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Key to
Healthy
Communities
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What is CSA?
CSA is a
wise alternative food source, instead of corporate food
system
A farmer commits to producing food, and
community members pledge to buy that food in a growing season. Each
party shares in the risks and rewards of farming. Members
pay an up-front fee to supply the farmer with much-needed capital at the
beginning of the season, guaranteeing an outlet for the food.
In exchange, members get fresh, local produce picked just for them.
Do I need a CSA?
Do you care about how your food is being grown and by whom
or even where. Generally if you want fresh, high quality,
biodynamically produced food from someone you know and trust, you need a
CSA. This you cannot buy at the grocery store.
CSA:
The roots of CSA stem back to Japan to around the
mid 1960's where a group of ladies started a direct relationship between
their group and local farms.
This new farming concept was quickly picked up in Europe.
I knew a couple
in the LaCrosse area with a small CSA type operation in the early 1970's, but CSA
is said to have officially started in the USA in 1985 in Massachusetts.
As of 2005 over 1500 CSA farms, like ours operate
across North America.
We are continuing our research study on the
general health of individuals participating in natural home gardening
and/or CSA members consuming primarily naturally grown fresh food..
Some preliminary survey reports are phenomenally positive. We will
keep you posted as we compile a larger data base to draw on and
analyze.
Many of the medical systems health
care overload problems, ...will be gone.
Dependency on medication and its research will be nearly eliminated,
needed only for necessary research and cures of none nutritional related
illness. I guarantee the negative propaganda will pour out and
continue to grow very cleverly disguised by professional testimonials and
research to the contrary about natural cures and our almost holistic
approach to our food production methods.
I note posting this 7 Dec. 2007 Steven M. Freng
I can also envision our national health care system
including the Medicare and social security systems will be dramatically
and positively impacted as our NWF networks (and other networks to come) grow
and communities become re-involved consciously in their direct food
line. But the communities must remain totally involved and in marginal
control of their food lines, or too much control can be shifted by
political and governmental intervention and a quagmire will develop such
as in the present organic movement. The present organic public
awakening has been a tremendous start from all the efforts of everyone
over the past decades. But it was subverted an covertly hampered by
greed, power and huge profits. Profits and prosperity have gone not
to the common small grassroots farmers which started the organic movement,
but to middle men of the same huge corporate food
factories, chemical companies, lobbyists, in general the industrial food
chain. This is one chain that should be broken to better mankind.
What is a share?
Simply a weekly share of food - a bag/box of
food.
When you buy a subscription to our CSA you buy a share of the the harvest.
Each week beginning in May and running through October you will receive
a share of the harvest, a bag or two or three of fresh wholesome produce.
As the season changes so do the share sizes.
>Membership subscriptions help pay for seeds, fertilizer, water, equipment maintenance, labor,
etc
>In return, the farm provides, to the best of
its ability, a healthy supply of seasonally fresh healthy produce throughout the growing
season.
When you buy shares you are kind of underwriting
an agreement to risk some financial investment in the farm operation. Your
share investment should be returned to you as weekly shares of high
quality fresh food, and maybe with some interest. Sometimes nature throws
you a curve. There is the chance for partial or total crop failure due to
weather, bugs, etc., the risk portion to the share agreement. Our
operations attempt to minimize the risk.
This relationship between local farmers and
community members helps create a stable farm operation in which
members are assured the highest quality produce, often at below retail prices.
In return, farmers and growers are guaranteed a reliable market for a diverse
selection of crops.
How Does CSA Work?
1. You select a Natures' Way Farm nearest
you
2. Purchase the number of shares to fit your needs.
3. Pick up your shares weekly at the farm or scheduled distribution site
Our CSA shares are sold by the share. One share is meant to provide one
person 15-16 years or older a healthy portion of fresh produce for 5-6 days.
You may customize your purchase of shares to fit you or your families needs.
Remember this is an investment.
- Delivery is available for an extra fee.
- Due to insurance restrictions, visitors are
welcome, tours not allowed.
- We do not provide Working shares at
this time.
- Apprenticeships are not offered at this time,
but coming soon
- At select locations we will also provide food items such
as honey, fruit, eggs, free range chicken, and free ranged beef.
Distribution
Once produce is harvested,
and inventoried
(e.g. heads of
lettuce, pounds of beans, peas, ears of corn,
to be received by each member) each share packaged for pickup.
Shares shall be picked up at
the farm or a designated distribution point
At the distribution points, members may decide to
leave behind any
items they don't want, at a surplus table, and may find something there they
could use.
Some advantages to the farm growing environment, in addition to
shared risk and pre-payment of farm costs, are the minimal loss and waste of
harvested farm produce, little or reduced need for long-term storage, and a
willingness by members to accept produce with natural cosmetic imperfections.
In late fall, we will:
- conduct surveys to gather input to improve
future service
- set new short range goals and adjust long-range goals,
- prepare the budget for the
next two years,
adjusting next years budget
- conduct publicity and community outreach
- organize events, for next year.
- conduct our annual fall harvest
meeting/festival
- update our newsletter
CSA is Important
- With a "guaranteed market" for our produce,
we can invest our time in doing the best job we can growing rather than
looking for buyers.
- CSA's gives farmers the
fairest return on their products.
- CSA keeps food dollars in the local community and
contributes to the maintenance and establishment of regional food
production.
- CSA supports the biodiversity of a given area through the
production of a
wide variety of crops.
- CSA creates opportunity for dialogue between farmers and
consumers.
- CSA creates a sense of social responsibility and
stewardship of local land.
- CSA puts "the farmers face on food" and increases
the understanding of how, where, and by whom our food is grown.
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