Sunday March 30 2025 was a rough day at ARTfarm that destroyed years and years of hard work. Community turned out to help from a plea for help on social media… we smelled brushfires around 1:50pm. The fires began along the South Shore roadway bordering the ARTfarm and nearby properties, causing us devastating and extensive damage to our farm, pasture infrastructure and fencing. We are still assessing and calculating costs to replace it.
Volunteers who want to come out and continue to assist can help: assess damage, collect burn debris into a waste bin, and clear fence lines on both Saturday and Sunday afternoon from 4pm to 6pm. No tobacco users please, and bring your own water, mask, sturdy shoes and gloves, loppers and hand saws, wheelbarrows and shovels if you have them. We have 15 donated N95 masks available.
We will have some links and information available (hopefully) this afternoon online and at the farmstand for anyone who wishes to donate in a fully tax deductible manner through a local non-profit organization who will redirect 100% of donated FARM FIRE campaign funds back to our recovery.
Huge thanks to the ARTfarm volunteers, fellow farmers, former employees, customers, neighbors and friends who saw and shared our social media requests for help on Sunday afternoon, and dropped everything to join Luca, Christina and Mérïna, neighbor Francis, and members of the VI Fire Service during the initial aftermath of the blaze and help carry countless buckets of water and hand tools across more than 25 acres to extinguish the many flareups and persistent burning fence posts. Dr. Kate sent us an entire truckload of water. We could feel the love.
This was a more devastating fire than the one set five years ago. We lost a lot of wild and planted trees, our equipment storage shed where ALL of our backup fencing supplies were stored, large water tanks and fittings, irrigation equipment, electric sheep and deer netting and equipment, and (we are still assessing how many) gates, wooden posts, steel posts and hundreds of linear feet of barbed and page wire fencing destroyed.
As of Tuesday evening there are still hot spots to extinguish and wooden telephone pole posts that are still burning internally. Our homes and primary farm structures were spared but smoky, and our sheep and poultry survived the fire, but showed signs of severe stress. Two of our teen’s beloved turkeys died from bee stings and smoke inhalation the day after. Countless bird nests, wild animals, beneficial insects and topsoil fauna and flora were destroyed. Deer were trapped in broken fencing as they tried to flee.
The farmstand will be first come first served Wednesday. No reservations. We recommend coming about halfway or later through the hour if you would like a shorter line. We really appreciate your support.
Plenty for All
- Sweet salad mix
- Sweet and spicy salad mix
- Cherry tomatoes
- Slicer tomatoes
- Heirloom tomatoes
Early Birds
- Yams
- Tomato seconds
- Chinese cabbage leaves – bunched
- Baby bok choy
- Baby ginger and baby turmeric
- Carrots with green tops (for juicing if you like)
- Green and red hot peppers
- Sweet frying peppers
- Italian basil
- Thai basil
- Cilantro
- Dill
- Parsley
- Scallions
- Kaffir lime leaves and limes (fruit)
We appreciate you all! See ya Wednesday 5 – 6pm!
ARTfarm on St. Croix, USVI 