Happy CSA Day!
Community Supported Agriculture–CSAs
CSAs are Community Supported Agriculture. CSA members purchase a share of a nearby farm. For your financial investment, you receive shares or portions of what the farm has grown or raised. Available for meat, fruits, vegetables, herbs, and/or dairy products, CSAs offer different options for share sizes or frequency and/or items included in the shares.
CSA Day and Week
Small Farm Central, who first captured the term CSA, reported that the most common time to join a CSA is the end of February. To encourage more people to join CSAs, CSA Day and CSA Week were created to support local agriculture and farmers. This year, CSA week will be celebrated from February 15 to 21st. The one-day recognition of CSAs will be on February 27.
What is the celebration about? Healthy eating, supporting your local farmers, and reducing your carbon footprint are just three of the many reasons to celebrate.
As a CSA member, you make a commitment to a local farmer in your area with your purchase of a financial share in this season’s harvest. Your local farmer selects freshly grown seasonal vegetables that you will receive weekly. Some CSAs deliver your share; many have a central location where you pick up your basket of just-picked goodies.
Benefits to CSA Members
There are a multitude of advantages to you as a CSA member.
· Produce was harvested within twenty-four hours before you pick up your basket. You can’t get much fresher than that!
· Many CSA farms offer the option of picking fruits and berries right off the vines. Just imagine biting into a fresh strawberry on a sunny afternoon in June!
· You can meet and get to know your local farmer! In addition to becoming part of a community of local supporters, you can ask your farmer about how she or he treats their fields and produce. You can ensure that you are now eating GMO-free and chemical-free produce.
· While the payment for your CSA may seem expensive, it is most often less costly than purchasing organic produce at the grocery store.
· Nutrient-rich vegetables and fruits just taste better.
· The variety of produce each farm grows will allow you to try new vegetables that you might not have purchased at the store. Besides having fun trying new foods, it’s fantastic way to each healthier.
· Many farms that participate in CSAs also have farm stands and other activities throughout the growing and harvesting season. Go to a goat yoga session, stroll through fields of sunflowers, or join a pumpkin carving contest!
Reasons Farmers Participate in CSAs
Farmers can also benefit from participating in CSAs.
· Most farmers are passionate about the delectable goodies that they nourish. So, farmers enjoy sharing their goods with people who appreciate their freshness and variety.
· Just as you get to know your farmer, farmers get to know their customers. Growers love to hear stories about how much their produce has changed how you cook and eat.
· Since the payment for a CSA is usually in one amount, that can improve the cash flow for small farms. These funds are used for taxes, repairs, supplies, and seeds.
· Farmers can better plan their planting when they know that a certain amount of their produce is already sold. This reduces their waste and saves money.
· Members of CSAs usually want variety in their weekly baskets. Farmers can grow more heirloom vegetables and try new crops each season. This lets farmers plant what will grow best in their soil.
· Farmers are selling directly to their customers, so the time and cost of transporting and packaging their goods is reduced.
Advantages of CSAs to your Community
Communities benefit from having local food sources.
· Buying food more locally reduces the energy required to transport goods to market. CO2 emissions are reduced as are everyone’s carbon footprint.
· Local farmers follow zoning and wetlands regulations. This should reduce the pollutants that flowed into streams and lakes and seeped into local groundwater.
· Supporting local businesses benefits communities in their tax structure and money reinvested into the town.
· Open space is important for everyone’s health and wellbeing. Though farms are growing products on the land, the soil can absorb the rainwater, and the plants are contributing to healthier breathing.
· Animals grown on local farms are treated humanely. Visitors to the farms can easily see the conditions in which the animals are being raised.
· Reducing or eliminating chemicals in the fertilizers and pesticides can reduce exposure to carcinogens and other unhealthy impacts from dangerous substances. Everyone can become healthier, which benefits all with reduced costs of illnesses and early deaths.
Find and Join a CSA
So, join the celebration and food revolution. Find and join a CSA in your area. You will eat healthy foods, support your local economy, try new foods, and meet new people. CSAs are a great way to start your journey to healthy-ish living.
Log on to
https://www.csainnovationnetwork.org/
https://www.usdalocalfoodportal.com/
or search for community supported agriculture near me AND meet your neighborhood farmers!