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New Moon Farm...Past, Present, Future New Moon Farm was
born a decade ago to two people with a dream and a 100 X 100 foot
garden plot. 2010 marked a milestone - it was our tenth year of organic
farming here in this region of North Carolina. It also marked the
passing of the very special man who was the heart and soul of New
Moon Farm...my husband, Dave.
Over our years at the Farm,
Dave and I achieved many of the goals we set for ourselves
when we first returned to N. C. from Oregon, back in 1999. Originally, our plan
was to "homestead" and grow our own organic food and to
live a simple life and be as sustainable as possible. Our goal was to
become as self sufficient as practical and to live a sort of modern
"pioneer" life. We reached those goals many times over. We
went from growing organic food crops just for our family to growing
heirloom and gourmet varieties, and making them available to our
community.
Our dedication to
the principles and tenets of sustainability and organic growing
never waivered and we were very proud of what we accomplished
over the last decade. New Moon always used 100% organic methods
and we were first certified organic in 2003. New Moon expanded
considerably over 10 years, from that original "kitchen garden"
plot into the thriving, active farm that it became.
With Dave's death
came another personal tragedy - the end of the original New Moon Farm
Organics as it was known for those first 10 years. The reins of
control of the land where New Moon was located reverted back to
Dave's family and so New Moon was no longer allowed to operate in
the Mount Ulla location. If New Moon was to continue, I would have
to start all over from scratch, in a new location 40 miles away from
the original farm and that is exactly what I have undertaken.
Under my guidance,
the essence New Moon has moved, along with me, to a new location in
Lincoln County. The spirit and dream of two people who were as
passionate about what they did as they were about each other will always be
reflected in this new incarntaion of New Moon Farm. I imagine it will
take at least several years to re-establish the Farm as I envision it
and it will be a work in progress, just like the original Farm.
There is a new
challenge around every corner because it is not an easy task to move
an entire organic farm to a new location. Trying to do so on with extremely
limited funds and even more limited labor has made progress so much slower
than I ever anticipated it would be.
During his long
illness, Dave and I talked a lot what might happen in the future for
New Moon. Together, we made a decision that New Moon would continue
for as long as either both or one of us is able to make it so.
These last 21 months have not been easy and trying to rebuild
a farm in this new location, without my best friend and partner, has
been, and continues to be, an uphill battle. It seems like a new crisis
pops up around every corner and I am growing weary with the trying.
I know that Dave would want me to look on this
as an opportunity, instead of a hardship but it is not always
easy to see things that way. And I think...no, I know....that the hardest part has been not having him
with me. I still miss him every waking minute of every day.
Going it alone, through this grieving process, has been harder than I ever imagined
it could be. I want to be like the mythical Phoenix, rising from the
ashes of a tragedy and into a new life. I even renamed my new incarnation New
Moon Rising, to remind me of what I am trying to accomplish now.
But, wanting something very badly doesn't make it happen. It takes a
tremendous amount of support, hard work and resources and there have
been many times, especially over the last year, when I didn't think I could go on.
But I refuse to give up because the only way I will survive is if I
do this for Dave, for us. Finding inspiration in what went before has given me the strength to
persevere but it seems sometimes to get harder and harder.
So, now you know
what is going on with New Moon Farm. I hope that you will continue to
support New Moon in 2012. I remain optomistic that I can do what I have set out to do.
One thing for sure is that I plan on continuing to strive to do what I have
done for the last 10+ years... provide amazing, fresh and
healthy food for ourselves and our neighbors. I will honor Dave's
memory by dedicating all of my efforts and energies into continuing
the work that meant so much to us. New Moon has always been a
testament to the power of love and hopefully, will continue to live
on in its new incarnation..
Best regards, and
as always many thanks, to all our friends and supporters from the
last 10+ years. As I move forward, I hope you will remember Dave with
fondness and remember how much he cared. Suzanne