Poplar Ridge Farm was a small, family-owned and managed USDA certified organic farm, from 1992-2021. The development of Poplar Ridge Farm as a Community Supported Agriculture farm is a unique extension of owners Marianne Battistone and Philip Norwood’s personal adult lifestyles.

About Marianne and Phillip

Marianne and Philip have been athletes involved in the organic food movement and advanced nutrition concepts since their teenage years! Marianne is currently a health and fitness contributing editor to SELF Magazine. She has been a health and fitness contributor to Conde Nast publications since 1980. Marianne has been in private practice in New York City since 1979. She is a dance educator and specialist in injury prevention, treatment and care of dance and athletic injuries. She and her husband Philip always wanted to own a farm. In 1994, when Philip began working in Charlotte, NC, they chose to build their farm in Sandy Ridge Township, Union County, NC, just south of Charlotte. Under their ownership the land has been farmed in a sustainable, environmentally conscious manner since 1995.

Community Supported Agriculture

Our farm was unique in that Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) was our primary operation. Most farms participate in farmers market and wholesale sales as their primary focus. CSA traditionally is a small add-on part of the average farmers’ business. Poplar Ridge Farm’s business operation is the reverse. We were devoted to Community Supported Agriculture and environmental and nutritional education and direct contact with our family members. Our farmer market appearances for special events and sales to restaurants were the smaller part of our business. We continue to cherish our involvement with area chefs committed to supporting local farms and their expert preparation of our produce in their restaurants and catering businesses.

Poplar Ridge Farm was one of the largest professional Community Supported Agriculture farms in the state. We have been developing our CSA business model since 1995, so we have a lot of experience in this area. During this time we’ve expanded our deliveries from a small network of area families to larger communities and businesses throughout the Charlotte metropolitan area.

Farm Tours

We encourage families to attend local Farm Tours. To Learn about farm tours in your local area visit LocalHarvest.com

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Cheers to good health and a healthy environment!