COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE PROVIDES ECONOMIC STABILITY TO STRUGGLING REGIONAL FARMING INDUSTRY

Bedford at Falls River is First Master-Planned Community in Nation to Launch CSA Partnership

RALEIGH, N.C. - April 4, 2007 - The Vollmer Farm, located in Bunn, NC, has forged a new partnership with Bedford at Falls River, a Wakefield Development Company community, to make it easier for Raleigh residents to get fresh organic fruits and vegetables while supporting small struggling farms. The initiative connects local growers to consumers through a food program called Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), and is the first of its kind in the country to involve a master-planned community.

The CSA movement began four decades ago in Japan, when young mothers wanted healthy and safe food from local farmers they knew. This grassroots movement has been adopted by more than 2,000 small farmers in the United States. Approximately 100 CSA farms in North Carolina are sustained by the economic and social benefits of the program.

“Vollmer Farm is a fifth generation family-owned and -operated business, and we are continuing to take risks and be innovative in our industry,” said Farmer John Vollmer, who was born on Vollmer Farm and operates it with his wife, son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. “Our family used to discuss how we could foster a better relationship with our community. CSA will help us with the substantial start up costs each crop season, and in return, gives our customers the peace of mind that comes from knowing and trusting the people who grow their food.”

In early January, Mr. Vollmer contacted his local North Carolina Cooperative Extension (NCCE) office to learn how he could adapt his business to a changing socio-economic climate. The NCCE office introduced the concept of CSA, which the Vollmers quickly embraced. Prior to the start of the season, shares are sold in the harvest to individuals and families. The cost per regular subscription is $500 for 20 weeks, which goes toward the cost of growing and distributing a season’s worth of produce.

“In recent years, North Carolina has led the nation in farming losses, with more than 6,000 farms and 300,000 acres of farmland closed since 2002,” said Theresa J. Nartea, Agribusiness & Marketing Specialist for the North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. “The Vollmer Family serves as a tangible and inspiring example to other small farms in NC, if not the nation, of how a traditional farm can stay on the land in the current social-economic transition that is taking place nationwide.”

From April to August, the Vollmer Family will deliver the week’s harvest, in bulk, to Bedford at Falls River. The launch of the program is Wednesday, April 4, 2007. Typically, five to seven different fresh picked vegetables and fruits will be delivered weekly. While the strawberry crop has already been grown organically, this season 100 percent will be USDA-certified organic.

“Bedford at Falls River is incredibly proud to be the first master-planned community in the nation with a CSA,” said Dawn Forrest, Director of Marketing for Wakefield Development Company. “CSA allows the homeowners at Bedford access to fresh, healthy produce, but it brings them together at the social level as well. Customers can share cooking stories and recipes while collecting their weekly box, and their children learn that food doesn’t come from the supermarket, but from the earth,”

About Bedford at Falls River
Bedford at Falls River, a Wakefield Development Company community, revives the traditional neighborhood setting and atmosphere while combining modern conveniences of today’s homes. For more information about the community, please visit www.BedfordTradition.com, call (919) 792-0100, or visit the Welcome Center at 4390 Falls River Ave., Raleigh, NC 27614.

About Wakefield Development Company
Wakefield Development Company is the Triangle’s largest developer of residential communities, with a portfolio that includes over 14,000 home sites. In addition to the 2004 NCHBA Community of the Year, Bedford at Falls River, the company has six other communities under development across the Raleigh-Wake County market, including Wakefield Plantation, Eagle Ridge, Edgewater, Cornerstone, Delta Ridge and Twin Lakes. Wakefield is developing Mackintosh on the Lake in Burlington, and will begin construction of two new Triangle area communities, Renaissance Park and Twelve Oaks. For more information, call (919) 556-4310, visit www.Wakedev.com, or email info@wakedev.com.

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