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CAMPTON TOWNSHIP, Ill. — In an environmentally conscious tweak on the typical way of getting food to the table, growing numbers of people are skipping out on grocery stores and even farmers markets and instead going right to the source by buying shares of farms.
This isn't "rural" or small town news - it's for urban dwellers, really. (Or, alternatively, it'd be good in the "Green" forum, as most CSAs are organic or as close to organic as you can get without the certification.) And it's not new, either - in Oregon, CSAs have been around 10 years or more. Most of them aren't direct participation, though.
It allows the farmer a more guaranteed income (and upfront at that) than selling at farmer's markets does, as the people who buy in share the good and the bad in weather.
We were buying from a CSA a good 20 years ago, in Austin, Texas. They're definitely not a new development. However, the volunteer labor part may be a bit of a change. We just had our fresh-picked produce delivered to a central location where we picked up the box, and the farmer had a guaranteed weekly income.
As a vendor at our local Farmer's Market, I see CSAs and I have been encouraged to form a CSA.
CSA: is a marketing method.
Vendors have customers, though it takes a lot of customers to accumulate into enough buying to support an organic farm. As a CSA you can draw a few more customers.
The vendors that I see have not been able to gain enough additional customers via CSA'ing, to enable them to leave the FMs.
The 'feel' that you are more closely involved with the farm, may draw more customers. Most CSAs are open to the public for tours, and they generally also take in apprenticeships.
Any method of getting cheap farm labor, and getting customers.
Our state's Organic group, has their own program for apprenticeships. Including advertising, placement, certificates, and networking to try and put journeyman into their own farms.
I know that with teh scares about food alot of peole I know have started gardens on thier own and bought freezers to stock pile it in.Alot have lost faith any any farm they don't actually do themselves.
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