Creating A Market

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

"It's harder to be a CSA grower than a regular market gardener," observes Debby Kavakos, "because you have to have many goodies each week.with a farmers' market, you leave your failures at home and bring what you have. But with the CSA shares, you can't just have a bagful of cabbage and that's it. People expect a variety of good things".

One of the most frequently cited factors in failed CSA groups is that the grower did not know how to grow a diverse, bountiful harvest. Several seasons of selling directly to people at farmers' markets or through a farm stand can help you learn what items customers like and how to produce them.

Members

Members are what constitutes a CSA group, but how many members do you neeicirSW:K Hollow Farm in Argyle, New York has about a dozen local members in its CSA group, who pick up their shares in the barn's washing area. The CSA members cover a small percentage of the farm's operating budget, with most of Slack Hollow's seven acres of vegetables sold through a food co-op in the region. Across the Hudson River, Roxbury Farm in Claverack grows 25 acres of vegetables for nearly 700 members. The Roxbury members account for 90% o7 the farm's operating budget and live in three different areas in two cities and in the farm's own county.

Slack Hollow and Roxbury exemplify the range of sizes for CSA groups and the variety of roles CSA can play in a farm or a market garden. A 1996 survey of CSA farms in the Northeast found that the average membership was 65 households: three quarters of the 100 growers responding to the survey used other market outlets( such as farmer's markets and wholesaling) in addition to the CSA group.

The number of members you'll need will depend on many factors, including your acreage, your expected output, and you budget if you are planning on delivering off-site, you will probably need a minimum of 50 members to make your run worthwhile.

Marketing Strategy

Once you've decided how many members you're aiming for, how do you find folks to sign on? A primary tool for advertising your CSA group will be brochures. So create--or have a member create--a trifold brochure that explains CSA, gives some details about your farm, and has a tear-off enrollment form. All printed materials about your CSA group should include full contact information and a mention of your growing methods if you follow organic guidelines.

A simple one-page flyer appropriate for posting on community bulletin boards will also be useful; hang them liberally. You may also run a small, simple newspaper ad. Many local papers will print it free of charge if they have extra space.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print