With community-supported agriculture (CSA), consumers buy a share of a farmer's crops before the growing season begins and receive fresh vegetables every week during summer and fall.
"It's beneficial to the farmer, as well as the consumer," says Jeff Williams, who promotes CSA programs as coordinator of Great Salt Lake Resource Conservation and Development Council. "[Farmers] get their money up front and that reduces . . some of the uncertainty that goes into farming."
Last year, about 550 people participated in Utah's CSA programs. This year, farmers expect to sell nearly 860 shares. The number of farms participating in CSA has grown from one in 1997 to six in 2005.
Community-supported agriculture is lauded as a way to help family farmers stay in business and protect farmland from development. Farmers are guaranteed retail prices for their crops, and consumers usually pay less than they would for the same quality produce, such as heirloom tomatoes, in a specialty grocery store.
"Because I'm so small I need to get top dollar," says Aaron Blanchard, owner of a year-old CSA program, The Dirt Farmer. "It's too hard to grow things here in Utah to deal with a wholesaler."
In a globalized economy, community-supported agriculture allows consumers to make a local connection with what they eat. On average, food purchased in the United States travels between 1,500 and 2,500 miles to reach the dinner table, according to the Worldwatch Institute, an environmental and social policy research group based in Washington, D.C.
CSA participants know less fossil fuel has been consumed to transport their produce, and they have a say in how their food is produced. Although only two of the CSA farms in Utah have organic certification, all of them use organic methods, such as avoiding chemical pesticides or fertilizers.
Christi Paulson, a Salt Lake City teacher, is starting her third season as a member of East Farms. She enjoys receiving fresh, healthful and diverse vegetables each week and interacting with the person who grows her food. She takes her two children to tomato and pumpkin picking field days at the farm, and they have been excited to learn about how food grows.
"They learn how to eat healthy at a young age," Paulson says. "Most kids these days don't know that food comes from a farm."
In Utah, CSA members pay $325 to $450 for a share, which feeds four people, or $170 to $250 for a half-share. Farmers deliver produce weekly to designated drop-off points, such as a member's home, throughout the growing season, which varies by farmer from 20 to 30 weeks. Sign-up deadlines are usually in April or May.
rwinters@sltrib.com
Open houses
Speak with Utah farmers about their community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs, which allow members to pay an upfront fee for a weekly allotment of vegetables throughout the growing season.
Today: Salt Lake City, Main Library, 210 E. 400 South, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday: Ogden, Weber County Library, 2464 Jefferson Ave., 6:30 p.m.
Information: Jeff Williams, Great Salt Lake RC&D coordinator, 801-263-3204 ext. 104
Community-supported agriculture farms in northern Utah
Borski Organic Farms, Kaysville, 801-941-9620, http://www.borskifarms.org; drop-off points in Salt Lake City and Kaysville.
Ranui Gardens, Hoytsville, 435-783-5908, http://www.ranui.com; drop-off points in Park City, Coalville, Kamas and Oakley.
Sun River Farm, Elwood, 435-787-1182 or 435-757-7507, sunriverfarm@yahoo.com; drop-off points in Salt Lake City and Logan.
East Farms, West Bountiful, 801-298-5669; drop-off points in Ogden, Salt Lake City, Murray, Bountiful, North Davis and Draper.
The Dirt Farmer, Sandy, http://www.slcdirtfarmer.com; drop-off points in Sugar House, Sandy and West Valley.
Bohemian Farms, Spring Lake, 801-598-4473, bohemianfarms@comcast.net; drop-off point in Salt Lake City.
