Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

permaculture - More About New Regional CSA Alliance (fwd)

permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: permaculture

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <london@metalab.unc.edu>
  • To: permaculture@listserv.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: More About New Regional CSA Alliance (fwd)
  • Date: Sat, 2 Jan 1999 22:25:53 -0500 (EST)


Permaculturists and permaculture organizations would do well to
strive for regional alliances of this sort for the long haul.

http://metalab.unc.edu/london InterGarden
london@metalab.unc.edu llondon@bellsouth.net



---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 2 Jan 1999 10:32:38 EST
From: DGreen47@aol.com
To: csa-l@prairienet.org
Subject: More About New Regional CSA Alliance

CSA of the Upper Susquehanna (West Branch of the Susquehanna River from
Lewisburg PA and points north, Tioga River, Conhocton River, Chemung River,
and Susquehanna River to Owego NY -- and all tributaries/feeders of this
watershed):

Mission Statement: "To form supportive alliances among farmers and other
people who love good food and the environment."

Membership is open to anybody within the target area who gardens, farms, or
eats. At last count, the US Government thinks there are about 3,000,000
people there so it's our guess that we should be able to find enough of a
market to help 20 or 30 farmers and gardeners stay in business -- and we
should be able to develop enough of a market once the word gets out that we
could encourage more people to put farms that have been fallow for ten to
thirty years back into production.

No gardening or farming experience is necessary by consumer members. It's
strongly suggested for farmers and gardeners. We will attempt to connect
wannabe farmers and gardeners with mentors and other appropriate resources.

Wide range of business computer services available to gardeners and farmers.
Have Pentium II computer, full office setup and software, will organize.
Reduced hourly and project rates for members!

Farm market booths maintained and staffed at most of the major towns within
the target area. (Staffing salaries paid by farmers who don't serve at the
booths themselves, assistance at market provided by volunteers who choose not
to work in the gardens because of allergies or physical limitations.)

Farmers receive 80% of retail price for all produce sold.

Organic, transitional, and IPM farmers/gardeners welcomed. Assistance
provided to any farmers who wish to become certified organic.

Members who require only 100% organic produce can state so on their contract,
and that is what they will receive. Otherwise the weekly food packet
delivered to members will just be local, fresh, and delicious -- some organic,
some transitional or IPM.

Members can sign up for a 10, 20, or 30-week season at $5, $10, or higher
levels. They signify preferences on monthly order forms, but each weekly
package consists of what the gardens and farms actually produce that week.
For example, a member can check both "strawberries" and "rhubarb" for June.
On June 15th, strawberries might not be ready but rhubarb is abundant so
they'll get rhubarb on the 15th, both on the 22nd, and just strawberries on
the 29th because the rhubarb has all been harvested and sold.

Members can elect to "work off" half of their purchase commitment by helping
out at the farms at group "Project Days", with the monthly newsletter, or at
distribution points and/or farm market sites, at a rate of exchange of $5 per
hour.

Members may also volunteer at the same jobs, with their time applied to the
purchase of produce for additional donations to the Food Bank of the Southern
Tier (unsold items from the market at that site near Arnot Mall on Route 17
will be donated straight into the coolers at the Food Bank warehouse every
week with or without volunteer credits).

Nobody except the Facilitator knows who's working off part of their fee as a
volunteer or for credit against their share price. And she doesn't know who's
doing so from financial necessity, because they want to learn more about
gardening and farming, or because they like being a part of this really
"grass-roots" solution to social and environmental problems.

Whenever farm markets participate in the New York State WIC program, CSA-US
booths will include at least one farm which also participates in this
excellent program. Only the produce from that farm can be paid for with WIC
coupons.

Farmers are encouraged to participate in the USDA food stamp program. As soon
as the formal incorporation has been completed (as a state-licensed not-for-
profit 501c3 organization), CSA-US will look into directly accepting food
stamps for harvest shares and market sales.

At the same time, CSA-US will also look into accepting credit cards payments
for harvest shares and market sales.

Members can also get seeds and seedlings for their own gardens in April, May,
and June. Many of the member farms specialize in hard-to-find heirloom and
open-pollinated varieties not available in garden centers.

Farmers and gardeners also get to take advantage of our cooperative purchasing
and advertising programs. Each farmer may choose how much to contribute to
the advertising budget based upon how much benefit they expect to receive from
it. If nobody contributes, we just won't advertise. Not the facilitator's
first choice of action, but Group Conscience runs this group, not me. <G>

All of this and more can be seen after tomorrow at the new CSA-US web page,
http://www.agrove.com/csa-us.html

If you are in the target area or have a friend who is and who you think would
like to be part of this project, please drop me a line.

Dori Green
Ash Grove Community Farm & Center for Sustainable Living
Corning, NY

http://www.agrove.com



  • More About New Regional CSA Alliance (fwd), Lawrence F. London, Jr., 01/02/1999

Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page