OLES FAMILY FARM - Edible Communities
OLES FAMILY FARM - Edible Communities
OLES FAMILY FARM - Edible Communities
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<strong>OLES</strong><br />
<strong>FAMILY</strong> <strong>FARM</strong><br />
The Promised Land<br />
<strong>Edible</strong> <strong>Communities</strong> Reader’s<br />
Choice Local Hero Award<br />
Farm: Oles Family Farm & Promised Land CSA<br />
BY LAURA ELIA BALCOM<br />
PHOTO BY PAM <strong>OLES</strong><br />
You could say that farming is in Dan Oles’ blood. Growing<br />
up, he got to experience the lifestyle first-hand on his<br />
father’s hobby farm. Back then, the Oles had a three-acre<br />
vegetable garden, as well as some cattle. But Dan knew<br />
that while farming was his father’s hobby, it was his own life’s passion.<br />
Soon after graduating from Cornell University with a degree in Farm<br />
Business Management in 1979, Oles married his wife Jane. A Lancaster,<br />
NY, native, Jane Oles had never been exposed to life on a farm,<br />
but she was eager to support her new husband in his vision of making<br />
a living off the land. Together, the two purchased property in Alden<br />
and began buying farming machinery and equipment, piece by piece,<br />
part by part.<br />
Dan worked full-time on the farm, while Jane worked full-time as a<br />
registered nurse. Any extra money they made always went right back<br />
into their first love – the farm.<br />
Over the years, the couple eventually welcomed four children, Meg,<br />
Andrew, Ben, and Pam. “All the kids worked on the farm growing up,<br />
from the time they could walk,” Dan recalled. “It really taught them<br />
about hard work and responsibility. But it also taught them about appreciating<br />
the simple, everyday beauty in nature.”<br />
Today, the Oles Family Farm is the epitome of a “family-run” business.<br />
Dan is the crop planner and field manager; he always has an eye on<br />
the fields, carefully watching over the crops. Jane, who retired from<br />
nursing in 2005, helps customers at the roadside market, picks fruits<br />
and vegetables, and authors the weekly newsletters.<br />
Two of the Oles four kids remain on the farm, helping to run the<br />
business. Daughter Pam manages the greenhouse, overseeing all the seed<br />
planting. She also heads up the flower and herb production. Son Ben returned<br />
to Alden in June after working for a logging company in the<br />
Adirondacks. He brings a wealth of mechanical experience to the farm.<br />
Together, the family works harmoniously with nature to make a living<br />
off the land. They also work to build awareness among their surrounding<br />
community about the benefits of sustainable agriculture and<br />
buying locally grown food. It’s a role they’ve grown to love – but not<br />
necessarily one they anticipated having.<br />
You see, originally, the Oles only grew cash crops, such as wheat, corn,<br />
oats and hay. Then one day, a neighbor asked them to grow some<br />
pumpkins. Other neighbors asked them to grow other types of<br />
produce and, before they knew it, they were farming more than 20<br />
acres of fruits and vegetables. To sell the produce, they opened a<br />
roadside market.<br />
However, one of the frustrations the Oles experienced with the market<br />
was inconsistency in sales. “You’re always growing, but you’re not<br />
always selling what you’re growing,” Dan explained. After doing some<br />
research, the family decided to adopt the model of Community Supported<br />
Agriculture, or CSA, two years ago, naming their CSA<br />
“Promised Land.”<br />
A CSA is simply a partnership between the consumer and the farmer.<br />
The consumer signs up to receive a weekly share of fresh, locally<br />
grown produce at a fair price, while the farmer benefits from receiving<br />
22 EDIBLE BUFFALO | SPRIING 2009
a consistent wage as well as being able to better gauge demand since all<br />
the produce is pre-sold.<br />
Besides being a smarter business model, Promised Land CSA allows<br />
participants to really get to know who grows their food. It also provides<br />
the Oles family with the opportunity to educate customers about<br />
topics like growing seasons and the use of cover crops versus chemicals<br />
and sprays. As a result, their customers have a better understanding of<br />
the “who, what, when, where, and why” of their food.<br />
the family is able to work together and play together. For them, that’s<br />
the biggest reward. eB<br />
Laura Elia Balcom is a freelance writer who has a passion for food<br />
and cooking. She has written and edited for numerous trade magazines<br />
within the agriculture industry.<br />
In addition, through the CSA, the Oles have been able to create more<br />
variety and experiment with different crops. In the roadside market,<br />
which the Oles family still runs, customers expect “the meat and potatoes,”<br />
said Dan. “The basics.” But with Promised Land CSA, the<br />
Oles are able to offer items like bok choy or orange cauliflower –<br />
produce that wouldn’t typically sell well in a farm market.<br />
To communicate with customers, the Oles family sends out<br />
newsletters every week so people know what produce to expect and<br />
what’s coming further in the growing season. Their newsletters also include<br />
recipes for the more exotic items, like bok choy, that customers<br />
might not know how to cook.<br />
Again, Oles said, it’s all about educating the customer, while also<br />
helping them plan their meals using locally grown, fresh produce.<br />
“With the CSA, it’s a relationship, a business, and a teaching model all<br />
rolled into one,” he added.<br />
In addition to the CSA, the Oles family sponsors different events on<br />
their farm. For instance, each Fall they host a potluck supper where<br />
everyone brings a different dish using produce grown on the Oles<br />
Family Farm. Families can also take a tour of the farm and pick<br />
pumpkins with their kids. “It’s really neat to see a community build<br />
over food,” said Dan.<br />
This year, the Oles family will be teaching customers about canning<br />
and freezing – which, according to Dan, is a lost skill. These sessions<br />
will give people a chance to learn and ask questions about preserving<br />
food so they can have access to locally grown produce year-round.<br />
Beyond farming and educating, the Oles family makes food fun and<br />
exciting for their customers. In fact, when out recently for a beer at a<br />
local pub, several men who participate in Promised Land CSA came<br />
up to Dan. “They wanted to share their enthusiasm about the vegetables<br />
they’d gotten in their latest share,” said Dan. “All they were<br />
talking about was the vegetables and how excited they were to see<br />
what was coming next.”<br />
It’s all in a days work for the Oles family. Soon, they will be gearing up<br />
for the growing season – and 14-hour workdays. But they don’t seem<br />
to mind. For Dan, Jane, Pam, and Ben, it’s a calling. They are stewards<br />
of the land, producing healthy and delicious produce for their surrounding<br />
community. That’s just what they do. And it’s a job that<br />
holds many advantages for them – the most significant one being that<br />
EDIBLE BUFFALO | SPING 2009 23