Community and Sustainability Thrive at Sisters Hill Farm

Although Sisters Hill Farm grows 35 different crops and countless varieties of each, the operation’s top priority is strengthening its community.  

David Hambleton came to Stanfordville to create Sisters Hill in 1999, making it the first Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm in Dutchess County. In the CSA model, people pay a fee and become members of the farm. They can pick up a share of vegetables every week throughout the harvesting season. If a weekly share is too much food for a member family, a biweekly option is also available.

“We are growing everything directly to sell right to consumers the next day, essentially,” Hambleton said.

The goal is for members to be able to meet all of their vegetable needs at the farm and save them trips to the grocery store. They can expect to pick from a bountiful harvest of greens, starches, aromatics and even flowers.

Sisters Hill is owned by the Sisters of Charity, a community of Catholic nuns dedicated to acts of giving. The 141-acre farm was used as a retreat space for the sisters until they decided to breathe new life into the soil. The Sisters hired Hambleton as the head farmer to transform the land and create a CSA from scratch. Before the Sisters of Charity were willed the land in 1917, it was known as Hill Crest Farm.

Although Sisters Hill isn’t certified organic, it grows its food to the same standards, using natural methods for limiting pests and weeds in the field. “We go beyond that in that we try to plant lots of cover crops,” Hambleton said. “We’re really trying to enhance the soil and the biodiversity of the farm environment as well.”

Forgoing herbicides and pesticides is just one of the ways that a local farming operation impacts the environment. Produce purchased in a grocery store is not only less fresh but it also carries a lot of “food miles,” or the number of miles that it takes to bring the food from the farm to the consumer. Reducing the travel of the produce reduces the carbon footprint of the product. 

“We eat the food ourselves, we feed our own children, and so we care about the quality of the food and we care about our members and building community,” Hambleton said.

Hambleton grew up in the Hudson Valley town of Pine Bush and studied environmental science at Binghamton University. He lives in Stanfordville with his wife and two sons, who were raised eating the farm’s fresh vegetables. Just as his family has grown with the farm, so has his community.

“I’ve seen so many people who have been members for 25 years and I’ve watched their children be born and grow up and graduate college,” he said. “Just those long-term connections I’ve had with people have been really wonderful.” 

Sisters Hill’s CSA currently has 400 members, many of whom have been enjoying the farm’s produce for decades. Members have the option of weekly or every other week. Pickups take place on Tuesdays and Saturdays. There is also a weekly pickup point at the College of Mount St. Vincent in the Bronx. CSA members usually sign up before any harvesting begins, but sign-ups for the rest of this year are still available.

“I’ve always been interested in eating healthy, and I just loved the sense of community and supporting local farming,” said Ellie Savoy, who joined Sisters Hill 21 years ago. She moved to the United States from England in 1998 and now resides in Millbrook.

Savoy enjoys volunteering for the farm and picking her own vegetables out in the field. It is difficult to overestimate the beauty of the farm. The neatly arranged rows of greens, carrots and potatoes are surrounded by fields of flowers. The clover planted as a cover crop not only enhances the beauty but also attracts pollinators of all kinds to enrich the food-producing plants.

“You feel so connected to the earth, but you also feel connected to the members and the community,” Savoy said. Besides the opportunity to volunteer in the fields, Sisters Hill hosts events and picnics for its members. They bring their own dishes made with the crops from the farm and share a meal together.

Feedback from the community is important to Hambleton. In his office, lined with ribbons from the Dutchess County Fair, he displayed his organized spreadsheets of members’ feedback. Hambleton regularly sends out a survey to members for them to rate the quality of the crops they are receiving, give feedback on the amounts they get and provide suggestions about which crops they may want the farm to grow.

“Everything is grown with love and they really care about their members,” Savoy said.

Families that find their shares too large to finish can return any excess produce to be given to families in need. “We waste very little food. One of our missions is to give a lot of food to those in need as well,” Hambleton said. “We want to make food available to people from all income ranges. The sisters have always done this charitable sort of work, and so we donate at least 10 percent of what we grow to folks in need.”  

Farmers of tomorrow also look to Stanfordville as a place to get their hands dirty and start their journey toward running a farm of their own. Hambleton cares for the farm with a team of apprentices.

“I was looking for a program where I could be more involved in the planning and I really liked Dave’s reputation and his style,” said Kiva Carman-Frank, an apprentice from Milwaukee.

Apprentices are drawn to the community-oriented vision of Sisters Hill and want to create farms with a similar approach. “I think a lot about the importance of urban agriculture and food access, so I’m very into the CSA model,” said Greta Wong, an apprentice from Brooklyn.

Hambleton finds fulfillment in creating a healthier community. His work with the farm allows him to contribute to the health of the earth and the wellness of his members. “I love hearing from people that they became healthier as a result or maybe a long-term chronic health condition they had has resolved itself,” he said. “It’s very rewarding.”