Roxbury Farm was founded in 1989 with the help of a family member that co-signed the first operating loan from a local bank. Land was available from another family member and the first vegetables produced were sold as organic/biodynamic to organic wholesalers and institutions.

In the winter of 1990, Jonathan Hilton from New York City approached Jean-Paul to discuss building a relationship between a farmer and urban dwellers. He scheduled a meeting at the center for anthroposophy to explore the possibility of starting the Roxbury Farm Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) with members in the city. All involved felt excited about the idea and decided to commit to the CSA the following season.

Roxbury Farm CSA began its first season in 1991 with a membership of 30 households in New York City. They had not established a drop-off site, as space is scarce in NYC. Due to the small size of the CSA and the high cost of delivery a solution was found for both a meeting point and justifying the cost of delivery in attending the Gansevoort Street Greenmarket. The CSA members picked up their vegetables from the back of the delivery truck at the market. During the season many people became interested in belonging to the farm, and the membership grew rapidly.

Also in 1991, the Committee for Peace and Justice of the Albany Diocese visited Roxbury. In discussions that followed the group recognized the importance of the CSA model. They agreed that a CSA farm was a practical example of how the churches could support local farmers. During the 1992 season 100 people in the Capital District became members. During the same time, a doctor in Columbia County wanted her patients to be part of a CSA. A local membership began with 12 households. By the end of the 1992 season, the membership had grown to a total of 200 households.

In 1993, the CSA went through another large expansion. An organized group of city members created a drop off site at a church on the upper west side of Manhattan. This new development allowed the membership to grow in the city. The Capital District and the local community also increased for a total of 400 members. Also that season, Jean-Paul initiated an apprentice program with other farmers to educate young people interested in agriculture. This program still exists as CRAFT (Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmers Training). Today there are CRAFT groups in Ontario, California, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin/Illinois.

During 1994 and 1995, the farm continued to grow. Jean-Paul constructed housing for his family and the apprentices on the farm. As the membership grew, so did the amount of land used for growing vegetables. Members in all three communities began organizing themselves into Core Groups. Core Groups assisted in managing the CSA sites and in educating members about the CSA model.

Roxbury Farm was becoming a national model for how a successful CSA could be established and sustained. Jean-Paul frequently spoke at CSA and sustainable agriculture conferences. He taught a vegetable seminar in Wisconsin each year to aspiring organic vegetable farmers In 1997, the CSA stabilized at a membership of 650 households. The focus of the farm then shifted to finding long-term land security.

In 1999 the lease on the land that was operated by Roxbury Farm was terminated due to changing family circumstances. A good friend of Jean-Paul, Chuck Matthei of Equity Trust Inc. offered to help with the financing of a possible new home for Roxbury Farm, Jean-Paul and his children. He proposed that Equity Trust would advance the cost of a new farm while asking the members to make a charitable contribution to his non-profit to offset the cost. Jean-Paul, and some members spent most of the 1999 season looking for a piece of land, and started a discussion with Chuck how to establish long-term land security for Roxbury Farm CSA without taking title to the land. In the fall of 1999, they found a new home for the farm, 15 miles away from the original location in Kinderhook, NY.

In 2000, Equity Trust Inc. purchased the new farm. The new farm consisted of 140 acres a farmhouse and a small barn. While Equity Trust holds the title to the land Roxbury Farm has a 99 year lease on the land. A Capital Campaign staffed by a committee of members was well under way to defray the cost of the farm. An ingenious consecutive closing allowed another land trust organization, Open Space Institute, to purchase the development rights before title was passed on to Equity Trust. The result was a great infusion of funds to offset the cost of the land. The additional needed money was raised from members and allowed Equity Trust to remain the land in agriculture forever. While all this was in motion Open Space Institute (OSI) also offered Roxbury Farm to rent an additional 126 acres next to the newly purchased farm. Much needed buildings, suitable for a large vegetable operation, including housing for apprentices, was part of the 126 acres, which allowed the farm to continue its operation without much interruption.

In 2001, Jody Bolluyt, from Iowa, joined Jean-Paul. Jody’s presence added a new dimension to the farm as she soon started sharing all the farming tasks with Jean-Paul. Her new and fresh management style allowed Roxbury Farm to expand both in size and professionalism. A seasonal returning crew added stability to the uncertainty and surprise element of an annual apprentice crew. These days, apprentices at Roxbury Farm remain a strong presence. As Roxbury Farm attracts apprentices with one or more years of agricultural experience, they are given more responsibility and are assigned with positions. Other changes that were made in those years were the addition of Westchester and Harlem, NYC as new pick up sites for the CSA. The CSA grew from 585 members in 2000 to 825 members in 2004 to 950 members in 2006.

2004 was a big year for Roxbury Farm. Jean-Paul and Jody tied the knot solidifying their commitment to each other and the farm. Open Space Institute offered long term security on 101 of the 126 acres they had leased to the farm by selling them the title to the land. Equity Trust sold a house and barns leasehold interest on their property to Jody and Jean-Paul. As Jody and Jean-Paul have title to the house and barns Equity Trust remains the owner of the land underneath and around the improvements. A re-sale restriction will allow the house to remain in the hands of future family farmers. The house and barns can only be re-sold to another farmer that qualifies for the farmland lease.

Lastly in 2004, SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research Education) honored Jean-Paul the Patrick Madden award. This award is given every other year to three exemplary farmers in the United States who have shown leadership in sustainable agriculture.

Roxbury Farm remains a leader in CSA and Sustainable Agriculture continuing in their partnership with many organizations from the local Columbia Land Conservancy to Cornell University and their extension service. As Jean-Paul’s children grow up they know it will be a viable option to become a farmer.