CSA Farms to Showcase Their Fare 
Dennis Hartley of LittleTree Orchards in Newfield explains how a fruit CSA works to visitors
This summer season will bring reprieve from the snow with the help of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), fresh veggies, fruits and meats at low prices while benefiting local farmers and business.
In anticipation of the coming harvests, a CSA fair hosted by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County will take place on Sunday, March 21, so that anyone interested in joining can obtain information on local farms.
The event goes from noon to 3 pm and will be held in the Boynton Middle School Cafeteria, located at 1601 N. Cayuga St. in Ithaca. Representatives from 14 farms serving Cayuga, Cortland, Seneca, Schuyler, Tioga and Tompkins counties will be available to talk to and answer questions.
“It can be a little daunting to pick a CSA farm. If you do it by phone, you may talk to a few farmers, and then think of a new question talking to the 4th farmer that you didn’t ask the other three,” says Debbie Teeter, Community Agriculture Awareness Educator. “At the fair you don’t have that problem. You can talk to people, sit down and look through the information you’ve gathered and go back and ask questions.”
Parents are encouraged to bring their children, as there will be activities for kids and an opportunity to learn.
“Be aware, know who grows your food and where it comes from,” Teeter advises. “It’s great if you have children and you want to teach them about where food comes from, that it’s not just from a grocery store in the back.”
The basic premise of Community Supported Agriculture is that consumers, also called sharers or shareholders, agree to buy a share of that farm, Teeter explains. The consumer makes a significant payment up front — sometimes payments in full, but usually partial payments. This gives farmers the funds, or capital, they need to buy seed or equipment.
A farmer who only grows for CSA purposes will calculate how much they harvest and sell shares based upon percentages sold to restaurants and in venues such as the Farmers Market, and then to shareholders.
For owners Heather Sandford and Brad Marshall, their meat CSA The Piggery faces restrictions outside of the typical rules. In conjunction with the Commercial Kitchen License, state regulations do not allow them to sell their meat to restaurants or for wholesale, such as at GreenStar.
Sandford explains that meat CSA is a unique and rare find in the US; according to her research, there are only 10 to 20 meat CSA farms in the country. “From a community stand point, it’s amazing. It’s a great benefit to the customer and the farmer,” she says.
Despite popular misconceptions, Teeter believes CSA farms are the way to go. “People used to say the risk is bad weather because you get less food. But you need really bad weather in order for that to happen, and still there are crops that love extreme weather. You might get less of your favorite, which is the risk you take, but the price can’t be beat,” she says.
“You get an abundance of food; it may not be what you would pick if you went to the Farmers Markets and selected it yourself. Shareholders look at spending about $15 to $20 every week on a bag of produce that is sometimes overflowing, which you would never even touch for that price at the Farmer’s Market.”
Two meat CSAs will be at the fair, High Point Farms, LLC and The Piggery of Trumansburg. Also in attendance will be Sacred Seed based in Cortland, Ithaca Organics from Dryden, Humble Hill in Spencer, Early Morning Organic Farm in Genoa, Silver Queen, Sweetland Farm, and Full Plate Farm Collective; all located in Trumansburg. Muddy Fingers Farm of Hector and Red Tail in Jacksonville, as well as Cayuga Pure Organics, Kestrel Perch Berries and Littletree Orchards will be there.
