Newhall Fields Community Farm Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

This is the synopsis for the 2024 season at Newhall Fields Community Farm. Over the past five years, this nonprofit farm has demonstrated significant progress and development. As part of our ongoing mission, we aim to share our achievements from the past season and continue building on this momentum in the upcoming year. Our goals for 2024 included expanding production capacity and increasing community engagement with our programs, ultimately paving the way for further growth in 2025. MISSION: Newhall Fields Community Farm strengthens the community by creating access to healthy food through sustainable agriculture, volunteer-powered farming, and outdoor education. A Year of Growth: In 2024 we expanded food production, diversified donation outlets, and increased fresh and dried herb harvest to reach more food-insecure families with nutritious local food. In addition, we activated a heated greenhouse and unheated hoop house to bolster production and educational and programming opportunities. The farm increased its cultivated bed feet of vegetables by 71%, bringing the total to 5,485 bed feet. This expansion led to a 68% increase in food production, resulting in a total of 11,845 pounds of fresh produce. We grew 50 vegetable varieties and over 100 perennial herbs. We made weekly deliveries to three hunger relief partners. 68% of our total produce, or 8,045 pounds went directly to these food pantries - nearly twice as many pounds as the 2023 donations. We expanded our farm share program to serve 33 local families, who received a total of 2,180 pounds of food throughout the season. Additionally, we continued participating in the SNAP CSA pilot program run by the MA Department of Transitional Assistance. We estimate that 80% of our produce reached low- and moderate-income families in the North Shore area. During 2024, Newhall Fields donated produce from its crops that totaled $15,855.23 in value. Actual expenses, as shown on Line 17 of Part I of Form 990, are understated as the value of these donations, $15,855.23, is shown net against agriculture supplies in Part I, Line 16. Absent the value of donated food, Agriculture Supplies expenses in Part I, Line 16 would be $6,683.31 and total expenses in Line 17 would be $128,627. This Season in the Herb Garden: In addition to increasing the supply of fresh herb bunches to our farm-share customers and hunger relief partners, the farm successfully piloted its first season of herb drying and processing. Enabled by the new herb garden hoop house, our volunteers and staff harvested and dried 175 pounds of culinary and medicinal herbs, totaling 35 pounds of dried herbs and roots. These dried herbs were included in our farm shares, donated to community fridges, and sold as a fundraiser to help boost farm revenue. Additionally, Newhall Fields joined the United Plant Savers Botanical Sanctuary Network and became a partner in its educational initiatives. Community Engagement Highlights: High School Saturdays: We provided 18 two-hour community service sessions for local high school students during the shoulder seasons. A total of 30 unique students earned 140 community service hours at the farm. Volunteer Hours Donated: Over 240 volunteers contributed more than 2,500 hours to this community farming project. Northeast Arc Program: The farm hosted two groups from NEArc each week, led by our Program Coordinator. Participants engaged in long-term projects, gaining essential farming skills while learning about regenerative agriculture, conservation, and healthy eating. They experienced the therapeutic nature of the herb garden and felt a sense of accomplishment from their contributions to the farm. Youth Crew: In partnership with the MassHire YouthWorks Program, the farm employed a cohort of 10 local high school students over eight weeks during the summer. This season, under the guidance of our Youth Crew Leader, the group was primarily made up of returning students, including three sets of siblings. USD

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 27.2%; rating input score 27
• Program expense ratio: 34.9%; rating input score 35

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Limited

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 22%; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.17; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.31; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 28.2% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 38.8% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 48.8% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings