Portland Area CSA Coalition

What is Community Supported Agriculture?

At its heart, a CSA farming operation is a combined effort between a farm and a community of supporters ("harvest shareholders", "members") that creates a direct relationship between the production and consumption of food: Each season the harvest shareholders provide the money (and sometimes other resources) needed for the farm to operate by purchasing a "harvest share" of the season's harvest. Operating costs include seeds, labor, growing supplies and soil-building amendments. By making this commitment a harvest shareholder assumes with the farmer the risks and the rewards of growing the food they will eat. In turn, the farm distributes to the harvest shareholders the entire production of the farm: a wide variety of seasonally harvested fresh produce, usually on a weekly basis, throughout the growing season(s).

The CSA model is an economically viable way for small scale farmers to produce a small amount of a wide variety of high quality vegetables in an earth-friendly way. CSAs foster responsible relationships between the grower, the consumer, the food, and the land on which the food is grown.

How to Select a Farm

All of these farms provide healthful, flavorful, nutritious, pesticide-free food, fresh and in season, including varieties not found in stores, but each farm is unique. To help decide which is right for you we offer these tips:

• Call the farmer and ask questions about the farm, growing practices, history, etc.
• Contact several different farms, and look over their materials
• Visit the farm (some farms restrict visits - please respect their work schedules and call first)
• Visit the farm (some farms restrict visits - please respect their work schedules and call first)
• Pay special attention to the following and how they best fit your household situation: (size and makeup of harvest share, distribution days and locations, length of season, etc.)
• Ask about "extras", community/special events, newsletters/recipes, work days, etc.

Select the farm that's right for you, "support your local grower", and enjoy the bounty!

NOTE: PACSAC does not endorse or otherwise guarantee the products or services of any of the farms listed. Such guarantees, written or implied are solely the responsibility of each individual farm.

A word about the "O" word - "Organic"

In late 2002 the Federal regulations governing the use of the word "Organic" took effect. With few exceptions, any use of the word "Organic" in connection with food is now strictly regulated, and generally can only be used by those certified by organizations approved by the Federal Government. (A grower is not even allowed to say "Not organically raised".) While the growers listed here use methods which would previously have qualified them as organic growers, only some chose to be certified. These are generally growers who also sell to retailers (grocery stores, restaurants, etc.) where they do not know their customers personally and the assurance of a 3rd party certifier is accepted practice. Others don't feel the need to certify, believing certification is an unnecessary burden when they are so closely tied to those who eat what they raise.

This text used with permission from the Oregon Sustainable Agriculture Land Trust

Portland Area CSAs | Other Oregon CSAs