Where I'm At and Where Are We Going in 2026?

Hey there!

I realize it's been a minute since I've sent out a newsletter. While I'm still enjoying some much-needed time to rest and recover from last year, I did want to take a moment to share a few reflections on where I see the farm going in 2026.

Where Are We Going In 2026?

For some context, I'm incredibly grateful to share that 2025 ended with a bang.

We sold 20+ CSA boxes in each of the final two weeks of the program, thanks in large part to the Scholnick family, who gifted two weeks' worth of CSA boxes to their children's school. We also hosted two private birthday dinners.

Not surprisingly, in preparation for these dinners, I somehow convinced myself it was a good idea to tackle some rather substantial infrastructure projects on the farm. So my holidays were spent adding finishing touches to our event space, including moving a ton (literally) of decomposed granite and installing a border trim around our tent area. It was exhausting, but I must say, the space looks gooooood 👌

So yes, I've been taking some time off to rest my body and mind.

Well… kinda my mind.

I haven't put much thought into where to take the farm in 2026, or rather, I haven't taken the time to listen to the direction the farm itself wishes to be guided. Frankly, I haven't had the energy to entertain this question until now.

Last year, I was completely focused on making the farm as productive as possible. And I think we achieved that:

I'm so proud of these results, and at the same time humbled by the fact that none of this would have been possible without you, our community of supporters, and everyone who showed up to help along the way.

It's been an incredible honor to share this experience with each of you.

Which brings us back to the big, hairy question at hand: where does this all go in 2026?

To be honest, I'm not entirely certain.

What I do know is that I don't want to expend the same level of energy managing the farm as I did last year—but I also don't want to disappoint our loyal supporters by stepping away from the consistency I committed to in 2025.

So I find myself at a bit of an impasse.

What I know for sure is that I want to:

• Grow delicious food free from toxic chemicals
• Create a beautiful space for people to gather and reconnect with nature
• Enable greater access to locally grown organic food at a fair price
• Document the story of the tiny farm

With those goals in mind, I see a few changes likely coming in the new year:

🌱 Simplify Our Crop Plan

Our previous crop plan included 12–15 varieties of crops including salad greens, root vegetables (radishes, turnips, beets), leafy greens (kale, collards, Swiss chard), and other seasonal crops (tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, peas).

Many root crops require hand-seeding and transplanting, which takes considerably more time than our salad greens, which can be direct-seeded. Additionally, some leafy crops have lower margins and may be better sourced from other local farms that grow them at a larger scale.

This year, my thought is to simplify and focus primarily on salad greens (arugula, spinach, baby kale, mustard, romaine), cut flowers, and a small selection of seasonal veggies—mostly tomatoes in the spring.

🎉 Be More Selective With Events

When managed well, events can be a high-margin part of the business—but they also take a lot of effort to coordinate. It's also important that we remain respectful of our neighbors and mindful of our footprint.

I do plan to continue hosting events, but I anticipate being more selective. This likely means expanding our outreach to local companies interested in larger events such as lunch retreats or team-building experiences, alongside fewer but higher-ticket dinner events.

📦 Improve CSA Predictability

Like many farms, our CSA program is core to our business. It provides consistent cash flow and a somewhat predictable revenue model.

Unlike traditional CSAs, however, ours operates on a week-to-week subscription rather than an upfront seasonal commitment. This means some weeks we sell 20 boxes, while other weeks we sell as few as five. At the same time, produce sourced from partner farms requires orders to be placed seven days in advance.

Together, these variables make forecasting difficult—and they limit my ability to enhance the CSA experience with things like recipe inserts and educational materials.

To address this, I'm considering adjusting the CSA to offer two pricing tiers:

• a one-time purchase price
• a discounted price for longer-term subscriptions

I also plan to adjust the ordering window so boxes are reserved seven days in advance, aligning with supplier ordering timelines. This should greatly simplify forecasting and purchasing.

📸 Document As Much As Possible

This goal is inspired by the realization that this may be our final year at the tiny farm, and by a deep desire to preserve its story through writing, photos, and video.

Another ambition is to build an audience that appreciates this kind of work and helps carry it forward into whatever comes next.

While I'm still skeptical of technology—especially social media—2025 taught me that these tools can be powerful levers for sharing positive messages and discovering meaningful stories. Used thoughtfully, they can inspire and connect rather than divide. I've come to believe that intention makes all the difference.

I've genuinely enjoyed sharing our journey through weekly What's in the Box and Farming in Public videos (all one-take shots), which have helped me remain open and accountable. I hope they also sparked a little joy or inspiration for y'all along the way.

These weekly newsletters have been equally enjoyable and nourishing for me as they give me space to pause and reflect on the deeper purpose behind this work.

Going forward, I hope to stay consistent with these forms of outreach, and to experiment with longer-form audio and video content that I may look to post on YouTube. One day, I'd love to compile everything into a short documentary of the tiny farm (any filmmakers out there??).

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This is the clearest articulation I can offer of our plans for 2026. I'm still uncertain which of these ideas will ultimately take shape, but I wanted to share them as a heads-up—or perhaps more accurately, a request for feedback.

On that note, I've put together a short survey to gather your thoughts (see below). If you have a few minutes to share your perspective, I'd be deeply grateful.

Stay tuned in your inbox and on Instagram for more updates, and please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any thoughts or ideas to share.

✌️

David