An update on our response to SNAP cuts and the current food insecurity crisis

Hi everyone,

We've been getting a lot of questions and expressions of concern about how the ongoing government shutdown and the suspension of SNAP benefits have affected our farm and the people who depend on us for food. So we wanted to take a moment to let you know what we've been working on to respond to this crisis.

CSA is a SNAP

We are fortunate to participate in CSA is a SNAP, which is a program of the Hudson Valley CSA Coalition that allows us to offer our CSA shares at a 50% discount to people who use SNAP benefits to pay for their shares. The Glynwood Center, the non-profit that facilitates the Coalition, has announced that they are covering the full cost of CSA shares for our SNAP members for the month of November! So we have been able to contact all of our participating members to let them know that they can receive their CSA shares free of charge this month, and the farm will be reimbursed in full for the price of those shares by Glynwood. (Thank you, Glynwood!)

Mutual Aid Fund

While Glynwood's generosity in supporting our CSA is a SNAP members will go a long way in supporting our participating families, we know that there are plenty of people in our community who aren't current CSA members who need assistance right now. So we want to take this opportunity to remind you that we have our Hearty Roots Mutual Aid Fund, which helps us provide CSA share subsidies to people who can't otherwise afford them, and supports our donations of produce to local food pantries and other food access programs.

If you're looking for a way to help get food to people in need, you are welcome to make a contribution at this link. (Contributions are not tax-deductible.)

If you are someone who needs some support in securing food for yourself and your family (whether you receive SNAP benefits or not), please reach out to us at csa@heartyroots.com and we'll see how we can help. This isn't the busiest time of year for our CSA, but we do have our extra-large Thanksgiving Share pickup on November 22nd, and we're about to open sign-ups for our Winter CSA, which starts in December. And we have plenty of room to add people to the list for both.

Our Farm Store

At our farm store, we are prohibited by USDA regulations to offer discounts to SNAP shoppers that aren't offered to people paying with other methods. If you are a farm store customer who is having trouble making ends meet, please email us at csa@heartyroots.com and we can discuss whether a subsidized CSA share might be a good option for you.

Food Pantry Donations

We donate our produce to food pantries and other emergency food providers through our longstanding relationships with Long Table Harvest and Red Hook Responds in the Hudson Valley, and Local Produce Link in New York City. We are currently reaching out to other local partners to see how we can expand these efforts considering the extraordinary need for fresh, nutritious food at this time. Mutual Aid Fund contributions will support these efforts as well. And if you have any suggestions for groups we should contact, let us know! Email us at csa@heartyroots.com.

We are deeply appreciative of the outpouring of support we've seen from our community, and we are grateful to be able to do our small part to help. Thank you for all you're doing to support us in our efforts!

Best wishes from all of us here at Hearty Roots Farm,

Ben & Lindsey

Join us for our 2025 Harvest Party!

You are invited to the

Hearty Roots Farm Harvest Party!

Sunday, October 12th, 2025

Noon–4pm

Hearty Roots Community Farm

1822 Route 9, Germantown NY 12526

Come visit us for an afternoon on the farm! We will have hay rides and farm tours, visits to our sheep, goats, and chickens, plus pumpkin carving and decorating, face painting, games (like our rotten tomato toss!), and more. Plus the Las Tres Americas food truck will be back again this year to provide you with some delicious food!

All are welcome, so bring your friends and family — but please do not bring your pets! We do not allow pets on the farm for the health and safety of our farm animals and our fields and crops.

Hay rides/farm tours will take place at 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm. Other activities will take place throughout the afternoon.

If you are a CSA member at one of our Brooklyn locations with a pickup scheduled for that weekend, and you'd like to come to the party and pick up your share at the farm instead, that's no problem! Email us at csa@heartyroots.com and we can hold your share for you here. (Please email by Friday, Oct 10th, at noon.)

We look forward to welcoming you to our farm! If you have any questions, you can email us at csa@heartyroots.com. No RSVP necessary.

2025 Pork and Lamb Shares

Pasture-Raised Pork and Lamb Shares

Sign-ups are now open for this year's meat shares! We have both pasture-raised lamb and pasture-raised pork shares available.

Pickup: Monday, October 20th

Farm Pickup Required

Both pork and lamb shares are available for purchase by the whole, half, or quarter animal. All meat shares are cut to our specifications by our expert butchers, vacuum-sealed, and frozen. Custom cut sheets for whole or half pork shares and whole lamb shares are available if submitted by October 9th. More details below.

About our Meat Shares

Our animals are pasture-raised, and we take great pride in how we care for them and the land that they live and graze on. Our pigs live outdoors at the edge of our old apple orchard, where they can rest in the shade of the trees or run out to the pasture. They graze on apples from the orchard, local grain, and lots of treats from the veggie fields. Our sheep are primarily grassfed and we move them to a fresh area of pasture every few days so that they always have the best plants to keep them happy and healthy. Due to both the genetics of the animals and our grazing practices, our meat shares will have exquisite flavor!

Pork Shares

Pork shares are available by the quarter, half, or whole animal. A quarter pig contains ~35 lbs. of excellent pasture-raised pork, delivered frozen, in a mix of cuts including chops, roasts, smoked ham, sausage and bacon. Sausage may include linked sweet Italian, hot Italian, and/or breakfast sausage and/or unlinked breakfast.

Price: $415 for a quarter share; $780 for a half share; $1470 for a whole pig.

Pickup Date: Pork share pickup takes place on Monday, October 20th, 3pm–6pm, at the farm (1822 Rte 9, Germantown NY). We do not have space to hold shares for late pickup unless you make special arrangements with us ahead of time.

Custom Cut Sheets: If you order a whole or half pig and would prefer to specify your own cut sheet, we can accommodate that if you provide us details by October 9th. Email us at csa@heartyroots.com to request a custom cut sheet.

More details available on our website, or click here to place your order in our GrownBy shop.

Lamb Shares

Lamb shares are available by the whole, half, or quarter animal. A whole lamb includes about 30–35 lb. of delicious pasture-raised lamb, delivered frozen, including rib and loin lamb chops, a leg roast, meat for kebabs, ground lamb, and shanks. A half-lamb share will include ~15-18 lb. of frozen meat of various cuts. A quarter share will include 8-10 lbs. of meat of various cuts, including ground lamb and lamb chops. Additional cuts may be included, though no specific cut is guaranteed.

Price: $205 for a quarter share; $380 for a half share; $680 for a whole lamb.

Pickup Date: Lamb share pickup takes place on Monday, October 20th, 3pm–6pm, at the farm (1822 Rte 9, Germantown NY). We do not have space to hold shares for late pickup unless you make special arrangements with us ahead of time. 

Custom Cut Sheets: If you order a whole lamb and would prefer to specify your own cut sheet, we can accommodate that if you provide us details by October 9th. Email us at csa@heartyroots.com to request a custom cut sheet.

More details available on our website, or click here to place your order in our GrownBy shop.