Community Supported Agriculture

It’s hard to imagine the bountiful days of summer as I am sitting here writing this article during the first snow storm of the season, buried in a foot and a half of snow.  Although, snowstorms create “hiccups” in our daily lives, what I love about them is that it forces us all to retreat and slow down, which can be welcomed by many in our fast-paced society.  While some of us may finally get to the craft project we have been putting off, or filling our kids bellies with pancakes and hot cocoa after they’ve spent the better half of the morning sledding, others are examining spreadsheets, looking through seed catalogs that are sprawled over their dining room table, as they prepare and plan for the upcoming growing season.  These are our farmers, while winter means rest, it also means prepping and planning for what will soon be the bountiful days of summer. 

While there are many ways that food goes from the field to our plate, one way is the community support agriculture (CSA) model.  CSA’s are models in which you buy a subscription to the farm and receive farm fresh food on a weekly or biweekly basis throughout the growing season.   There are many formulations, and options depending on the farm and depending on the consumer preference.   

The CSA model is based on the fact that the consumer pays up front before the season, and are referred to as a “CSA member”.  As a member you receive a “share” what is included in this share will depend on the farm and the preferences of the member.  To give an example if you’re a member of a vegetable farm you might get a box of 5-10 vegetables every week from June-October.  Oftentimes if that farm has a pick up on the farm they will have a u-pick section where you can pick herbs, flowers, cherry tomatoes, green beans etc.  Many farms will do “add-ons”, meaning they may collaborate with other producers such as meat farmers, beekeepers, bakers etc.  In which you can add on to your membership to include a variety of other products.  In terms of the pickup there may be an on farm pick up option, while other farms that are more rural may do pickups at local establishments, to orient closer to the customer base making it more accessible for folks living in the cities and suburbs.  Farms offer flexibility in the size and frequency of shares.  Whether you have a big family and need a full share every week, or if you are single and just need ½ share every other week, or maybe you go in on a share with a friend to split the bounty.   Farms offer a degree of flexibility in order to meet the needs of the consumer.  So, you may be asking yourself what’s the point of this model?  Well there are a number of benefits of the CSA model for both the farmer and consumer alike.  This direct farmer to consumer arrangement allows for the ability to cut out several steps that are typically required in the standard global supermarket food supply chain.  Rather than money going into transportation, logistics, and multinational corporations.  Money is going directly into the hands of the farmer to allow farmers to make living wages, while keeping the products affordable for the consumer.  In a time where the average age of farmers is 57, and only 1.3% of the population remains in this profession it is essential we do what we can to keep our farmers on the land, and also foster and support models that provide economic sustainability so that younger folks continue to enter this profession and are paid a fair living wage.  The CSA model helps to support this by providing income before the season begins so they are able to buy supplies they need for the season, seeds, irrigation, equipment, preventing them from experiences mountains of debt and stress.  To elaborate more on stress, as we know any job that is weather dependent can be extremely stressful, especially as we continue to have more and more extreme weather events.  The CSA model helps to minimize the stress and risk levels for the farmers.  As shareholders of the farm you agree to take risks with the farmer.  Knowing the unpredictability of weather, pests, and disease on crops, means that there may be crop loses, and you as the consumer may not have the access to your favorite tomatoes or cucumbers some years.  To minimize these risks, the farmers that follow this model typically grow a large variety of food sometimes upwards of 50 plus vegetables and fruits, so that even if there is a crop failure, there will still be plenty of other offerings, providing a safety net for the farmer.  Also, this crop diversity has a great deal of ecological benefits, providing food for pollinators and naturally lends itself to less pest and disease pressure compared to a monoculture resulting in less chemical intervention.  And this diversity is great for the consumer, you get to try and experiment with many vegetables you may not even find in the grocery store like kohlrabi, or ground cherries. 

Let’s explore more of the benefits on the consumer end.  As a CSA member you will get incredibly fresh food, oftentimes picked the very same day as your pickup, with this comes more nutritious food, when food is able to properly ripen it has more nutritional value.  This is not the case when you get food from the supermarket in which the food has to be picked weeks before properly ripened to allow for shipping, and ample shelf life before getting to the consumer.  Not only is the food healthier for you, it’s also healthier for the planet.  When participating in a local CSA the food travels a fraction of what most food travels from the grocery store, cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions immensely. 

One of the biggest benefits of CSA’s in my opinion is the connection you and your family make with the farmer that grows your food.  Like I said earlier a lot of farmers do on farm pick-ups with u-pick options, and some farms welcome their members to volunteer.  Many offer community events such as farm dinners, yoga, and barn dances.  What a great way to teach our children the who, want, and where our food is coming from, and be a part of a community surrounding, fresh, local, nutritious food.  If you visit the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ontario County website on our local food guide we have a listing of CSA’s in our area, check them out because now is the time to start signing up for the upcoming season. 

  http://cceontario.org/agriculture/local-foods

Deanna Gentner
Agriculture Economic Development Educator
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ontario County