Successful Crowdfunding Effort
Brings In Over
$30,000 for Aroostook County On-Farm Equipment
Repair Shop Project.
August 6, 2012 –
The Indiegogo
Wood Prairie Farm Seed Equipment Repair
Shop campaign just concluded its forty-day-run in high gear. In
the end,
over $30,000 in funds were raised, placing Wood Prairie Farm in the
record
books among the One Hundred Most-Funded Indiegogo Projects. The
northern Maine
farm’s successful Repair
Shop campaign ranks 84th out of the over 15,000 completed
Indiegogo projects. Indiegogo is the
world's leading internet crowd funding platform.
“The support offered to our Repair Shop
project was nothing short of phenomenal,” said Jim Gerritsen, of Wood
Prairie
Farm. “This is proof positive that the
organic community supports it own and is willing and able to stand up
and help
when a need is made known.”
Wood
Prairie Farm, owned by Jim & Megan Gerritsen and family, is a
pioneer MOFGA-certified
organic farm which for decades has produced high quality organic seed
and food. Their Indiegogo project was
designed to help
them purchase the necessary building materials for a 30' x 70' metal
and
concrete radiant floor-heated repair shop. The
shop is needed in order for the farm’s chief mechanics, sons Peter and
Caleb
Gerritsen, to maintain and fabricate their vintage organic seed farm
equipment.
“We’ve
needed an on-farm shop for a long time,” said second generation farmer
Peter
Gerritsen. “We have a lot of older specialized equipment which needs
steady
maintenance. Now that we have funding
we’ll get right to work on building our shop.” Both boys work on their
family's farm. Peter
is also pursuing a business degree at Eastern
Maine Community College in Bangor. His
brother, Caleb, just graduated from Central
Aroostook
High School
and will be studying
Diesel Hydraulic Mechanics at nearby Northern Maine
Community College
in Presque Isle.
The
Gerritsens are active
members in the organic community and have donated thousands of hours on
behalf
of good food and organic farming over the past 30 years. Jim is
President
of the national trade organization, Organic Seed Growers and Trade
Association,
lead Plaintiff in the landmark organic community lawsuit, OSGATA et
al v.
Monsanto, which is challenging the validity of Monsanto's GMO
patents in
Federal court.
Additional contributions to the shop project are welcome. They will be
used to complete additional phases
of the project such as garage doors and insulation. Please send to:
Wood Prairie
Farm
49 Kinney Rd
Bridgewater, Maine.
Thanks to
everyone for all your help.
Jim & Megan Gerritsen
Wood Prairie Farm
Bridgewater, Maine
|
Ready to
Build. (l. to r.) Peter, Jim and Caleb Gerritsen go over plans
for the Wood Prairie Farm Repair Shop. (Photo Credit Lottie Hedly) |
