The CSA - GGSIM 2014 Conference Talk

The CSA: More Love Than Labor

Jared StanleyJ&J Acres

Growing Health, Sustaining Wellness2014 Gaining Ground Sustainability Institute of Mississippi

Due Credit

• Sam @ Bountiful Harvest in Starkville• “Sharing the Harvest” by Elizabeth Henderson

– ISBN: 978-1-933392-10-3

Introduction

• J&J Acres– Self-Reliance– Self-Sustainable– Permaculture Design– Social Media• YouTube.com/JandJAcres• Facebook.com/JandJAcres• JandJAcres.net

What is a CSA

Community Supported Agriculture

“…it is the only model of farming in which customers consciously agree to share the risks and benefits with the farmers.”

-Elizabeth Henderson

Food Producers + Food Consumers

+ Annual Commitment to one another = CSA and Untold Possibilities

-Robyn Van En

“…provides a mutually beneficial arrangement between farmer and community… The goal of CSA is to reconnect people with the land that sustains them…”

-Goranson Farm, Maine, USA

…the present state of farming in the United States and around the world is in serious difficulty. Agribusiness… is replacing agriculture, with its small human-scale, and diversified character and its commitment to place and community.

-Genesis Farm Community, New Jersey, USA

Most Basic Concept

Community Pays Farmer

Farmer Feeds Community

Current Broken System“The symbol is the result of a five-year project conducted in 11 countries and was tested with different population groups – mixed ages, varying educational backgrounds, male and female – to ensure that its message of “danger - stay away” was crystal clear and understood by all.” –United Nations Website

“Unless you are choosing fresh produce from a Farmer’s Market or your own backyard, chances are good that your produce was picked at least several days ago, likely not at its peak ripeness (otherwise it would spoil too quickly en route to the store), and with degradation of some of its nutritional value after picking and during transport…

Once fresh fruits and vegetables are harvested, they undergo higher rates of respiration – a physiologic process in which plant starches and sugars are converted into carbon dioxide, water, and other by-products -- leading to moisture loss, reduced quality, and susceptibility to micro-organism spoilage. Refrigeration during transport helps to slow the deterioration, but still, by the time you eat a fresh vegetable that traveled across continents to reach your dinner table, a substantial amount of its nutritional value may be lost…

Vitamin C – Vitamin C is sensitive to heat, light, and oxygen. If fresh produce is stored at the appropriate temperature and consumed in a relatively short period of time, then it is the best source of vitamin C. However,during prolonged storage, vitamin C degrades rapidly…

B vitamins – Most B vitamins are sensitive to heat and light which leads to significant loss with blanching used in freezing and canning. Thus, fresh tends to be the best source…”

How much difference is there in nutritional value between fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables?https://www.acefitness.org/

- Natalie Digate Muth, MD, MPH, RD, FAAP

Current Broken System

$

$

$$

• $0.16 of every $1 you spend on food reaches the Farmer.• Supermarket, Dining Out, All Sources

• $0.84 goes towards “marketing” – which is NOT advertising:• Diesel, Truck, Driver• Mill, Factory, Processing, Storing• Wholesalers/Grocers/Cook• Databases for tracking shipment

Example (2008)• $0.67/lb for Onion• Farmer averaged $0.13/lb (19%)• Harvesting Employee between 1 – 2%, or ~ $0.01 per

pound picked

Where does your grocery money go? Mostly not to the farmers cnn.com (2012)

-Tracie McMillan

Current Broken System

$

$

$$

The CSA Fix

CSA Is or Is Not

• IS NOT:– A place to buy “cheap” food.

• IS:– A way to ensure a farmer is compensated fairly– A way to know where your food comes from, and what

has been done to it– A way to interact with the person who grows your food

Starting a CSA

Disclaimer

There are many variations of the CSA model. In the end the purpose of a CSA is to provide fair income to a farmer who provides their customers with fresh local food.

How you get there may differ. This presentation is based on the recommendations found in the book Sharing the Harvest, mentioned earlier.

Starting a CSA

• Initiators• Hold Explanatory Meeting• Agree to Values• Organize the Core Group• Core Group Action• Member Commitments• Legal Structure• Capitalization

Starting a CSA

• Initiators– Friends, Neighbors– Schools– Churches– Workplaces– Civic Groups

– OUR Initiators:• YOU!• Go Green, Meridian

Starting a CSA

• Hold Explanatory Meeting– Explain the CSA– Value of eating local– Why local farmers need support– Commitment and Participation?– Identify Core Group

– OUR Progress:• Monthly Go Green, Meridian Meeting• This conference!

Starting a CSA

• Agree to Values– Organic? Local? – Diversity?

• Ethnic, Economic– Children?– Work load?– Share risks? What food?

– OUR Values:• Still in discussion!

Starting a CSA

• Organize the Core Group– Farmer, Site, Distribution– Responsibilities, Budget– Fees & Payments– Expectations and Guidelines

– OUR Core Group …

Starting a CSA

• OUR Core Group:– Go Green, Meridian– Farmer• You? Actively Searching.

• Experience• Time• Dedication

Starting a CSA• OUR Core Group:– Site– Next the Lauderdale County Farm Co-Op

• 49th Avenue & I-20/I-59

– Benefits and challenges

Starting a CSA

• OUR Core Group:– Still “To Be Determined”• Responsibilities, Budget• Fees & Payments• Expectations and Guidelines

Starting a CSA

• Core Group Action:– Flyers/Advertising– Recruitment– Brainstorming– Press Release

– OUR Action:• This Conference!• Resources of Go Green, Meridian

Starting a CSA

• Member Commitments– Contract• When to pay, If to pay, etc.

• Legal Structure– Cooperatives, Sole Proprietorships, LLC, etc.– OUR Structure: Non-Profit

• Capitalization– Funding: Farmers, Members, Grants– OUR Funding: Donations, Lease, etc.

Where is the Community

• Everyone: The Community is the bringing together of all interested parties to achieve a shared goal: Fresh, Local, Nutritious Food– Members

• Financial support through their purchase• Supporting the Core and helping move the CSA forward

– Volunteers• Help the Farmers with preparing, growing, harvesting,

distrusting, good old moral support– Farmers

• Feeds the community and receives fair compensation

Who is the Hub of the Wheel

Core Group

MembersVolunteers

The Farmer

Go Green, Meridian is looking for a qualified farmer to run the CSA Farm. We want to plan and prepare in 2014 and begin selling shares for the 2015 season.

The Farmer:• Ample experience preferred, but can be learned• Familiar with growing in our climate• Able to work with others who help guide the CSA Farm• Not just wanting a job, but wanting to be a major part of

the TEAM

How can YOU participate

• Spread the word• Join Go Green, Meridian• Express your interest in the CSA– Stop by the Go Green, Meridian booth and fill

out your information on the CSA Interest Sheet!

Thank YouJared Stanley

J&J Acres

JandJAcres.netYouTube.com/JandJAcresFacebook.com/JandJAcres

Rainwater Harvesting DemonstrationTOMORROW

12:30pm – 3pmLove & Peas Community Garden