Andrew Stevens
This morning I sat down at the table for breakfast like usual and opened up my family’s copy of the “Strib” (the Minneapolis Star Tribune – one of two major Twin Cities newspapers). I was reading a front-page story about the Minnesota ethanol industry when my Mom remarked: “Did you see this article about CSAs?” She passed over the Variety section and I saw a huge article (two full pages with color photographs) on the front and back pages. The article was about the emergence of CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farms in Minnesota and their development from a fringe movement to a more widespread phenomenon. You can read the article for yourself here.
The article gave a great overview of the CSA movement and the current condition of CSAs in the state. As I was reading, I was surprised to see a quote from Linda Halley, the farm manager of Gardens of Eagan. I am working at Gardens of Eagan this summer, and spend most of my data-collection time sharing a trailer office with Linda, so seeing her name in the article was a pleasant little surprise! Gardens of Eagan doesn’t have a traditional CSA program, but offers an option for people who want more variety and choice than a traditional CSA provides. At the two farmers markets where Gardens of Eagan sells its produce, customers can buy a “CSA card” for $50 that lets them buy $55 worth of food at the farmers market. This is a pretty new idea, and many people seem to like the flexibility it provides.
While Gardens of Eagan sells food at two farmers markets, the vast majority of its produce gets sold wholesale. On the other hand, Open Hands Farm (the other farm at which I am working) relies largely on their CSA for income. They too have a slightly unusual CSA program. Rather than pre-packing CSA boxes of produce to deliver to their customers, members come to the farm to pick up their produce. Furthermore, the produce doesn’t get packed into boxes by the farmers, but set out on tables almost like a farmers market. When members arrive, they are told how much of each food they are allowed to take and are given a little bit of flexibility in their choices. (For example, last week members could choose to take any three of the following four foods: radishes, turnips, scallions, and kohlrabi. That was in addition to the other veggies made available.)
One of the things I will be looking at in my data collection this summer is how the set-up of a CSA can impact the energy efficiency of a farm. Is it more efficient to have members drive to the farm to pick up their food, or for farmers to bring food to a drop-off point somewhere off-site? Also, I am interested to see how successful Gardens of Eagan’s CSA card program will be over the summer. It is an exciting time in the world of CSAs – especially in Minnesota as evidenced by the Star Tribune article.
As a last word this week, I want to mention an important partner in the Feeding the City research project this year: the Bon Appétit Management Company Foundation (BAMCO Foundation). The BAMCO Foundation is providing critical support to the project both in terms of financial support for the research and communication and coordination support for the participating farms. A special shout-out goes to Helene Kennan for all her help and support.
This week I am continuing the data collection and farm production work that is so important on these farms. We have had a difficult week with regards to the weather: continual rain and wet soils are making certain tasks impossible and giving weeds a perfect opportunity to gain a foothold. If any of you have any influence on the weather, send sunny skies our way! I look forward to updating you all soon.