The Intervale Community Farm began in 1990 on a small field in Burlington’s Intervale. Originally conceived as a reliable local source of fresh organic produce when such options were difficult to find, the farm organized around the community-supported agriculture (CSA) model.

ICF grew gradually through the early- to mid-1990s, as more land became available for vegetables and more interest in the community provided more revenue.

In the later 1990s, demand began to increase rapidly as ICF developed a reputation for producing great veggies at a good price in a fun place to be.

As Y2K rolled around, we found ourselves assuming more land, and combined with several tractors, multiple hoop houses, and a couple of barns, now had the capacity to serve a large number of CSA members. Growth continued apace, with added staff, equipment, and membership, eventually slowing down as we neared 500 households.

In the winter of 2005, we added a pilot winter share program, and the following year built out a storage, packing, and washing facility to support the winter share and improve summer share operations.

We expanded our land base to 44 acres in total in 2009, allowing us to grow more of our own fertility, and with the use of a shared combine and hay equipment, grow more of our seed and mulch on the farm. Some of our harvested seed found its way to our greenhouse pellet stove in 2010, further closing the energy loop as we began to rely on local fuel for greenhouse heat and recycled biofuel for motive power.