On July 11, 2024, our farm was almost completely flooded when the rains from Hurricane Beryl worked their way up the east coast. With exceptionally high water levels in the Passumpsic River and Joe's Brook that border our farm, we lost around 90% of our crop.
Fortunately, we were able to harvest a lot of produce before the water levels got too high. Additionally, most of our tomatoes are at another property up on a hill, and they stayed high and dry. Our farm stand (currently accessible via Route 2 and Joe's Brook Road) is open, and we have plenty of produce (harvested pre-flood), a fresh shipment of Strafford Creamery Ice Cream, and Badger Brook Meats. We'll be at the St. Johnsbury and Littleton Farmers Markets this weekend (Saturday, July 13 and Sunday, July 14) with everything we picked prior to the flood, and our tomatoes. These will likely be our last farmers markets for a while, but we'll continue to share updates as the season continues.
We will never sell or give away any flooded produce. It's not permitted, and it's just common sense.
Here's how you can help support our farm as we move forward:
Shop the farm stand or visit us at one of our markets this weekend.
Keep an eye on our Facebook and Instagram for cleanup events in the field (if you want to support these efforts but don't want to work in the field, we'll never turn down some sweet treats and refreshments. 😋)
Donate to the Go Fund Me page that was started by our friend and CSA member. These funds will help us continue to pay our crew, three of whom are from Jamaica and just had severe damage to their own homes from the same hurricane. They'll also help us repair and respond to damage on our farm.
Treat yourself to a strawberry sour saison from Whirligig Brewing in St. Johnsbury or a scoop of strawberry ice cream from Super Secret Ice Cream in Bethlehem! Both businesses are generously donating a portion of the proceeds from these tasty treats (made with Joe’s Brook Farm strawberries of course!) to our farm and recovery efforts.
We're so grateful to be a part of such a kind and supportive communtiy! We've got a lot of work ahead, but our farm will be ok and we'll get through this.
We're here to help our community too - if there's anything you need or any way we can help you get through the aftermath of the flooding in our community, please don't hesitate to reach out.