[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Value added in CSA's



We've found that teaming with other producers such as those selling eggs
and livestock is a successful and cost-effective way to increase our
membership, sharing mailings of people who've already committed to buying
directly from farmers, etc. We hope to venture into honey in a few years
with our fruit producer. Check your state's laws for structuring this,
however. We have to keep our egg shares completely separate from our
produce so as to maintain the farmer direct sales provisions of the law in
our state (IL). None of the money for these shares goes through our CSA. It
goes directly to the producers. Otherwise these small scale egg producers
would end up paying for large-scale style inspections/certifications, which
aren't worth it to them for 20 doz/wk sales. 

We've had a separate flower share, but our farmers currently prefer to
include flowers within the share at various points to cover for bad weather
such as this years 6 inch rain/straight-line wind fiasco which pelted the
lettuce into the ground. Sunflowers were leaning but gorgeous, and thus
were substituted.

Wow what I wouldn't give for goat cheese and beer, and someone to do my
knitting for me!

At 09:11 AM 12/3/98 +0000, you wrote:
>Mary Jo Wade wrote:
>> 
>
>> We are looking for ideas on farm produced products and services to offer
>> members in our CSA that are separate and extra from the regular membership.
>> We do not want to violate the CSA concept but would also love a way to get
>> some return on all of that marketing work that went into putting our
>> membership list together.  Value added products of some kind seem like a
>> good way to bolster the CSA budget.  
>
>I have a small CSA (4) and work with a farm (Silver Creek Farm) nearby
>that has a larger membership (100). They offer a number of extra shares.
>Some of the things they offer are a chicken share, a lamb meat share, a
>knitting share which has sweaters and mittens knit from the on farm
>fiber, a beer share where you participate in the brewing of beer and
>then divide up the bottled product at the end, a goat cheese share, an
>egg share, and a flower share. Some of these shares are coordinated with
>other organic farms in the area or individuals who have an interest in
>working with the farm.
>
>Jan Goodland Metz
>Meadowlark Farm
> 


References: