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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] twilley seed

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  • From: John Hendrickson <jhendric AT wisc.edu>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] twilley seed
  • Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 11:03:52 -0500

I would encourage CSA farms everywhere to heed David's solid advice and see each other as neighbors rather than competitors.  I would add that it is also possible for CSA growers to work collaboratively on public outreach, education, and knowledge/information sharing.  In 1992, the Madison Area CSA Coalition (MACSAC) was born, a group of 12 CSA farms (all but one in their first season as CSA farms) that decided to work together to organize a CSA Open House for the public and work to teach the public about this "great new idea in agriculture."  Over the years this group as swelled to include over 24 farms and Coalition volunteers and staff have produced a CSA cookbook (From Asparagus to Zucchini), formed an effective program to help low income people join CSA farms (The Partner Shares Program), and most recently worked with a local HMO on an Eat Healthy Rebate Program that rewards CSA members with a $100 to $200 check for joining a MACSAC farm.  The farmers gather at winter meetings to talk the nuts and bolts of farming and summer farm tours are organized.  For more information, see: http://www.macsac.org/

-John

At 09:23 AM 9/25/2006 -0400, you wrote:

You have as much right to be there as anyone. There are no territories. However if you wish to cultivate good relations try the following;

If sharers come to you that would be better served by another CSA in the area then send them there and ask that they let the other CSA know you sent them.

Do not set your prices lower than the other CSAs.

Never comment on another CSA even if they are badmouthing you for some reason; focus on your own operation.

Cultivate in yourself an attitude that this is not a zero sum gain but a cooperative effort on the part of the CSAs in your area to increase the total pool of people who get their food this way.

Look carefully at sharers that have come from another CSA. More than likely they are what we call shoppers and will dump you after a season or have created problems were they came from. Remember you are looking to build a long term loyal base of support that will, to some extent, call your place our Farmnot the farm; shoppers should go to shops.

Give the prior CSAs public recognition that they have already done some of your groundwork by introducing the concept in the area.

Ask an established CSA grower from the area to speak at a gathering of your sharers.

If you find yourself with surpluses of one or another type of crop offer them to the other CSAs preferably at no cost; you will get the value back in other ways.

Buy products you do not produce from other farms to sell to your sharers and identify them as such.

Do a good job yourself so as not to drag down the reputation of CSAs in general.

Good luck.

David

Mahaiwe Harvest CSA [ since 1986 ]

PS there is a danger in having a huge market available i.e. you might mistake the fact that you sell out each year for success. The measure of success should be retention. After you have taken out the sharers that have moved, got divorced or lost their job you should loose no more than 5% of your membership each season and most of them should be first season sharers who have found out it did not work for them.

 

 

 

. I also have a question about running a CSA in the same city as other people who do it.  I am slowly putting my field in order and planning out how to best use it for cropping.  My concern is that even though I live in a city of a couple million people I would imagine, ( Phoenix ) , how do I best operate without stepping on others territory as far as the customer base?  I have e-mailed the other person ( Kelly ) who is also on this list, and she is very friendly and states that she is way open to free enterprise.  I check out her awsome website on occaision and she seems to have all of her shares taken quickly but I never want to interfere with anothers livelyhood.  Look at me ! I'm talking like I'm a a real farming threat !!!!!!!!  LOL !  But seriously I want to remain friendly with all who are interested in quality produce.  I am supposing that my entry into this will be at the farmers market level until I am sure that I can maintain production to meet demand.  I love this list !!  You guys are great people and I rush home daily to read all the wisdom from you first thing from work.  Joe Useldinger
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John Hendrickson
Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems
University of Wisconsin-Madison
1535 Observatory Drive
Madison, WI  53706
608-265-3704
www.cias.wisc.edu



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