About The Farm
In 1864 Mary Shaffer purchased 135 plus acres in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania. The land has since been passed down parent to child through five generations with raising beef cattle the primary operation of the farm since its inception in the 1860s. Fourth generation Arnold & Dorothy Kerner along with fifth generation Jeff & Trudy Garvey are the current caretakers of the family farm.
In 2009, the idea was formed to start a small CSA as a side-branch of the farming operations. In 2010 Trudy started the Garden Cart CSA to serve the local community. Drawing on her and her mother’s experience as gardeners, Trudy chose to go with staple vegetables that she has had much success in growing for her family with plans to expand in following years.
The farm itself is situated on Kerner Road in the Emerickville area near Brookville. Land has been selected behind the old farmhouse to serve as the gardening area for the CSA. Although the farm is not certified organic, organic practices are used at the CSA. No pesticides or repellents are in use in the garden area. With a herd of approximately 15 cattle, manure as in ready supply for composting as a natural fertilizer. Some purchased fertilizer is used for the corn as organic practices to date have not worked well for it. Natural repellents and pesticides are also in use around the garden.
