LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 35 work — and then some. Most days, work lasts until 6:30 or 7 p.m, sometimes later. While the Champlain Valley is one of the more for- giving farming environments in the region, it comes with its quirks. "Our soils are fairly silty with a lot of rocks," Champagne said. Fortunately, a mechanical rock-picker helps tame the land. The geography, too, provides unexpected benefits: "The lake and the surrounding mountains help reduce invasive pests and diseases. Plus, the long summer days at this latitude are great for growing." Still, farming in northern New York isn't without its challenges. "Marketing is the biggest hurdle," Cham- pagne said. "We sell locally, but a lot of our vegetables still get shipped to southern New York and western Massachusetts. The goal is to sell everything here. We want to serve this region and keep food local." The Power of CSA One of the most powerful tools Champagne has to bridge that gap is his farm's CSA program — short for Community Supported Agriculture. "CSA is a program where members sign up and prepay at the start of the season, which helps us cover the spring labor and expenses before harvest begins," Champagne explained. NPCF offers two share sizes for its 24-week CSA: a small share includes five items for $18.75/week, while the regular share offers seven items for $24/ week. Members can pick up their shares at conve- nient locations throughout the region: the farm itself, downtown Plattsburgh, Ausable Brewing Company in Keeseville, and farmers markets in Saranac Lake and Keene Valley. The CSA is intentionally flexible. "We use a free- choice system, so our members can pick the items they want each week," he said. That customer-focused approach reflects a deeper philosophy about farming: it's a relationship, not just a transaction. "CSA helps stimulate the local economy, keeps dollars in our community, and helps us form real connections with the people we feed. It makes us all stronger." More Than Just Vegetables For Champagne, farming isn't just a profession — it's a way of seeing the world. "It's made me kind of a food snob," he joked. "Once you taste something fresh from the earth, you realize how different food can be. Winter makes it harder, but I still try to buy local year-round and support my friends in the community." He added that most people don't realize just how many hats a farmer wears. "It's not just planting and

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