100
What is Community Supported Agriculture?
What is a CSA? Growing in popularity, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has become a great way for consumers to buy fresh, local, seasonal produce directly from the farmer. Consumers buy a “share” of the farm’s production which helps fund the farm’s operations for the season. Shares are returned to the consumer in the form of ultra-fresh weekly seasonal produce throughout the entire growing season.
Consumer’s Advantages of CSA
•Enjoy the freshest food with more flavor & healthy vitamin benefits
•Exposure to new vegetables & new recipes
•Learn more about the farming process
•Meet the people that grow your food
•Teach your children the art of growing food
•Eat organic
•Share with your neighbors and family
•Reduce your Carbon footprint
•Improve your local economy
Farmer’s Advantages of CSA
•Receive payments for farm operations
•Opportunity to build & expand community
•Meeting people that eat from the farm
•Market food early in the season before long work days in the field begin
•Shared risk
•Increase sustainable practices
•Reduced Carbon footprint
CSA members receive only what the farm has successfully grown and harvested, sharing some of the growing risk with the farmer. If a particular crop does not produce well, the CSA member will share the burden by receiving fewer or lower quantities of that crop during the distribution process. CSA members will also enjoy increased bounties when crop production exceed expectations. By staying connected via newsletters, pick-up or delivery dates, and farm blogs, CSA members will have an increased knowledge of the way the farm works and the food they provide to their families.