Farm-Life Balance for CSA Farmers

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Operating a farm under the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model can be physically, mentally and emotionally demanding. Just like in any career, it’s important to find a healthy work-life balance – but for a farmer, that’s easier said than done. Learn from Kate Edwards of Wild Woods Farm near Iowa City about the challenges she has encountered, and from Kristen Kordet of Blue Moon Community Farm near Madison, Wisconsin, about the strategies she has used to strike a balance.

Kate Edwards runs Wild Woods Farm. She is in her seventh year of farming and sells the majority of her harvest through a CSA. Kate is interested in continuous improvement and is curious about the unique challenges women face in the lady boss farming world. She seeks to balance product and customer service excellence with life balance, and will focus her inquiry with Kristin on management strategies to improve life balance.
Kristen Kordet farms at Blue Moon Community Farm, a 6-acre market farm serving CSA and farmers market customers in the Madison area. While she lives on the farm with her husband and son, Kristen is a solo farm owner and primary manager, using a crew of assistant managers and employees seasonally.  After 12 years in business, Kristen feels Blue Moon has achieved a “sweet spot” in size and scale for her lifestyle.