The Community Farm of Ann Arbor will hold its annual Harvest Festival on September 27. Organized by the farm’s steering committee, the event celebrates more than 30 years of biodynamic farming and its deep roots in Michigan’s community-supported agriculture movement. The festival will feature food, music, dancing and local vendors, inviting the public to witness a thriving ecosystem of land, people and purpose.

Founded in the early 1980s, the farm was one of the first designated CSAs in the United States. A CSA—Community Supported Agriculture—is a cooperative model where members invest in the farm early in the season and receive weekly shares of fresh, seasonal produce. This fosters a direct relationship between growers and eaters while encouraging a collective stake in the land’s health and abundance.

As industrial standards shift, food safety remains a growing concern. Despite the certified organic label, hundreds of chemicals are now permitted under USDA regulations. In contrast, the Community Farm remains committed to biodynamic farming—an earth-honoring approach that integrates composting, astrological planting calendars, and regenerative soil practices. The result: vibrant, nutrient-dense food, grown without synthetic inputs and with reverence for the land.

This season’s harvest includes lettuce, kale, chard, squash, sugar peas, cucumbers, leeks, potatoes, radishes, turnips, apples, pears, tomatoes, onions, flowers, herbs and honey. Beyond vegetables, the farm stewards heritage fruit trees and native habitats, and shelters animals with compassion.

The farm’s Donated Shares Program now supplies produce to Peace House in Ypsilanti, Alpha House in Ann Arbor, and Brown Chapel AME Church. Donations ensure more families can access nourishing, locally grown food. The farm also welcomes the Sustainable Spaces Collective this summer to improve infrastructure, including the greenhouse, chicken coop and a new cover for the bread oven.

The Community Farm’s land—protected through a land trust—features two pre-Civil War barns, now restored with metal roofs that allow for rainwater harvesting. Solar panels, member-built tools and a solar-powered tractor reflect the farm’s commitment to energy sustainability. School visits, festivals and member workdays further deepen connections between people and place.

Farmers Kacee Jones and Pete Hauman, supported by four work-share members and a dedicated volunteer base, lead seasonal planting and care. A recent grant from Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education supports a new teen program that will launch this season.

More than just a farm, this is a community in action—guided by shared values, mutual respect and love for the Earth.