Roxbury Farm Archive

by Jody Bolluyt, Jean Paul Courtens		print version
		print version (graphics)

You can find all of the Satya Center examples of Roxbury Farm newsletters and articles here. Click on the links below to start reading.


Jean-Paul Courtens & Jody Bolluyt, Visionary Farmers

Jean-Paul Courtens, the founding farmer and owner of Roxbury Farm, was born and raised in the Netherlands, where he studied biodynamic agriculture. Jean-Paul became one of the pioneers of organic agriculture and CSA in Columbia County and in 1991, Roxbury became the first CSA farm to have a community in New York City. Since 1990, Roxbury has been a nationally recognized leader in organic, biodynamic, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Since 1992, Jean-Paul has led workshops for farmers in other parts of the country and in 1994, he helped to found CRAFT, an organization that trains organic farm apprentices. In 2000, Roxbury became a leader in the farmland protection movement, as a central component in a land acquisition and conservation effort that will not only secure the long term future of Roxbury's farmland, but will be a model for other farms in the Hudson Valley and all over the country. In 2004, Jean-Paul received the Patrick Madden Award for Sustainable Agriculture from SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education). This award is a biannual prize for producers who are not only profitable, but also value the environment and their communities. Jody Bolluyt became a partner in 2001. She supervises the day to day farm work and is responsible for the harvest management, distribution, and does much of the administrative work of the CSA membership. Check out the Roxbury farm beautiful website.

Note: Jane Sherry & Curtis Lang, the founders of Satya Center, have been long term members of Roxbury Farm since the first season, and are big fans, friends and advocates for Roxbury Farm and for the csa concept. When Jane & Curtis left NYC, they started a drop off site in Westchester County which has grown in four seasons from a handful of neighbors to over 80 members. You can read more about Roxbury Farm at Satya Center's food page in our health section.