Long-time CNG member Stanley Chepaitis of Uncle Henry’s Garden is retiring at the end of the season after decades of farming in Indiana, Pennsylvania. We’d like to honor his generosity as a valued member of the community, so we’ve published one of his beautiful poems along with some information about this enticing opportunity to lease CNG farmland, below.
Ancient Voices by Stanley Chepaitis
There is a world without us.
It is all about us,
Though not about us at all.
In this world,
there are no quick marts,
No pop charts,
No social media,
No wikipedia.
In this world, there are only the real
Living voices.
Voices of trees,
Flowers and vines,
Grasses and reeds,
Pollen and seeds.
Ancient voices of wind and rain,
Rivers and tides,
Mountains and clouds,
Flesh and bones,
Etched into stones.
Billennia old,
Present now,
Filling the spaces we choose to ignore,
On our way to the grocery store.
Quiet murmurs that thread the fabric of the universe,
Singing their songs just out of hearing.
Obscured by human noises
’Til glimpsed in dreams of ancient voices.
~~~
Stanley seeks a younger farmer to take over cultivation of this land, and will offer guidance or mentorship. His description is below.
For more information, please contact Stanley at: stanleychepaitis@comcast.net
- Uncle Henry’s Garden is situated on roughly 2 acres on a south facing hillside in Western PA. I have an acre fenced and in intensive production. I use about an extra half acre as a composting area. The one acre growing field includes two 50’ x 30’ wood framed high tunnels.
- The farm has its own lines for gas and electric. It would be an ideal location for solar.
- The rent is currently $2,500 per year and the owner has indicated that this will not change. The farmer would be responsible for on farm utilities which are metered separately. I can provide records of those over the past years.
- There are also two 100’x 35’ greenhouses which are not included in the one acre field but stand outside of it. One of these greenhouses currently has a natural gas heater which I use to keep it from freezing over winter in order to protect the fig tree that is planted in one corner of it. Both houses have roof ventilation. With vents open and sides rolled up they are usable all summer and provide season extension when closed.