Fair Share Farm (FSF) was established in 2014 by Emma Hendel and Elliot Seldner and has been providing produce for the local area ever since. The idea began as just a cool thought when the two were both in their twenties, but it has now grown into a farm whose produce is utilized by restaurants locally such as Bobby Boy’s, as well as spots in Charlotte. They specialize in greens, microgreens, and root vegetables, all of which can be found at the Cobblestone Farmers Market every Saturday, year-round. Their farm consists of five, but soon to be 20 acres of land, run by a small team and two farm dogs named Kelly and Prince.
In order to keep Fair Share Farm running long-term, FSF engages in specific practices to ensure its longevity. For example, they use a popular, sustainable method called cover cropping to help soil health and resilience without the use of chemicals. Cover cropping works by planting specific crops, in this case wheat, that will cover the soil and help enrich it after cash crops are harvested. This keeps the soil in a healthier condition, so it can continue growing crops. FSF also gives back to the community by donating food to the Baptist Church near their farm. For food waste from their vegetables, FSF is able to compost all of their vegetable waste at home. Fair Share Farm has not only sustained itself for the last 12 years, but has also grown immensely. Recently, they have begun a partnership with the Piedmont Land Conservatory (PLC) to farm on 20 acres of the Bashavia Creek Preserve. Selder notes how the collaboration is exciting, as it is a win-win for the PLC and FSF, “I am way into everything they do… so it is just awesome that I get to have my little slice of heaven in their greater project.” They plan to continue to grow crops on this acreage and have set their eyes on using it to grow pumpkins for a future Fall Festival.
In the upcoming months, you can expect to find produce like spring onions, mini-leaf lettuce, strawberries, and cucumbers at the Fair Share Farm’s stand at the Cobblestone Farmers Market. So, this weekend, the next one after that, and so on, come down to Cobblestone and support their excellent vendors like Fair Share Farm and try some of their food.
