Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) helps people reconnect with the food we eat, the land in which it is grown, and the people who grow it, a genuine opportunity to get in touch with where your food comes from. Other benefits include an abundance of local, seasonal, fresh farm products which means better tasting more nutritious food for members; and the farmers benefit from pre-sold crops easing the burden of in-season marketing while guaranteeing sales, along with increased cash flow upfront to meet start-up costs heading into a new season, and an opportunity for farmers to get to know the people their hard work is feeding. CSA is most often associated with small farms employing sustainable farming practices. Implicit in this exchange is the shared element of risk and reward. Having formed a partnership for the season CSA members and farmers are in it together for whatever the season has in store. Most of what is experienced is an abundance of good food as the miraculous transformation from seed to vegetable never ceases to amaze. But working so closely with the unpredictability of nature each season also holds its share of setbacks. Members join the farmers in facing these setbacks. Pests, disease, and weather all pose challenges that can affect changes in the shares as planned.

 

Changes in quality, quantity, and the timing and duration of a crops presence in the share can all be affected to varying degrees. As a matter of course occasionally crops do fail, fortunately the nature of CSA farming is to have a tremendous diversity of crops planted in many successions. So while you may miss a crop if it doesn't make it into your share, you will not be without an abundance of food. For an excellent overview of information about CSA check out these links to Local Harvest, USDA's Rural Development website, and the Robyn Van En Center. No one individual or governing body presides over the answer to the question, “What is CSA?” We shared with you a little about what CSA means to us, and pointed you to a couple of sources that do a good job of sussing out some of the more important ideas behind CSA. Hopefully this information will inspire you to ask questions of yourself: What does CSA mean to me? How do I define local? Does this farm fit with that idea? How important is it that the farm be certified organic? If it is not certified can I trust the farmer's growing practices? How important is it that the farmer running the CSA grew the food I will be eating? If it is not grown at the CSA farm then grown where, by who and what practices were used? Can I meet the other farmers and see the other farms? What is in the CSA shares? How is food distributed? where do I pick it up? Are the farmers accessible? Can I visit the farm? Where is the farm located? Like any situation in which you consider joining a community or choose to invest in something financially it is important to get in touch with what is important to you, to so you can make informed decisions. Looking for the right farm to be your CSA farm is no different. We encourage you to research ours and other CSAs to find out what is out there, ask the right questions, and find a good farm fit.