I received an upsetting email yesterday from Houston’s Tuv Ha’Aretz coordinator, Jennifer Handy, sent on behalf of their CSA farm, Home Sweet Farm. The email said,

“On Feb. 6th we received a registered letter from the Washington County Appraisal District giving us a NOTICE OF DENIAL for 2007 Agriculture Exemption, stating that the reason our “Property does not meet the degree of intensity requirements as set out in the 2007 WCAD Guidelines for 1-d-1 Ag Use.”

What that means, is that Home Sweet Farm applied for a tax exemption for their organic, CSA-supported farm, by filing this form. They were denied, losing out on a crucial tax break that many small farmers rely on. As to the in-question, “intensity of their farm,” Home Sweet Farmer, Jenny Stufflebeam, wrote to members,

“If it were any more intense, Farmer Brad might kill himself working.”

Home Sweet Farm has a chance to appeal their denial, and is asking their members to write letters of support on their behalf, which they will bring to an Appraisal Review Board. But Jenny and Brad’s concerns extend beyond the fate of their own farm:

“We see the challange that we have before us as an opportunity to teach our county appraisal district (and possibly the state of Texas) about our local food economy and the future of sustainable agriculture.”

The future of Home Sweet Farm hangs in the balance of a government that does very little to encourage or support small, family farms. Tuv Ha’Aretz is not only one of the first Jewish CSAs, it is one of the first CSAs at all in Houston. Hopefully, through the support of Tuv Ha’Aretz and their other CSA partners, Home Sweet Farm can serve as a light unto the nations, in supporting the right of family farmers across Texas to grow food and grow their communities.

To find out more or get involved, visit Home Sweet Farm’s website.