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Old CSA, New Program



This is the first year that I've admitted that in 8 years all I've done
with this CSA is pour $10,000-$15,000 per year into it.  With a rather
predictable resulting sense of frustration.

So this year I've started by gladly and cheerfully admitting that I donate
the use of the farm and my time, and that CSA shares are priced defray the
actual operating costs of the project.  My books are open to any member --
I'm a technical writer and database designer by profession and have a
professional-quality computer system so keeping good books is not a
problem.

The operating costs include labor -- and any CSA member is welcome to be a
paid laborer.  We're all sharing the risks by running a "Summer Job Co-op"
-- every worker keeps track of their hours and we keep good records of
expenses and sales (including the CSA shares), then split any profits at
the end of the season according to the percentage of total time each person
worked.  Several members say they'll treat this as a Christmas Club with
full family involvement.  Children's hours carry the same weight as
adults'.  It's an exercise in equality -- a little bit of social action. 
Time spent by members on Core Group meetings and work count toward the
profit share.

In my neck of the woods it's also very important to offer non-working
shares, delivered to their front porches, cooked if possible <no I don't do
that but yes they do ask -- so I've suggested they call one of the local
catering services and recommend to them that they work with me....it's all
about networking and the catering services don't want to talk to me, I'm
just another dudette trying to sell them something -- but they listen when
the suggestion comes from a would-be customer and they listen with great
interest when they get three or four of those calls in a week>.

So far I have 10 people who say they're going to join but I haven't
received their checks yet -- I offer a three-installment plan and the first
check isn't due until April 1st.  I don't count anybody as a member until
the silver crosses my palm <G>.  One lady is coming next weekend and paying
her full share, which should just about cover all of the seed orders.

After eight years of beating my head against this wall of the truth that
there's just no way to force people to cooperate even if it's good for
them, this year is showing tremendous success with an approach of "Hey, I'm
giving this away, no skin off my nose and no hard feelings if you don't
take it."

This would not work for me if I was a rigid,
everything-has-to-be-planned-and-controlled person.  Something tells me
that farming in general doesn't work real well for that type.  If I can be
kind of free-wheeling and balanced as the center of a gyroscope rather than
in the middle of a teeter-totter, and stay focused on the goals of having
fun with this rather than trying to make it into a primary life-supporting
business, I think it'll work.

Once I get this thing working so well that I can disappear for six months
at a time, I'd like to travel around the country helping other CSAs get
going.  Sounds like a fun retirement plan!

Everything else about Ash Grove Community Farm is posted at the website.

Dori Green:  Writer, Farmer, Facilitator
Ash Grove Community Farm & Center for Sustainable Living
http://www.servtech.com/public/funfarm/agrove1.html