How to start a Community Supported Agriculture

Program (CSA)

Source: Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture

What is a CSA?

Community Supported Agriculture is a system in which consumers receive food directly from the farmers who produce it. But unlike a farmers' market system, supporters of community agriculture actually share in part of the farmers' risk. That is, they pay in advance for a portion of the farmer's total crop. Crops that do well will be abundant in the share, crops that do less well will be less abundant. For their part, the farmers have a stable income that doesn't depend on sunny weather on farmer's market days.

Benefits of a CSA to Producers

Small-scale farmers receive up front

costs associated with a seasonal

schedule; allowing them to

maintain business.

Consistent income and

guaranteed income for

farmers and their families.

Farmers will make more

profit; selling direct to

consumers. Not wholesale.

Sources: Pickle and Peas and Prairieland

Benefits of CSA to Consumers

Connection to farmers;

farm where their food is grown.

Local, fresh, healthy food!

Newsletters with recipes, photos

and stories from the farm.

Convenient, Seasonal and variety.

Sources: Calling all Consumers, May Seasonal

Source: Eat Well Guide

Growing for a CSA; the most important step!

Be able to plan and project expected yields on a weekly basis.

For each vegetable or crop determine: How much will be grown? When will harvesting happen? How long a product will produce?

Create a chart bases on what you want to produce that includes these things months before you begin your CSA. Create a layout of your garden or farm to determine what will go where as the seasons change.

Diversity is Essential

Do not have ONE planting date. This gives you usually a WEEK of harvest. Plant week by week so that your harvest has the same time frame.

Include a large variety of vegetables! Include items that folks are unfamiliar with and recipes on how to cook them.

Where are the Customers?

Is there already an existing consumer base? Farm stand customers?

Make sure the immediate community is aware of your business. Neighborhoods, parents, faculty, and staff of the school, friends and family that live close by to the school. Churches, community groups, near by businesses.

Informal gatherings (such as a weekly farm stand) to introduce your program to new customers.

Make a brochure! Include photos of the garden, students, and produce that is growing!

Advertising

Education is key!

Source: Farm Education

What Goes Inside the Baskets?

Keep track of what goes into your baskets with weekly updated spreadsheets.

Allows you to look back and make changes later on.

Find a balance between the share price and the amount of produce. Have multiple sizes if necessary.

Seven to nine items per week for a family of two.

Examples

A typical basket might include:

Spring… Summer…

* bunch of beets * 1# tomatoes

* bunch of greens * bunch of basil

* bunch of carrots * 1/2# sweet peppers

* 1# broccoli * 1 melon

* 1# cabbage * 1# summer squash

* bunch of parsley * 1# green beans

* head of lettuce * 1# eggplant

* 1# new potatoes * 1 slicing cucumber

Delivery

Always encourage on farm/in garden pick up

Create a system with the baskets. Aim for zero waste.

Make it attractive. Fresh flowers.

Have a flexible pickup schedule that also works with your harvest schedule.

Sources: Avalon Acres and Gnomicon

Packaging and Post Harvest

Wash your produce! Chose best quality possible.

Store in a refrigerator until it is picked up.

Provide tips on how to store produce properly.

Source: Rinsing, Krysla’s personal collection.

Pricing your Crops

Pricing is based on market prices in the area. These will fluctuate. Always giving a discount for the commitment they make to your garden. Usually about 10%.

Source: What’s a CSA?

$Payments$

Payments are made in the beginning of the season. Quarterly or Monthly payments are common for first time customers; gives incentives.

This can cause cancellations mid season.

“work-shares” (campus rules??)

Send reminders when payments are due. Set up an easy payment system.

Communication

Newsletters are a must! Keeping customers up to date on farm happenings. Include recipes from basket items and photos from the garden.

Educate about issues in farming, tips on storage, trials and joys of farming, significance of supporting local agriculture/urban agriculture, being sustainable, and minimizing waste.

Add surveys to get feedback every few months. Ask what they would like planted for next season, pick up schedules, quality of produce, etc.

Offer farm tours and regular visits

Source: CSA Newsletter, Newsletter Archive

In the Beginning

Keep membership to a manageable size at first. Grow only as your produce grows.

Consider labor on harvest days. Operating costs.

Interview other CSA farmers. Visit a CSA farm.

Make it worth it!

Sources

How to find a CSA Program near you!. Photograph. Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture, Minnesota.

Prairieland Community Supported Agriculture. http://www.prairielandcsa.org/

Pickles and Peas. 2012. Photograph. Northwest Gardening and Preserving

May Seasonal Foods. Photograph. Cooktime with Remmi

Eat Well Guide. Find Good Food. http://www.eatwellguide.org/i.php?id=Seasonalfoodguides.

Calling All Consumers: Consume Locally. The Buzz Bin. 2008.

Farm Education. 2007. Photograph. Jericho Settlers Farm, Vermont.

In Your Basket This Week. Natural Springs Garden LLC. 2009.

Avalon Acres Farm. Spring Hill Fresh. 2012

CSA Basket 25. Gnomicon Blog. 2011

Rinsing. Tiny Farm Blog. 2008.

What’s a CSA? Jacob’s Cove Heritage Farm. 2012

CSA Newsletter. Fresh and Wild. Paonia, CO. 2011

Newsletter Archive. Boerson Farm. 2012

Oakley, Emily and Mike Appel. 2006. http://www.threespringsfarm.com/blog/?cat=14