Community Supported Agriculture
Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, can mean several different things and can take on several different looks, but at its core CSA means a cooperation between farmer and community. Unlike row crop farming or livestock farming, CSA farmers rely on the direct relationship between themselves and the consumer. there’s no middle-man, no preserving, no shipping, no warehousing, and no grocery store. This means there are also no artificial preservatives, no food waste from handling, no food waste due to rot, and reasonable pricing. What this also means is that the community – the CSA members – share in both the risk and the reward of agriculture.
Sometimes crops fail. Late frosts, early frosts, drought, too little rain, too much rain, hail, the list goes on and on. Crops are not invulnerable and weather is not always predictable. A CSA member takes on the same risk of the farmer: potential crop failure. There’s good news though; usually when a crop fails it can be replaced, and usually a severe weather event will not cause the total destruction of any crop. Not to mention, the farmer takes on the responsibility of replacing, reimbursing, or otherwise substituting for a crop failure. After all, the farmer made a commitment to bring fresh, local, healthy produce to the customer.
Take the flip side of that. Sometimes a farmer will have a really good crop, called a bumper crop. Sometimes a CSA farmer will have 20 different bumper crops! When this happens, everyone wins, so we try to make this happen as much as possible. CSA members can share in the wealth of a good harvest. When we have excess food we will let members know and you will have the option of either accepting more fresh food for that week or donating your excess share to local families in need. We won’t let extra food go to waste and we want CSA members to be actively involved in the distribution of their shares. It’s a feel good, eat good situation.
Our CSA program consists mainly of fresh vegetables with occasional fruit when in season, and will typically include 7-9 different types of vegetable. For instance, a summer CSA produce box delivered on July 15th may look like this: roma tomatoes, early girl tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, red pontiac potatoes, turnips, radishes, loose leaf lettuce, and cayenne peppers. Then around August 1st we will see several of the same vegetables, but likely will not see turnips, radishes, or lettuce, which could be replaced with bell peppers, okra, and cantaloupe. In other words, many vegetables will remain staples, while others will come in and out of season. This allows for variety, which is the spice of life!
Creating a Wholesome Food Community
Fresh, local. responsibly grown produce using organic practices is the name of the game. We don’t just want to grow food – we want to make our land, community, and world a healthier, better place to live. With these values and practices in mind, our members know that their food is just plain better than any big box store can possibly sell.
The Heart of Our CSA
At its core, our CSA is a means to an end. Of course we are passionate about fresh produce and about farming, and we look forward to farming. But this CSA program is more than a paycheck; this is our way of reconnecting to God, to the simplicity of the earth, and to the community. When we started our CSA venture we knew we wanted our kids to grow up in this environment and to know God, and we wanted to help as many neighbors as we could. So, when you become a member of our program, you’re helping us help other people!
