Small Farm Is a Hit in the Big City

Small Farm Is a Hit in the Big City

Community supported agriculture farms, or CSAs, seek people who pay in advance for fresh vegetables and fruits. One farmer has now expanded his CSA program to a law firm in New York City. The busy lawyers there are loving the service.

The Glebocki family has been in the farming business since 1894. But staying in business is not easy. Farming requires a lot of money for seeds and equipment at the beginning of the growing season. And farmers do not know how much money they will get for their crops at the end of the season. They are also not sure if anyone will buy what they grow.

John Glebocki, the current farm owner, has one solution to these problems: community supported agriculture. CSAs, for short, are partnerships¹ between farmers and community members. Mr. Glebocki also offers his CSA program to businesses and delivers directly to offices.

Customers pay $525 in advance for 22 weeks of fresh fruits and vegetables – all picked at their peak.

"Many different types of root vegetables, different types of greens, seasonal² items like the tomatoes and sweet corn.

"Yellow sweet corn, sweet, don't even have to cook it."  

Every Thursday, John Glebocki and his workers load the truck for the 96-kilometer trip to New York City. The driver and his fresh vegetables drive through the big city streets, then stop at the Winston and Strawn law firm.

Renee Zimmerman and Rachel Benjamin work at the firm. They are also loyal³ CSA customers.

"Everyone should join. It's a great way to keep our farmers in business to insure⁴ we continue to get fresh produce."

"And, it's fresh and it's a little weird⁵ that you get it at work."

Victor Barnett and Mikaela Evans-Aziz also work at the law firm. They say the convenience of the CSA is important.

"It's nice to get this fresh produce every Friday. I don't have to run to the grocery store, it's real[ly] convenient for me."

"We love it. It's the only fresh food we get in our diets. We have kind of crazy hours, and we look forward to this every week."

Martina Owens helped bring the CSA to the firm. One of her goals was to bring people together. She says the program has been a success. Workers gather to pick up their fruits and vegetables and share recipes.

And for farmer John Glebocki, the CSA gives some protection from the economic uncertainties⁶ of agriculture. He knows what he can grow and sell, and he knows what he will get for his crops. That stability⁷ can keep a family farm in business.  

Words in This Story

customers – n. people who buy goods or services from a business

peak – v. to reach the highest level

firm – n. a business or organization

convenience – n. a quality that makes something easy or useful by reducing the amount of work or time required

stability – n. the quality or state of something that is not easily moved

1 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

2 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

3 loyal   

adj.忠诚的，忠心的

参考例句：

• He is a loyal friend.他是一位忠诚的朋友。
• I judge him to be loyal.我认为他很忠诚。

4 insure   

v.保险，给…保险；保证使...得到

参考例句：

• Check your work to insure its accuracy.检查一下你的工作，以保证它的准确性。
• An insurance company will insure your life.保险公司可以给你保寿险。

5 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

6 uncertainties   

无把握( uncertainty的名词复数 )； 不确定； 变化不定； 无把握、不确定的事物

参考例句：

• One of the uncertainties of military duty is that you never know when you might suddenly get posted away. 任军职不稳定的因素之一是你永远不知道什么时候会突然被派往它处。
• Uncertainties affecting peace and development are on the rise. 影响和平与发展的不确定因素在增加。 来自汉英非文学 - 十六大报告

7 stability   

n.稳定，稳固

参考例句：

• The situation is tending towards stability.局势趋于稳定。
• She lacks emotional stability.她的情绪不稳定。