To get an up to date report on how the Med Fly quarantine is affecting the farm please check our blog

Read what they're saying about us in the news:

The Sacramento Bee, Sept. 20, 2007

The Vacaville Reporter, Sept. 19, 2007

For Our Members:

Eatwell Farm produce boxes will be temporarily lighter than normal for the next couple of weeks due to the Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Med fly) outbreak in the City of Dixon (not the farm!). Med fly is considered "one of the most destructive pests known to man"

 According to a USDA spokeswoman at a special farmers' meeting near Dixon last Saturday evening, the problem likely resulted from a member of the public returning from Hawaii with mangoes infested with Med fly. Bringing fruits or vegetables into California is forbidden for just this reason: someone could inadvertently bring in an exotic pest such as the Med fly and cause repercussions they'd never imagined. As a preventive act, the USDA has quarantined the area 4.5 miles around the Dixon garden where the pest was found. The effect of this outbreak on Eatwell Farm, three miles from the detection site, is dramatic and drastic. Movement of produce that is a possible host for the fly in or out of the detection area is prohibited or severely restricted until the quarantine is lifted. Hosts include all tree fruit crops as well as tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Consequently, your boxes will not contain any of these items from our farm. We will be working closely with the USDA and both state- and local officials to develop protocol so we can include fruit in your box from other farms outside of the quarantine area. We are happy to report that the USDA has indicated organic treatments that can be applied to crops to allow them to be picked before the quarantine is ended. These treatments need to be in place for 30 days prior to harvest, so while will not be picking any of the affected crops again this year, we will be fine for next year.                      

We at the farm are determined that this pest will not beat us. We plan to come out of this a better farm with better CSA boxes. However, we do need your help as we weather this crisis. How can you help? Here are some suggestions:

1. Please keep subscribing! Our success depends on your continuing to receive your boxes and eggs. Your money will help keep the wheels oiled here on the farm.

2. Understand that we may not be able to offer you a complete box for each of the next few weeks while we work with the USDA regulators on prevention and protection to make our systems Med fly-proof. We will fill the boxes as best we can and get back on track as soon as possible. Call the office with any concerns (866.627.2465).

3. Give us your input on how to make to boxes more convenient and better in every way for you, our customers, as this is a great opportunity to take a hard look at everything we do and evaluate how to make it all work better.

4. Those of you who lent money to Kyle to start the eggs on the farm were to be paid off this fall. This may need to be delayed as we will be paying other farmers to provide produce that we cannot include from our own fields. I will be writing to you all once we know more and have a better idea of the financial impact on the farm

5. Help us in a letter-writing campaign to ensure that the fruit and vegetable inspection at California borders is fully-funded to reduce the possibility of this happening in the future. More details later.

6. Join a meeting of minds to help the farm survive this and other possible outbreaks in the future. We are looking to identify resources and creative solutions to the problem. Once we have developed our plans, we may need help with unexpected jobs. If you feel you have any resources that you could offer to help us please do contact us. We are truly grateful to be connected to this great community of agriculture supporters.  

There are many families who depend on this farm for their livelihoods, so please stick with us! We will all get through this together. Times of crisis can be just as rewarding a time to belong to a CSA as times of bounty, as they give you a chance to better understand the obstacles farmers must face. Being a member of a farm like ours shows you care and take responsibility for where your food comes from.

I will keep you updated by making postings to the blog as we know more information. We intend to keep you all fully informed. Thank you for all of your support.        

                                                        —Nigel and the farm crew.