Community Farm in Celbridge

Cobsel

Hi all,
A group of us based in Celbridge are in the process of starting up a community supported agriculture initiative whereby members who sign up can avail of vegetable, egg, chicken produce on a weekly basis. Our aim is to promote local, organically grown produce. Members can participate in any area (planning, production, spin-off ventures) or alternatively just receive seasonal produce on a weekly basis. We plan to have open days and workshops to encourage community spirit.
We plan to start producing from May 2014 onwards. Membership is open to anyone able to collect the produce from Celbridge on a weekly basis. Our site is now up and running and would appreciate any comments back on the idea, the website or any other aspect relating to the initiative.

http://derrybegfarm.ie/

many thanks

Raminahobbin

This looks amazing :eek:

I'd definitely be interesting in becoming a volunteer! I probably wouldn't have the lump sum to pay up front to become a member, but I'd love to help out and the opportunity to learn loads- I'll have a proper read later and check out the fine print

paul71

Very, very interesting. Pity I am leaving the area!

Cobsel

Thanks folks. Great to see a positive response. Very excited about the venture but it all depends on membership sign up and volunteers (aiming for between 20 and 30 members in the first year). We actually received the keys for the land today so a huge step forward. Will be plowing the site in the next few weeks.

@Raminahobbin, more than welcome to volunteer your time. Plenty of opportunities for gaining experience (including myself!)

@Paul71, sure if you ever decide to come back to the area ye know where we are

catho_monster

Awesome idea!

Just one question - is the site near to where the new council recycling centre is going to be? (I thought it was going up near there...) I'm just thinking about the ick getting into the soil in the area...

Cobsel

@ catho_monster. Thanks. We will have our site directly across from the Salesian college entrance. There is a field (I assume farmer's land as it is planted with crops each year) between our site and the proposed recycling centre. I expect the site build and run off treatment will conform to stringent environmental standards.

Davidth88

Hi

Really interesting and good idea

Question , I assume if you join up , your membership in effect runs from when you receive your first basket of goodies ?

So if I was to join this month but not recv the first box until May , which is obvious because you need to grow it..... then my membership would not expire until May 2015 ?

Thanks

Cobsel

Hi Davidth88,
Yes that's correct, your membership will not expire until May 2015. We are pleading with potential members to sign up early so that we have some initial capital to cover seed, site development, etc.
thanks

Lepidoptera

This is absolutely fantastic news! I'm so incredibly excited to see that there is going to be something like this in the area. What kinds of activities or roles will you be looking for members to fill/help out with, especially as you're getting started?

Cobsel

@ Lepidoptera, thanks! It really depends on each individual's circumstance. If a member just wants to receive veg/eggs (and potentially meat in the future) and do nothing more, that is absolutely fine. However, if you or anyone else wants to become more involved, there is loads to do. You could help out with the planning, marketing, volunteer with growing the veg, looking after the girls (hens), or you may have a spin off idea that would benefit the farm. There is a page on our website (derybegfarm.ie), 'Help Us Grow' which gives some suggestions.

NEDDURC

Sounds like a good idea. Best of luck with it. I don't live close but if I didn't I'd certainly consider it.

Just wondering - does it make a profit? How many actual paid employees?

Cobsel

@Neddurc, Thanks. We will need to turn a profit in order to survive. However, it's a non profit venture with all membership proceeds applied to the farm's development and future expansion (hopefully!). We will have one full time farmer receiving a wage in the first year which is dependant on the number of hours worked each week. The aim is to eventually have two full time farmers as we expand our membership. Both guys are on the planning group, live locally and have horticultural backgrounds.
Membership is not exclusive to people living in Celbridge and we are exploring other drop-off points wherever there is demand. Obvious locations identified initially are Maynooth/Lucan but we will consider other areas if the demand is there.

Cobsel

Hi all,
We were having technical difficulties with out emial service for the last 2 weeks. Apologies to anyone who sent an email in that time. This issue has now been fixed. Can you please resend your mail on the website or send directly (from your own email account) to info@derrybegfarm.ie and we will get back to you ASAP. Thanks.

missmyler

Love this idea. For years I have wished there was a local farm I could get fresh and organic veggies directly from.

Have you much by the way of marketing or funding planned? Twitter, Fundit etc? Would really love to see this work and stay for the long term

Cobsel

@missmyler. Thanks. Yeah a proper marketing campaign is critical. We are in the process of developing our marketing strategy focusing on 3 main areas: membership, grants, donations. We plan to have a Fundit and twitter account set up shortly, will be creating a video shortly explaining the venture also (might even go viral!). We will be looking to get some media coverage through local newspapers and media sites. We also plan to explore how we can support for charities such as SVP and Care for the Aged services in some small way.
I will update you with our marketing progress. You will also be able to check out developments on our website (http://derrybegfarm.ie/).
The support received on this thread alone is really encouraging so thanks for all the positive feedback received so far.

Cobsel

Hi all.
We now have Twitter and facebook set up so please follow/like and forward on to anyone you think would be interested in supporting us.

We will be updating on our progress on a regular basis.

our Twitter account is @DerrybegFarm
and facebook page https://www.facebook.com/derrybegfarm

Cobsel

Interesting article on the attainable concept of 'Self Reliance' versus the difficult to achieve 'Self Sufficiency'.

http://www.greenme.ie/greenblog/2012/03/sufficient-reliant/

Cobsel

Hi All,
Disc Harrowing commences on the farm! We have some photos on our Twitter and Facebook pages. Anyone recognise the building in the background?
A big milestone after much planning and organising.

We are pleading for donations and early membership (details found at http://derrybegfarm.ie/) so any support, big or small, will help a lot. Alternatively, if you know of anyone that would be interested, please spread the word.

https://twitter.com/DerrybegFarm
https://www.facebook.com/derrybegfarm

Thanks