health of our environment and our local economy while enjoying food that is grown to be delicious instead of aesthetically pleasing and able to transport well.  The concept of CSA evolved to foster a strong sense of community and re-establish a sense of connection to the land according to ATTRA (attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/csa.pdf).  See “About CSA” on our parent website, csafarms.org for a full description of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) format. 

The intent is to develop direct relationships with farmers to reconnect to our environment where food comes from.  The small scale, local agriculture of our grandparent and earlier generations has been lost in the last three decades in favor of cheap imports.  Today we are dependent on energy intensive transportation networks that do little to strengthen our local economy.

The following are some economic agricultural statistics:

·        If every household started spending just $10 a week of its current grocery budget on locally grown foods, more than $37 million each week would remain within Michigan.

·        When $1 is spent locally, that $1 benefits three to seven local businesses before leaving the local economy.

·        The impact of Michigan agriculture on the State economy is $63.7 billion and growing.

·        Michigan produces more than 200 commodities on a commercial basis, making the state second only to California in agriculture diversity.

Source:   Michigan State University Product Center,

 Michigan Department of Agriculture

While direct farmer-to-consumer arrangements offer many benefits, it also embraces eating what is in season locally. It also forgoes economies of scale for qualities of vitality, taste, security of our food supply, etc. 

Brad and Patti Link own and operate Dollar Lake Farm.  Brad is a Civil Engineer that due to the economy has been underemployed, which has provided opportunities to expand the farm over the last year and a half.  Patti takes care of her mother in addition to managing and organizing the CSA portion of the farm.  This season we are targeting Mondays and Fridays for on-farm pick up days.  We need to harvest two days a week and we are confident that we will deliver on these days.  Attending any farmer’s market is optional and will be based on the off farm workload.  We may need help harvesting to donate produce if things get too busy.

We care for our soil where our food comes from.  We are good stewards of our environment.  We worship our Lord God with all our heart, mind and body.  We love our neighbors as ourselves.

We are currently embarking on a partnership with the Woodland School next-door.  We have a project in mind and are open to ideas.