DES MOINES — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey encourages Iowans to consider joining a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program that will give them access to fresh, locally grown produce throughout the growing season.
“CSAs are a great opportunity to partner with a farmer and share in the harvest of fresh, nutritious, locally grown fruits and vegetables,” Northey said. “I know fresh Iowa grown produce may be far from mind during the cold days of winter, but it is a great time to sign-up for a CSA as it gives the farmer more time to plan for the growing season and ensure a good variety of produce for subscribers.”
Through CSAs, farmers sell a certain number of subscriptions, or shares, and then provide a portion of their harvest to those members, typically on a weekly basis, throughout the growing season. This allows the customers to share in the farming risk as they may receive an abundance of produce during good growing years, but less when there are difficult growing conditions.
CSA members typically receive a box or bag of fresh produce, but some farms may offer other products such as eggs, honey, baked goods, meat, herbs, or flowers. Most CSAs arrange convenient delivery sites for weekly pickup. In addition, many farmers will invite customers to visit the farm to learn more about their operation. Some also offer discounts to members who work on the farm during the growing season.
Iowa has seen significant growth in the number of CSAs, growing from 50 in 2006 to more than 80 in 2016.
Contact information including website links for CSAs throughout Iowa can be found at https://store.extension.
— Iowa Department of Agriculture
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