We hope you've enjoyed the season thus far. Only six more weeks to go! Our last deliveries will be the week of November 10--write it in your calendars.
The CSA concept developed in Europe and especially Japan in the last century, in response to the rise of industrial farming. Japanese food contamination in the early part of the century prompted a surge in the demand for farm fresh organic food--food grown locally through community supported programs. Today 22% of all Japanese households participate in a Community Supported Agriculture program.
While food contamination seems to be a growing concern here in the U.S., the goals of CSA have broadened beyond quality concerns. Many of you who replied to our survey (keep them coming!) expressed a desire to support small local farms. Viable and local, human-scaled agriculture is certainly a goal, as is the desire to make this agriculture fair and non-exploitative for both natural and human resources. Mostly though, CSA--especially at Wellspring--seeks to foster connections and create community between the producers of food and those who consume it.
Early CSA farms in the U.S. were started by a "core group" of people committed to these ideals. Typically they sought out a farmer to grow for them and then arranged the details (deliveries, finances, communication among shareholders) on their own. In the coming year I'd like to gather together a "core group" of individuals interested in helping out in some way, in being more than just a consumer. Some jobs that come to mind are the coordination of the "Community Share" program, which has been a huge success and which we hope to expand next season. We'd love to have help with our spring sign-ups, as it's difficult to field questions from prospective shareholders while in the greenhouse trying to start all the seedlings for the year. These are just a few of the jobs we could use help with. If this type of commitment interest you, please contact me (Jeff) sometime in the coming months: jschreib26@yahoo.com
Thank you all for your commitment to local, sustainable agriculture!
-Jeff Schreiber, Farm Manager
Labels: newsletter
