What is CSA?
What's a CSA?
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a subscription-based model in which members purchase a share of the farm's harvest in advance of the season and then receive a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly box of vegetables, meat, or other farm products during the growing season. This type of food purchasing focuses on community and sharing the risks and rewards of growing food. Farmers benefit from having a secure market for their products, and members benefit from convenient access to fresh food and a relationship with the farmers who grow it.
Workplace CSA is how employers can promote farm shares at a worksite. They can do this by partnering with a local CSA farm, creating a convenient pickup location on-site, or promoting nearby community pickups to employees. Read more about ways employers can promote CSA here.
Benefits of CSA
​CSA is a unique food model that shortens the supply chain between farmers and consumers. There are many reasons members love this style of program.
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Access to fresh, nutrient-dense food. CSA makes it easier to purchase local, certified organic products all season.
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Convenient pick-up locations near your workplace, neighborhood, farmers market, or home delivery.
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Experience different eating habits and improved health. Members often report consuming more fresh fruits and vegetables, cooking more at home, and visiting the doctor less. Learn more here.
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Know your farmer and how your food is grown. Members receive regular farm newsletters with updates about the season and recipes.
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Keep your food dollars in your community. CSA is a direct investment in the local food system. When you purchase a share, every dollar goes to the farmer.
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Try new foods and recipes. CSA shares offer diverse foods and inspire creative meals with seasonal ingredients.
How to join a CSA
1. Find a CSA partner farm that is ideal for you. Are you looking for vegetables, meat, eggs, flowers, or a combination? Read more about each partner farm here and view their pick-up locations here.​
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2. Choose the right CSA share size for your household. Many farms offer multiple sizes for the season. Small shares are great for new CSA members and households of 1-2 people. Regular shares are great for members who have larger households of 3-4 people.
3. Sign up and pay a portion of your share before the season. This upfront payment helps your partner farm have a more secure market and invest in seeds, equipment, and labor for the growing season.
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What can you expect?
The average weekly share will offer a seasonal variety of 6-10 items. An "item" is often a bunch, bundle, or bag of vegetables, not just a singular vegetable. ​Members can expect a wide variety of produce throughout the season. The bulk of a typical partner farm share will consist of vegetables with occasional fruit and opportunities to add on other farm items like meat and eggs when available. Participants can expect to see a lot of vegetables and varieties from week to week that they might not see in the grocery store. Find more tips on how to use your share each week here.