Posted March 31, 2005: Somewhere, somehow, you’ve heard of CSA – Community Supported Agriculture. It’s a style of bringing farmers and eaters together that includes enough variety to fit many different settings, seasons and sensibilities.

To fill in any of your CSA information gaps, we’ve collected our related stories: what we think is the conclusive history of the movement’s birth in North America; stories by CSA farmers from California and Wisconsin throughout last year’s growing season; features on great CSA operations; and, for your direct connecting to farmers close to you, our Farm Locator’s list of CSA farm profiles from around the country.

If you're a consumer, you'll be delighted by the profiles of creative, dynamic farm families around the country who are working hard to bring you the best local produce, and a great experience. If you're a farmer, you'll get lots of great advice and insights into how to run a CSA--and you'll need all the help you can get. As Harmony Valley CSA farmer Linda Halley once said, CSA farming is graduate level farming because you have to balance the demands of customers, marketing, a complex distribution system, and a challenging planting schedule for dozens of crops.

Note to consumers: Many CSA members have already paid their CSA farmer for some or all their season’s food by now, and are eagerly awaiting weekly eating of what’s in season. But many of these farms still have room to add new members, and would welcome the opportunity to fill out their roster to meet their anticipated production of vegetables, fruits, pastured poultry, grass-fed meat and artisan cheeses.

It’s also planting time for farm families in most of the US, so be patient as they scurry for their customer-service hats to get you the information and attention you need to start your CSA relationship.

CSA Resources

• CSA Resources: A collection of books, websites and other must reads for those thinking about the community approach.
• The History of Community Supported Agriculture, Part I. Community Farms in the 21st Century: Poised for Another Wave of Growth? This is the first in a two-part series exploring the birth of the CSA movement in the United States as well as the potentials for this growing and successful model of community agriculture.
• The History of Community Supported Agriculture, Part II. CSA’s World of Possibilities When Steven McFadden first wrote about CSAs back in 1990, there were about 60 CSAs in the country. Now in 2004, he says, there are around 1,700 ... and he sees a strong potential for another wave of CSA development, a wave that could not only triple or quadruple the number of CSAs over the next few years, but also raise in importance the role these farms play in their communities.
• A visit to the home of Teikei: CSA and the Japanese Organic Agriculture Association, by Elizabeth Henderson
• Internet buying clubs combine emerging technologies and community values Two entrepreneurs committed to the local food movement are about to make their marketing models available to the public.
• Striving for Social Sustainability in Agriculture Organic farming endeavors to improve the health of the consumer and the environment, but what about the farm worker?
• FARMING FOR CREDIT At colleges and universities across the country, students are finding--and founding--opportunities to make sustainable agriculture part of a well-rounded education. Many go on to farm organically in real life. Many of the farms run CSAs (see below).
• Student Farms Directory: A total of 48 farms in 25 states (and 1 province) currently listed! Many of these student-run farms are CSAs.
• Angelic Organics manages the economics of a 1,000-member CSA The owners of the Illinois-based CSA shared their mission statement, organizational chart and business plans with attendees at the recent Biodynamic Farming Conference in Ames, Iowa
• VIDEO: Pennsylvania sustainable farmers featured in video, tell the real stories of drip tape, customers and long days. PASA video provides excellent window into the lives of innovative, entrepreneurial farmers who connect to customers through direct marketing.
• Talking Shop: CSA Grower's School. Advanced training for advanced farmers who are serious about CSA at NOFA-NY.
• Thomas Harttung’s humongous CSA: Growing by 10,000 households per year
  How a forester’s inspiration, venture capital, a chef, savvy marketing, open bookkeeping, and a radical agenda combined to create—oddly enough— economic success.

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News from Mariquita: A CSA Journal from California

• March 31, 2005: Thinking out of the box As any CSA farmer will attest, waxed boxes can be a major expense. Andy and his crew have found a local solution that reduces their dependence on box makers who may have to toast their profits with slightly less expensive champagne.
• March 15, 2005: And the moral of the story is... Andy's telling his CSA members bedtime stories. No, the stress hasn't finally gotten to him, it's the first newsletter of the season and there is a moral to this story--keep the boxes neat, clean and folded; don't forget to tell us when you're away; and, last but not least, enjoy the connection between country and city.
• February 22, 2005: Spring flowers bring me down ... Andy's got the early season nerves. What if his overwintered carrots bolt before his CSA season starts in late March? Most of his neighbors start later, but he thinks it's worth the risk ... and the nerves.
• February 10, 2005: Just kidding around Andy's goats might look like an expensive hobby on paper, but they keep the poison oak under control, entertain the human CSA kids and prevent Andy from pummeling the occasional penny-pinching market customer.
• January 27, 2005: Blame it on the boyfriend Disappearing CSA boxes. Vanishing flowers. Missing strawberry containers. Can it all be laid at the feet of ignorant or irresponsible boyfriends and husbands, or are men just a convenient excuse? Andy ponders some of the profound mysteries of running a CSA.
• January 7, 2005: A very dairy New Year Life slows down at Mariquita and, as another year begins, Andy reminisces about the 42 hours of exhausted delirium on a fateful New Year's Eve that inspired him to farm vegetables.
• December 9, 2004: Addicted to learning the hard way Like most organic farmers, Andy Griffin is a pugnacious experimenter. He has taken radicchio to “radiculoso” extremes you wouldn’t believe—and he won’t give up on blanched celery either.
• November 23, 2004: The value--and the limits--of fantasy in any farming operation For Andy Griffin, every season begins with a magic carpet ride through those glossy agricultural fantasies called seed catalogues. Then, the fantasy meets the customer.
• November 9, 2004: Farm wife meets mother earth As Julia tours Italy and hobnobs with farmers from all over the world at the Terra Madres conference in Turin, Andy is left to the job of farm wife--a post he just can't seem to get a handle on. Julia's networking pays off, though, and now that she's back, Andy can breath a sigh of relief.
• October 14, 2004: A little bit of Mexico on Monterey Bay An “end-of-the-season” party brings some regional Mexican rivalry to Mariquita Farm. Workers from Michoacan and Oaxaca have a friendly argument over the best way to barbecue a goat.
• September 28, 2004: Giving a voice to small farmers … in 90 seconds or less Even public radio’s signature show, All Things Considered, doesn’t consider the farmer very often. So when Andy got a chance to spout off about farming on the local NPR station, he jumped.
• September 13, 2004: Pardon my Padróns … Andy is still working out the details of how to harvest his Spanish Padrón peppers before they get too hot. When he succeeds, the $20 per pound he fetches may finance a second honeymoon back in Spain … speaking of hot.
• August 31, 2004: Dangling crystals, bad poetry and political theater... The social challenges of running a farmers' market stall The protestors and cranks at an urban farmers' market thrust Andy inot delicate merchandizing dilemmas and make him eager to return to the sweet country life.
• August 17, 2004: You can keep your lemonade … Life gave me elderberries, not lemons, and that’s just fine with me, says Andy.
• August 3, 2004: Garlic Snakes Andy discovers how his first-ever planting of stiff-necked garlic got it's scientific name and stumbles upon another marketing gimmick--spicy serpents.
• July 20, 2004: Keep Rollin' While the rest of the world savors basil and tomatoes, Andy gets pumped up to plant parsnips. It's all part of the cycle.
• July 2, 2004: Keep Truckin' Stop! Put that plastic truck (or other piece of marketing swag) down and back away. Think smart promotion to keep your small farm in the public eye.
• June 2, 2004: Kinky Carrots It's astounding to what uses Andy Griffin's farmers' market customers will put his kinky, crooked carrot culls. Every carrot has a home.
• May 11, 2004: Ain't I smart? Carelessness, poor planning and neglect leads Mariquita's Andy Griffin to discover the true value of a strange old heirloom crop--black Spanish radish.
• April 20, 2004: Hats off to the many sombreros of a farmer Quack lawyer, truck driver, fake chef, and borderline carnival barker: all in a day’s work for a farmer like Andy Griffin … and once in a while he gets to contemplate nature.
• April 2, 2004: The watermelon radish: Conspiracy from the left or the right … or just a darned good heirloom daikon? Those were among the suspicions raised by this ancient veggie at a recent event in Santa Cruz designed to introduce consumers to local food producers.
• March 23, 2004: NOW is the time for shameless self-promotion He can't plant, cultivate or harvest--the fields are a swamp--but Mariquita's Andy Griffin can sell shares and hustle publicity.
• March 4, 2004: Guerilla garlic Battling the influx of cheap Chinese garlic—even in to Gilroy, the “Garlic Capital of the World”—Mariquita Farm grows green spring garlic, and banks its garlic dollars long before the garlic festival in July.
• February 13, 2004: New riders of the purple goosefoot In Watsonville, California, the founders of Mariquita CSA discover the value of this antique cousin to spinach.
• January 30, 2004: Reflections on the 2003 CSA season Giving thanks for a season with no disasters, good partners, a great new staff member, and—overall—more sanity.
• May 12, 2003: How do you define YOUR CSA? CSA is such a loose concept that you can make yours whatever you want it to be, as long as there's a community to support the concept. Try to characterize what you're about in 5 short phrases. It will be the beginning of a press release about your farm.
• April 8, 2003: From money pit to economic provider for a farm family and its employees ... in just 4 years! Julia Wiley of Mariquita Farm says that to run a CSA successfully, you have to grow well. That’s a given. But you also have to know how to nurture a whole human community. Here’s the story of how their CSA began.

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CSA Notebook: Harmony Valley CSA in Wisconsin

• March 17, 2005: A construction project brings together organic transplants and true Wisconsin originals Vern and Ole have been running heavy equipment in Vernon County, WI for more years than Harmony Valley farmers Rich and Linda have memories—but shared work and food build mutual respect between these “locals” and their organic neighbors.
• November 9, 2004: Serving CSA members better As the CSA season draws to a close, the Harmony Valley team brainstorms about ways to boost member retention from year to year—and to encourage former CSA members to become faithful farmers' market customers.
• August 17, 2004: Finding the support in Community Supported Agriculture After 30 years of full-time farming, Richard DeWilde experienced a farmer's worst nightmare--he was laid up with severe back pain and unable to work. How the heck would the farm survive?
• August 3, 2004: UPDATE: A legal immigrant odyssey In the spring, Linda Halley wrote about their decision to go legal with their Mexican help. Now, in the thick of the season, she sends an update.
• April 19, 2004: The worth of good work: An H2-A odyssey Wisconsin vegetable growers Linda Halley and Richard de Wilde venture into new territory with the federal seasonal worker program. So far, so good.
• October 27, 2003: Community Comes to the Farm Even if your farm is nowhere near your customers, you can still cement the relationship and sense of shared community with a few low-key events each year on your farm.
• August 22, 2003: Over-Abundance: Mid-Summer at Harmony Valley CSA What you DON'T put in your box may be as important as what you do. And having other markets that can absorb overproduction are essential.
• June 24, 2003: Distribution – An important connection to your members Linda Halley describes the system of distributing share boxes each week that has worked well for them over the last 11 years . . . with some tweaking.
• April 2, 2003: Two veteran CSA farmers share their insights Richard de Wilde and Linda Halley have been running a successful CSA for 11 years. This month: Introductions and some initial thoughts on retention.

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Profiles of CSAs from around the country and the world

• Northern California’s Full Belly Farm redefines what it means to be a family farmer Despite its 35 full-time workers, 15 retail accounts, 15 wholesale accounts, 650 member CSA and three farmers’ markets almost year ‘round, Full Belly still has the heart and soul of a family farm.
• Supplying good food to local people in a busy world Don and Becky Kretschmann share the insights they've gained over 32 years of farming--including the secret to running a successful CSA
• No idealistic myth: The REAL Kretschmann Farm Don Kretschmann describes the evolution of their farm and family life.
• When it comes to organized support for CSAs, Canadians have a thing or two to teach us, don’t cha know? The D-Trois-Pierres CSA, outside of Montreal, Quebec, is part of a well-organized network of around 70 farms that are actively promoted and supported by Equiterre, a Quebec-based organization that champions sustainability and fair trade worldwide.
• Closing the loop It started ten years ago with "a rototiller and an idea." Today, Full Circle Farm grows organic produce for 500 CSA members, 50 restaurants, 15 grocery stores, 12 farmers' markets, and 4 wholesalers.
• SUCCESSFULLY FIGHTING HIGH LAND VALUES & NAFTA: Organic—and sustainable—in South Jersey Beginning in 1999, Bob Muth started transitioning acres to organic. He now has nine of his 80 acres certified organic . . . and is wondering if he should go all the way organic with his CSA, farm stand and wholesale operations.
• Wanted: Consumers seek like-minded farmer looking for long term CSA relationship The Philadelphia area's newest organic farm started as a consumer dream.
• Collaborative CSA in N.E. Iowa successfully serves an all-rural market Ten farm families contribute to CSA, a buyers’ club, and a cooperative that markets produce to local institutions.
• The Apprentice It’s not just a way to trump up cheap labor, says Brookfield Farm’s manager, but a committed partnership that requires a real investment from both farmer and student. (To study the history of Brookfield Farm, on the outskirts of Amherst, Mass., is to chart the course of the CSA movement itself. It's the third community supported farm ever to be established in the U.S.)
• Scaling up Ten years ago, Gabe Cox and Sophie Bello had barely begun to think about farming. Today, they grow vegetables and fruits on over 40 certified acres and sell at 7 farmers' markets a week, in addition to managing a CSA and wholesaling.
• A city girl takes the plunge and buys the farm Twelve years ago Janet Hahn returned to Ohio to care for her mother and fell in love with the life of an organic farmer. Her farm operation includes a CSA.
• Not just a farm, but a creative community Roy Brubaker, his family, and six interns collaborate, innovate and share labor, food and meaning on the Brubakers’ 30-acre organic produce farm in western Pennyslvania.
• Fertile Minds Innovative MSU ag professor sows the seeds for a new generation of organic farmers with a student farm at Michigan State University in East Lansing, including a CSA operation.
• Thinking small After two seasons at the Intervale, Spencer and Mara Welton of Half Pint Farm are showing how much can be done in a little space
• Farmer Smith goes to Burlington This Intervale Farm Program veteran finds politics and farming to be fairly comfortable bedfellows.
• A different kind of community-supported farm Forty-five minutes north of Chicago, the people at Prairie Crossing are redefining the suburban housing development to include ecological restoration, green building technologies, and small-scale organic farming
• Shumei Natural Agriculture: Farming to create heaven on earth. Morioka Town's Yoshinori Takahashi Farmers and customers in this CSA began their mutual involvement out of obligation, but the romance of earth and the power of food won their hearts
• Shumei Natural Agriculture: Farming to create heaven on earth. Tsumagoi Town's Toki Kuroiwa In a region where cabbage is king and chemicals infuse the landscape, this tiny, determined farmer quietly does things her way
• Shumei Natural Agriculture: Farming to create heaven on earth. Yamada town's Osamu Yoshino Natural Agriculture farmer finds locating a market more challenging than letting go of chemicals
• In praise of country life In rural Adair County, Iowa, a birthplace museum, meeting center and organic farm pay tribute to legendary ag secretary Henry A. Wallace by keeping his rich legacy alive, not just as a memory but as a vital living tradition, including a CSA.
• Elizabeth Henderson, Peacework Organic Farm CSA farm expects more than a yearly fee; members gladly dig in.
• Molly & Ted Bartlett, Silver Creek Farm Retail marketer uses trade secrets to create a successful CSA operation
• Richard DeWilde & Linda Halley, Harmony Valley CSA Local farmers use big city money to live a rural dream
• Michael & Marie Heath, M&M Heath Farms Diversification in the field and market become part of former conventional agriculturist's guiding principles
• New farm dreams DO come true Maybe not the way you thought they would. But with planning, persistence and a little luck it is possible to get started in farming today. NewFarm.org columnists Melanie and George Devault tell their own story.

New farmer musings on their CSA operations

• NEW FARMER JOURNAL: Fresh Harvest Farm, Mokena IL New horizons As their second year begins, these ambitious farming partners are considering some major expansion plants.
• NEW FARMER JOURNAL: Fresh Harvest Farm, Mokena IL. Trial and error Two friends new to farming learn many lessons growing veggies in the ’burbs.
• NEW FARMER JOURNAL: Essex Farm, Essex NY. Green acres An assignment turns a writer into a farmer and wife…and now there’s no looking back.

Find a CSA!

Looking for a CSA to join? Want to talk to another farmer in your area already doing CSA? Use The New Farm Locator. Just click here and search "By marketing method". When you choose CSA, you'll get a list of nearly 300 CSAs across the country. Or, narrow the search to your region by entering your state, county and zip code.

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