Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Live Power Community Farm




Happy September Everyone! To kick off the harvest season, the interns recently participated in a late summer harvest at Live Power Community Farm -- a 40-acre, solar electric and horse-powered biodynamic/organic farm that provides fresh, high-quality food for 160 households in the San Francisco Bay Area and Mendocino County. Founded in 1973 by Stephen and Gloria Decater, Live Power was a trailblazer in the sustainable and community-based food movement through its Community Sustained Agriculture (CSA) program, in which food production is planned for a specific member community that pays its operating expenses. This innovative cooperative approach to food production revitalizes the culture of land stewardship by creating a conscious, mutually supportive relationship between farmers, consumers, and nature.

Live Power has been a Demeter Association-certified biodynamic farm since 1987. The biodynamic principles of agriculture originally described by Austrian philosopher and scientist Rudolf Steiner in 1924 emphasize understanding and respect for the earth as a living being. Biodynamics was the first organic movement, and is now among the largest network of organic farms worldwide. Biodynamic farming practices recognize and work harmoniously with cosmic and natural forces to leverage their activity in soil cultivation and food production. Biodynamic practices result in greater overall health and balance, preserve soil fertility, and produce nourishing food with high nutritional value.

Live Power Community Farm is located at 1400 feet elevation in Round Valley, Mendocino County. The valley, with a local population of about 3000, has the largest Native American reservation in California and is surrounded by the Eel River and the Mendocino National Forest.

For more information on Live Power Community Farm, please visit: www.livepower.org