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Re: Farmstand & CSA???



At 07:20 AM 10/16/97 -0400, you wrote:
> Has anyone had experience operating both CSA and farmstand?

Yes -- two that I know of, and both will be presenting on their experiences
(in a panel creatively entitled, "Farmstand CSA") at the Northeast CSA
Conference, November 7 & 8, in Hancock, Massachusetts.  This conference will
be a great place to learn about many aspects of CSA -- start-up and advanced
practitioners will all learn (and contribute!) a lot.  I've attached
conference info below.

Sarah
______________________________________________
Northeast Community Supported Agriculture Conference:

Building a Future for Farming in the Northeast

CSA of North America, in partnership with Just Food, Wilson College Center
for Sustainable Living, and University of Massachusetts Extension, is
convening a Northeast CSA Conference on November 7 & 8, 1997 to explore the
challenges of, and possibilities for, creating and operating successful CSA
farms in the region.  To be held at Jiminy Peak in Hancock, Massachusetts
(in the northwestern part of the state), the conference is expected to draw
at least 300 participants -- including farmers, members, sustainable
agriculture advocates and extension agents -- from the 13 states in the region.

With over 250 CSA farms and more than a decade of leadership in CSA, the
Northeast has the potential for tremendous peer-to-peer education.  Over 35
practical workshops -- in the categories of CSA Crop Production, CSA
Marketing, CSA Administration, CSA Membership, and Other CSA Topics -- are
structured to engage the audience members in conversation and will offer the
chance for practitioners to exchange ideas and learn from each others'
experience.  There will be workshops relevant to advanced practitioners as
well as to beginners.

Sample workshops: Long-Term Member Satisfaction;  Budgets and Accounting for
Core Groups;  Budgets and Accounting for Farmers;  Marketing CSA to
Institutions;  Farm Scale and CSA;  Assessing and Securing Affordable
Farmland;  Labor Laws and Apprentices;  Crop Selection and Production for
Beginners;  Business and Membership Legal Structure for CSA;  and many, many
more!   Plus, Trauger Groh and Steven McFadden will present their new book,
Farms of Tomorrow Revisited.

In addition to the workshops, there will be readings by John Peterson and
Scott Chaskey.  There will also be a CSA photo exhibit by well-known
photographer Clemens Kalisher, a Friday night contra-dance and at least one
meal that is cooked using all regional, seasonal ingredients that will be
procured from farmers attending the conference.

Pre-registration is both requested and recommended; sliding scale fees are
available.  For more information, contact Elizabeth Keen at CSA of North
America:  413/528.4374.