Asbury Farms blends innovative tools and sustainable practices to keep its Flint, MI, operation thriving while cultivating opportunity for the community it serves.
Training workshop being held at our main urban farming site.
Asbury Farms, operated by the Asbury Community Development Corporation, is dedicated to improving community health and wellness while creating economic opportunities for local youth and residents. Guided by the principles of noted growers like JM Fortier, Curtis Stone, and Eliot Coleman, Asbury Farms has become one of the largest urban farms in the U.S., spanning 17 hoop houses across more than 50 lots on Flint, Michigan’s East Side. The farm hosts youth programs, operates a farm incubator, and follows organic practices to sustain year-round production.
Farm Manager, Israel Unger, shares the tools that are used at Ashbury Farms to keep the operation growing.
BCS Tractor
The BCS tractor, equipped with a plow, flail mower, tiller, and precision depth roller, is ideal for establishing new fields and preparing seasonal beds. “It benefits our farm by being able to use a walk behind tractor that accomplishes the task that would normally only be possible on larger farms use large tractors.”
Broadfork
The broadfork is our go-to tool for aerating soil and preparing beds, allowing us to maintain our no-till practices without disturbing the soil structure.
Jang Seeder
The Jang Seeder makes quick work of seeding our beds, cutting the time it takes to plant a 50-foot bed from over an hour to less than five minutes.
UV-Treated Polyethylene Tarps
UV-treated polyethylene tarps keep our beds ready for planting, a method popularized by market gardeners that allows us to prepare fields in advance and plant as soon as conditions are right.
The Quick Cut Harvester
The Quick Cut Harvester streamlines the process of harvesting lettuce and spinach, reducing the time needed to clear a bed. “It can take over an hour to harvest a bed of lettuce or spinach, but with this tool it cuts it down in 10 minutes or less!”