Our Story

Nordica Street Community Farm is a place where our love for growing and making food, justice and community unite. Anne learned about the power and joy of growing food in the city from her time with Gardening the Community and Todd brings a passion for artisanal pastry and community building nurtured during his time at Granny's Baking Table, a downtown bakery in Springfield. We both are committed to creating a world free of racism and poverty, where all people can thrive.

 

Our story began with a vision to preserve an old family farm in Springfield, creating a space where people connect with each other and their culture through healthy, fresh food and the land. Casie Hale and Matt Fletcher had been stewarding the land since 2015, repairing damage done by a disreputable developer who clear-cut the front acreage, stripped the topsoil and dumped clay.  We purchased the land unexpectedly in 2020 with hopes to preserve it as a farm and to continue the restoration process. 

 

Located at 7 Nordica St., the 11 acre farm is a very special and unique place in Springfield which we are delighted to share with the community. We grow on less than 1 acre while also stewarding beautiful woodlands and watershed behind the house. There is a 1920 barn which we are in the process of restoring and expanding.

 

We believe everyone deserves healthy, affordable food and that the freshest and most nutritious food is locally grown.  We believe in using farming practices that protect the ecosystem around us and the diverse life within the soil.  We believe our community-based farm can be a part of bringing more equity to our food system in Springfield and the broader region.

 

We love to share our passion for growing, conservation and organizing with our visitors. We invite you to join us on this journey.

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- Anne Richmond and Todd Crosset, farmers