Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>]

I'm not against those who want to take part in CSAs and can afford it. But 
here's the dilemma as I see it.

Most people living paycheck to paycheck - millions - can't afford the 
pay-up-front "mystery box" CSA model, yet most growers can't make enough 
money selling direct to those people. Millions of  people have to make weekly 
or daily trips to the store to get only what they need right then, and need 
to pay for it when they get it. But small, local growers like us selling 
direct - farmers markets, farm stands etc - are up against Big Ag holding 
costs down by exploited labor and all kinds of hidden taxpayer subsidies. I 
know who my competition is - for tomatoes it's the inhuman labor in Florida & 
California. It's a system cutting corners, holding their prices down by 
poisoning the land, waterways, and people.

While we're doing much better than most market growers around, it's still not 
a profitable enough model to draw a million more young people to become 
growers. And we're pushing the envelope in best varieties, methods and 
marketing. Most people just have to learn to grow their own somehow, and BTW 
learn to cook.

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 11/8/2012 at 9:30 AM Lori wrote:

>What we see here are CSA's.  The landowner sells shares to his farm.  He
>either gets paid via predated checks for each month, or up front.  With
>that money he buys his seed, hires a farm manager and interns, and gets
>whatever else he needs.  The farm manager gets a salary and housing.  The
>interns get housing, a stipend, and, in one case, are allowed to sell
>extra produce at a local farmers' market to supplement their income.  What
>they are trying to do is apprentice in order to learn how to be a farm
>manager, which they are in effect paying for with their labor to do.  Some
>people intern just because they feel like it, with no future farming
>aspirations in sight.  My cousin's niece did that.
>
>The shareholders get a weekly equal portion of the harvest, which they
>pick up once a week, choosing between one of two pick up days.  We see
>farm shares sell anywhere from $700 to $850 for organic produce.
>Conventional produce sells for much less.  I think I've seen them for $400
>a share.  A ten acre farm can furnish about 200 shareholders with produce
>spanning from spring to fall.  One farm share we had loaded us up with
>root vegetables in November.  Two farms had an area of produce where we
>were allowed to take as much as we wanted of things.  Two farms had u-pick
>strawberries, blackberries and raspberries.  Most farms have chickens for
>manure plus they sell shares to the eggs in addition to the farm share.
>One farmer raises turkeys to sell at Thanksgiving to shareholders.
>Another had blueberries and strawberries and offered pig shares.  If one
>farm grows an item particularly well they may trade produce with another
>farm.  For instance corn for potatoes.  There are more than 5 CSA's within
>a 5 mile radius of our house.
>
>You can probably google for some of these farms and get an idea of what
>I'm talking about.  It seems to be working really well here.  One of the
>orchards, Northstar, allows shareholders to pick up their shares at the
>local farmers' market.
>
>Milky Way Farm, Chester Springs, PA
>Kimberton CSA, Phoenixville, PA
>Maysies Farm, Glenmoore, PA
>Jack's Farm, Pottstown, PA
>Charlestown Farm, Phoenixville, PA
>Sankanac CSA, Phoenixville, PA
>Thornbury Farm, West Chester, PA
>
>Orchards are also selling shares:
>Vollmecke Orchards Coatesville, PA
>
>Northstar Orchard Cochranville, PA 19330
>
>
>Lori
>