In general, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) focuses on having:
- An array of products for a set number of weeks a year
- Local farming supported and grown in the area of the community
- A “shared risk and reward” – consumers receive what the farmers grow even with the vagaries of seasonal growing.
Thus, individuals, families or groups do not pay for x pounds or kilograms of produce, but rather support the budget of the whole farm and receive weekly what is seasonally ripe. This approach eliminates the marketing risks and costs for the producer and an enormous amount of time, often manpower too, and allows producers to focus on quality care of soils, crops, animals, co-workers – and on serving the customers. There is financial stability in this system which allows for thorough planning on the part of the farmer.
Our CSA has evolved into social enterprises employing a number of local staff, improving and educating the local community about organic/ecologically responsible farming.
Typically, CSA farms are small, independent, labor-intensive, family farms. By providing a guaranteed market through prepaid annual sales, consumers essentially help finance farming operations. This allows farmers to not only focus on quality growing, it can also somewhat level the playing field in a food market that favors large-scale, industrialized agriculture over local food.
Vegetables and fruit are the most common CSA crops. The cost of a share is usually competitively priced when compared to the same amount of vegetables organically-grown. The lower transportation cost and fuel use is a great way to save the planet
Did you know that the average carrots travels 1,780 miles to market?
Many of our crops start indoors in one of our greenhouses. We start planning and preparations early in the year and then start planting in cycles. How many you ask?