PCSWCD names Ripley Farm 2016 Cooperator of the Year

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Over the past several years exciting things have been happening in the region to build sustainable agriculture opportunities for farmers, and for the local community to enjoy the benefits of delicious, nutritious local foods. Ripley Farm has played a large role in bringing fresh, quality, local produce to this region since they sprouted up off the Merrills Mills Road in 2009.

On Friday, Sept. 9 the farm will be honored as the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District’s (PCSWCD) 2016 Outstanding Cooperators of the Year, an annual award to celebrate a Piscataquis County landowner’s sustainable conservation practices.

Gene and Mary Margaret Ripley started their farm after searching for land that had excellent soil and a good solid home so they could build their lives together sharing their love for farming, their passion for growing and cooking all kinds of fresh vegetables, and their excitement to connect with and serve their local community. After several years of hard work, Ripley Farm is well known for picture-perfect produce and a very popular Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share program in rural Piscataquis County.

When the Ripley’s started their CSA in 2011 they had 16 members. Today they have over 130 summer CSA members receiving over 30 types of vegetables and 35 winter CSA members receiving over 20 types of vegetables. These CSA members are primarily from the Dover-Foxcroft, Greenville and Bangor regions. The Ripley Farm CSA program has many additional perks not found in other CSA’s in Maine. They offer a variety of beautiful pick your own flowers and culinary herbs, a weekly newsletter with updates on all of the great work that is happening on the farm and recipes to be used with each member’s weekly generous supply of fresh produce. On Ripley Farm’s website www.ripleyorganicfarm.com visitors will find an online cookbook with over 200 recipes, additional information about the vegetables they supply in their CSAs and all of the past newsletters archived.

Gene Ripley grew up in Washington County and worked on an organic farm in high school that grew perennials and ornamentals. He also worked at a nursery owned by friends of his family. While attending Bates College, he learned first-hand about community farming cooperative business models to sustain rural communities on farms in Thailand and New Zealand, and also interned for a summer at College of the Atlantic’s Beech Hill Farm. He also worked as a timber frame builder which gave him some of the needed skills to build barns, outbuildings and storage areas for Ripley Farm.

Mary Margaret Ripley grew up in Austin, Texas and moved to Maine to attend Bates. While there she worked on a dairy farm outside of Lewiston. Ripley always wanted to work on a farm with animals and vegetables. After Gene and Mary Margaret Ripley oined forces, they interned for two years at Fisher Farm in Winterport and later served as MOFGA Journey Persons while starting Ripley Farm.

The two sustainably manage Ripley Farm’s five acres of MOFGA-certified organic vegetables, situated on a 38 acre tract of land that is surrounded by fields, woods and distant hills to the north. Ripley Farm places a special emphasis on growing, delivering, and eating the best quality vegetables. The Ripleys run their organic vegetable farm with one goal in mind: growing the best vegetables for their local customers and CSA members. Everything they sell is 100 percent organic and 100 percent grown by them. The organic label certifies that they use natural soil building practices to raise superior quality produce for their customers.

In 2015 Carmen Allen joined their team as their first ever assistant Farmer, and in 2016 Sara Moody joined the team of this growing farm. Together with the Ripleys they cultivate over 50 kinds of vegetables, flowers, perennials and herbs, which are sold primarily through Ripley Farm’s CSA’s and wholesale accounts.

The Ripleys will lead a dynamic tour of their farm, highlighting their innovative organic farming practices and tools, starting at 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 9. After the tour, the PCSWCD will be offering a delicious picnic luncheon featuring local, seasonal foods, some of which are grown at Ripley Farm. Immediately following lunch, there will be an award ceremony led by the PCSWCD board of supervisors and staff to honor Ripley Farm and all of the incredible work being done in Piscataquis County to sustainably produce food, while protecting natural resources.

Registration for the tour and luncheon is required by Sept. 2. A registration fee supports PCSWCD educational programs. For more information and to register, please contact the PCSWCD by calling 564-2321, extension 3, stopping by the office in the USDA Service Center at 42 Engdahl Drive or emailing info@piscataquisswcd.org.