What is Community Supported Agriculture

This is a guest post by Jeremy East of East Farms. East Farms is a CSA located in Davis County, Utah. CSAs are a great way to find affordable, fresh, local produce, usually harvested the same day you pick it up. For information on CSAs in your area, check out CSA Utah or Local Harvest. Local Harvest will also help you find farmers markets and u-pick farms.

Most people want to have fresh produce, but for some, planting a garden big enough to provide sufficient produce for your family isn’t possible. For others, they don’t have the time or the physical ability to plant and care for a garden. If you find yourself wanting more fresh produce but don’t have the space, the time, or the ability to plant and care for your own garden, then CSAs may be worth taking a look at. Sure, there are food co-ops, and during the winter months I sign up for Bountiful Baskets every once in a while, but when spring hits, I’m signing up for a CSA! Why? Because I prefer my produce locally grown. 🙂

I am Jeremy East, owner of East Farms in West Point Utah. I am a 4^th generation Davis County Farmer. I have lived and worked on a farm my entire life.

When I was growing up we had 6 acres of orchard and 10 acres of vegetables, some hay and some a couple cows, sheep, and horses. The original farm is still in place just east of the cemetery in Bountiful. As a sophomore in high school I branched out and started farming my own ground. I began with 2 acres on my grandfathers’ farm in Bountiful. We are now farming over 400 acres.

In 2001 things were getting really tight for us. We had to find another way to market our product and make a little more money in doing it. Vegetables were very cheap out of California and Mexico which meant we were unable to make a profit at farming anymore. We had been selling our produce at farmers markets for a few years at this point and always did fair at the market. In talking to another CSA farmer he explained his program and told us how it had saved him from bankruptcy. So with the help of a Core group of CSA members we began planning out our first season of CSA. That year we had 50 shareholders. In that first season we were able to better understand what our customers wanted and every year since have been able to adapt to their needs even more. This is now our 10^th season of CSA and we have over 600 members annually. Many of our first 50 members are still buying a share every year.

What is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)?

CSA is a partnership of mutual commitment between a farm and a community of supporters which provides a direct link between the production and consumption of food. Supporters cover a farm’s yearly operation budget by purchasing a share of the season’s harvest. CSA members make a commitment to support the farm throughout the season, and assume the costs, risks and bounty of growing food along with the farmer or grower. Members help pay for seeds, fertilizer, water, equipment maintenance, labor, etc. In return the farmer provides, to the best of its ability, a healthy supply of seasonal fresh produce throughout the growing season. CSA farms can be vegetable, fruit, dairy, egg, meat, or any combination. Every farm has a different price, season, and quantity of product they provide. Every farm also has different growing practices. There are many benefits to joining a CSA. When you buy food from the grocery store it has traveled an average of 1500 miles to get to you. You have no idea who grew it, what their farming practices are, what their farm looks like, if they know how to handle fresh produce correctly, or in lost cases where it even is from. By joining CSA farms you have a chance to get to know your grower. Many farms offer field days when you can come to the farm where your produce is grown and ask questions, observe the farming activities, and be educated on how your shares are produced. If you have children it is a great opportunity to be able to show them that food does not come from the grocery store. The connection to where food is produced has been lost in our busy society. There are also some health benefits from eating local produce. It takes an average of 7 days to get produce from a farm in California to your grocery store. In that time your produce has lost many vitamins and minerals as well as flavor. With CSA produce you get to enjoy your produce usually the same day it was harvested.

East Farms CSA is an 18 week program. We begin in Mid June and run through October. We provide about 80% vegetables and 20% fruit. Everything is harvested the same day you receive it. We provide a minimum of 7 types of produce each week. Your assortment is based on what is in season. We offer Full shares and Half shares. Half shares are usually enough to supply fresh fruits and vegetables to a family with two adults and small children. A half share is about a half bushel a week. The shares are packed at our farm and then dropped to a location near your home or work. We have drop points from North Ogden to Draper. Also with our CSA share we offer a pumpkin picking day. On this day in October you can bring your family out to the farm to pick pumpkins free of charge. Everyone can select that perfect pumpkin to take home.

I appreciate being able to tell you about Community Supported Agriculture and about East Farms. To show my appreciation, if you join because you read this post you are able to take a discount on your CSA share. But, if CSA shares don’t sound like they fit your family, I encourage you to at least try to eat local produce when in season! Share prices are as follows.

Half Share $225.00

Full Share $400.00

18 weeks of Fresh Produce Mid June- Mid October

Examples of what half shares may contain:

Spring: