Community Gives to Farms

csa farm doneBRADFORD - Community supported agriculture, also known as CSA’s, are when community members have the opportunity to purchase a share of a farm’s produce for the spring, summer, and fall. The member will provide a one-time up-front payment for a 15-30 weeks share of the season’s harvest.

 

CSA’s are growing in popularity with the farming community and the residents who support it. Owner of Honey Locust Farm in Bradford, Jake Torrey, has also been seeing an increase of people who want fresh vegetables and meat.

“In 2013, we saw around 10 people; in the next year, which was our second year, we saw around 20 people; this year we are expecting around 50 people,” said Torrey.

Torrey attributes the increase in people buying products from his farm due to the fact people have been telling others how good CSA farms are. Torrey is grateful for the positive results.  

“This helps us cover the costs of a farm when usually we would have very little income,” said Torrey.

Torrey and his wife have other jobs in order to pay things that do not have to do with their farm. According to Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFAVT), “CSA’s connect people of diverse life circumstances to the farmer, land, and the food they eat through the process of cultivating products at the farm.”

Torrey agrees with NOFAVT saying, “We live in a rural area and a lot of people still don’t interact with farms on a day to day basis. So I think they like to come out here and see how we are growing stuff, talk to the farmer a little and get good fresh food.”

Torrey wants to develop the relationship between the farm and the community even more so by explaining, “I think it is really important. We started this farm because we wanted to put some roots in this community.”

Having the community showing support by buying into Honey Locust Farm’s CSA program is something Torrey likes.

“It feels good, we like the work we do here. People want to know where their food is coming from, how it is grown, and they can come here and see it,” said Torrey.

For a list of farms that offer CSA options click here.