Embarras Valley Farm & CSA
Jan. 15th, 2012 02:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithWe went to a coffeehouse gather today and I saw a flyer for Embarras Valley Farm & CSA. In addition to the main website you can read their farm blog or read their entry on Local Harvest. The farm has a Charleston, IL address so this is an ideal option for people in Coles County. They also sell produce at the Charleston Farmer's Market on the Square on Wednesday mornings during the growing season.
Community Supported Agriculture is crowdfunding for farmers and food shoppers. You buy a share during the winter, the farmer buys seeds and grows crops, then you get a package of seasonal produce every week. You share the risks and the rewards of farming; you get to know who produces your food; and it's fresher, better food than the supermarket offers. This CSA has a 20-week season beginning in mid-May. They are open for memberships now. (Most CSAs sell memberships in winter and will be fully booked by spring.) Embarras Valley Farm & CSA uses organic and heritage seeds, not genetically modified organisms and it looks like they favor open-pollinated over hybrid varieties. Organic farming methods protect the soil and environment, and produce healthier, tastier crops.
CSA food is a good value if you have several people to feed, especially if they like different things. Vegan and vegetarian folks, go nuts. It's great if you have more time than money, because you're getting raw ingredients with which to cook what you want. You can dry, can, or freeze some things for use later so they can just be heated quickly -- I do this in summer, shopping the farmer's market to make huge batches of spaghetti sauce divided into cartons that then take 5 minutes to defrost when I want to make spaghetti. (Some CSAs have a 'stock up' option where they will plant varieties intended to produce mountains of the same thing all at once.) This is also fun if you want to experiment with new flavors or if you've made a resolution to eat more healthy foods. It's not so great for people who have a narrower taste range and/or prefer quick-fix box meals. If you're feeding only 1-2 people there's likely to be too much produce to keep up with, although some CSAs offer half-shares (most full shares are intended for 4 people). But you can always go splits with a friend.
If you are looking for a CSA in this area, check out the websites mentioned above. Elsewhere, I recommend the search function at Local Harvest to find a CSA or farmer's market near you. If you don't like the corporate food supply, you have alternatives. Plus this helps put America back to work, because farming requires skilled hands. Use your folding vote where it will do some good!
Do you belong to a CSA in your area? If so, please feel free to share information about it, in case anyone else in the audience wants to check them out.
Community Supported Agriculture is crowdfunding for farmers and food shoppers. You buy a share during the winter, the farmer buys seeds and grows crops, then you get a package of seasonal produce every week. You share the risks and the rewards of farming; you get to know who produces your food; and it's fresher, better food than the supermarket offers. This CSA has a 20-week season beginning in mid-May. They are open for memberships now. (Most CSAs sell memberships in winter and will be fully booked by spring.) Embarras Valley Farm & CSA uses organic and heritage seeds, not genetically modified organisms and it looks like they favor open-pollinated over hybrid varieties. Organic farming methods protect the soil and environment, and produce healthier, tastier crops.
CSA food is a good value if you have several people to feed, especially if they like different things. Vegan and vegetarian folks, go nuts. It's great if you have more time than money, because you're getting raw ingredients with which to cook what you want. You can dry, can, or freeze some things for use later so they can just be heated quickly -- I do this in summer, shopping the farmer's market to make huge batches of spaghetti sauce divided into cartons that then take 5 minutes to defrost when I want to make spaghetti. (Some CSAs have a 'stock up' option where they will plant varieties intended to produce mountains of the same thing all at once.) This is also fun if you want to experiment with new flavors or if you've made a resolution to eat more healthy foods. It's not so great for people who have a narrower taste range and/or prefer quick-fix box meals. If you're feeding only 1-2 people there's likely to be too much produce to keep up with, although some CSAs offer half-shares (most full shares are intended for 4 people). But you can always go splits with a friend.
If you are looking for a CSA in this area, check out the websites mentioned above. Elsewhere, I recommend the search function at Local Harvest to find a CSA or farmer's market near you. If you don't like the corporate food supply, you have alternatives. Plus this helps put America back to work, because farming requires skilled hands. Use your folding vote where it will do some good!
Do you belong to a CSA in your area? If so, please feel free to share information about it, in case anyone else in the audience wants to check them out.
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(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-16 06:17 am (UTC)What this means is that while the subscribers will certainly share in the dearth of produce of a bad year... in a good year the farmers have to choose, every time, whether to give their subscribers that extra zucchini OR to sell it at the farmer's market and pocket some extra cash.
In my experience with a number of CSAs, they usually choose to stiff their subscribers and sell for the extra cash.
This means that they will do their best to provide the bare minimum of veg that will not have a large percentage of their subscribers leaving, and sell all the rest. I remember many years when we got NO basil, though when we went to pick beans we walked by several rows of thriving basil hedges, for example; they were selling the basil to chefs (despite the fact that we'd paid for the seeds, and in my case, actually planted the seeds myself).
I'm sure there are some that are more ethical. However, do note that there's a BIG cash incentive for stiffing the subscribers and selling the fruits of their investment elsewhere.
New ones are usually better than established ones, mostly because new ones haven't gotten the booths at markets or the sales to chefs yet. In one we participated in- one week they announced with enthusiasm that they';d gotten a booth at a farmers' market! and the very next week, the amount of veg we got dropped by over 50%; it was clearly more cost-effective for them to sell it than to give it to us, because they already had our money, after all. -This was the most obvious example of the problem, but it's been true in every veg CSA we've ever participated in.
We do subscribe. But I am significantly less happy with the veg ones- which supposedly but do not actually share any seasonal bounty- than I am with the ones that give us 2 pounds of fish fillets, or 10 pounds of meat, or 6 bottles of wine, etc; these have a clear description and DO provide what they promise; the uncertain nature of the veg ones allows more room for the farmers to finesse the system.,
Thoughts
Date: 2012-01-16 06:34 am (UTC)Some possible ways to combat this flaw ...
* Check the contract. Some stipulate that shares must be fulfilled before anything can be sold elsewhere, and there may be a pound range or other parameters specified. It IS possible to estimate what a certain amount of planting should produce -- they have to do that, in order to know how much to plant for how many members. If you feel that your CSA is cheating you, talk with other members and lobby to improve the contract; most CSAs can't afford to lose a bunch of disgruntled customers all at once.
* Clear accounting of produce and its disposition. Some CSAs issue a weekly statement of "We harvested X pounds of vegetables, packed Y pounds into member shares, and took Z pounds of surplus at the farmer's market." They may even break it down by type of vegetable so folks can tell what is in season when (valuable for planning next year's menus). This is helpful because it not only lets you know that shares are being fulfilled honestly, it's also a good gauge of how well the crop estimates matched actual production, so you can tell which varieties produce well enough to be voted back in next year's planting.
* If the farmers want to be pretty sure of having something for the farmer's market, that's fine -- but they should have a separate section of crops especially for that purpose, where they use only their own money and labor, not anything from members.
* Some CSAs donate surplus to a food bank or other charity instead of selling it. Some keep ALL the produce for members, and have a call list of people who stock up, in case there's a glut of something. What do you do with two bushels of basil? Make pesto! Truckload of tomatoes? Canning party!
Shop thoughtfully. A CSA often gives good food and good value, but some of them will still play fast and loose. Trends and practices may vary from one place to another too.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2012-01-17 04:37 am (UTC)Our veg CSA does not have either a contract nor an accounting. However, it does have a Facebook page... so J and I are planning to post the weights of each week's stuff AND post what that would cost from a local grocer.
I also plan to point out the lack of a contract or an accounting, on a semi-regular basis.
It is very clear to me- who has done planting- that the farmers' market stuff is NOT separate from the CSA stuff, which pretty much means we fund and also do a lot of work for the farm (7 hours per share is required... though it does not seem that people who do not do that are penalized...), yet all the advantages go to the for-profit venues like the markets and/or the chefs.
In theory, excess veg goes to a food bank. I have no proof that this is the case.
I'll mention that the work-share arrangements mean that the people who do that are making the equivalent of about 33% of minimum wage for their efforts. This does not strike me as being in tune with economic justice.
I'm really conflict-averse... but it does seem to me that it's about time I should start calling out on this shit. Thank you for the encouragement... especially the details about contracts and accounting; it will be nice to have that info handy to post.
I LOVE the idea of CSAs! I just hate that some of them are such rip-off artists, and count on people NOT calling them on that.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2012-01-17 04:59 am (UTC)I also plan to point out the lack of a contract or an accounting, on a semi-regular basis.<<
Go for it! Are you friends with any other CSA members? Encourage them to post their weights/price comparisons also.
Maybe explore some contracts or agreements used by other CSAs so you can look for good and bad clauses. A fair contract should protect both farmers and members, and have a way of discouraging any previously noted problems.
>>It is very clear to me- who has done planting- that the farmers' market stuff is NOT separate from the CSA stuff, which pretty much means we fund and also do a lot of work for the farm (7 hours per share is required... though it does not seem that people who do not do that are penalized...), yet all the advantages go to the for-profit venues like the markets and/or the chefs.<<
You might want to check the legality, because having people work for something they don't get any benefit from is shady at best and disallowed some places.
Also, figure 7 hours x your local minimum wage, add that to the monetary price of the member share, and THEN compare whether the CSA package still out-competes the grocery store.
For comparison, some CSAs do reduced or waived fees for members who volunteer worktrade. Full-paying members don't have to work the farm.
>>I'm really conflict-averse... but it does seem to me that it's about time I should start calling out on this shit.<<
So take an oblique approach, don't pick a fight with it. Do research on other CSAs and try to identify the best procedures and those that are associated with failure. Then you can say, "The most successful CSAs do X, Y, and Z. I bet we could improve ours if we did too." Or you wait for the staff to complain about something, then suggest a way of fixing it. Like if they lose a bunch of members, you might say, "People don't always know what value they are getting for their shares. Maybe if the harvest poundage and share weights were posted, and compared to supermarket prices, people would know they're getting a good deal and would stay. And that would make it easier to see how we're doing at providing good value, improving harvests, lowering prices, etc."
>> Thank you for the encouragement... especially the details about contracts and accounting; it will be nice to have that info handy to post.<<
You're welcome! Now is probably an ideal time to research this stuff. CSAs look for new members in winter, so they're more likely to have their prices, share sizes, requirements, contracts, etc. visible online now. Collect and save as many as you can. Compare them. Look for high and low points. (I did this with writer's guidelines before drafting my first set as an editor. It's amazing how patterns just leap out at you.)
>>I LOVE the idea of CSAs! I just hate that some of them are such rip-off artists, and count on people NOT calling them on that.<<
It's really sad when people take a great idea and wreck it. It sounds like you have a lot of experience with different CSAs. You might consider writing an article about how they succeed or fail, some common flaws that develop and how to avoid those. Then submit it to a magazine like Communities or Mother Earth News. I think people would be interested.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2012-01-17 05:34 am (UTC)At present- we don't really know any other of the CSA members as friends. I do think that posting "hauls" will be helpful, though.
I am planning on looking at other CSA contracts/agreements over the next few weeks, and post that on the FB page... especially with the clauses. I would very much love to reduce the wiggle room John has now, with our payments meaning that if it's a bad year, we get5 skunked, while if it's a good year, we get barely adequate and he gets a lot of extra to sell- which is how it is now. So us faithful subscribers get all the risks, but none of the benefits. NOT good.
A CSA share here requires 7 hours of labor. Supposedly if a share does not provide this, they're billed an additional $300... except that as far as i can see, they don't DO that. Which means that those of us who do the work are being suckers. If they actually charged the wankers, then it'd be wo0rthwhile to do the required... but they don't, so it's a waste of time, cynically speaking.
This CSA has "work-shares", where people do work in exchange for veg... but I've run the numbers, and these shares mean the people are getting around a third of minimum wage for their work. NOT economic justice!
And- this all is not atypical. I think far too many people go "Ooo! CSA!" and fail to analyze what's actually going on... and that lets assholes like John be exploitative with no calling on it.
The best CSA we've participated in was great... but it was also about a 45 min drive, which made sense at the time due to family issues, but would not be reasonable for us now.
I am intrigued at the idea of writing an article for Mother Earth New (to which we subscribe), etc on CSAs! Thanks for the encouragement! I really do think it's a fabulous idea... but I have also sen some serious exploitation going on, and would love to have that discus ed.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2012-01-17 05:45 am (UTC)Maybe look for ways to connect? On planting/working days, or at an open house, or even through Facebook.
>>A CSA share here requires 7 hours of labor. Supposedly if a share does not provide this, they're billed an additional $300... <<
That breaks down to $42.86 per hour. Consider sharing that information. Also, add that $300 to the cost of a share, since it's the official CSA valuation of those 7 hours of labor, instead of 7 x local minimum wage. Then refigure comparisons of the share price vs. grocery price. That will probably fuck the cost benefit completely.
>>This CSA has "work-shares", where people do work in exchange for veg... but I've run the numbers, and these shares mean the people are getting around a third of minimum wage for their work. NOT economic justice!<<
Contrast that to $42.86 per hour as mentioned above. Should wake people right up. It's not legitimate to use one value for people's time in one circumstance, and another elsewhere. There should be one rate for what a member's time is worth working on the farm. It's not necessarily shady to charge people extra if they're supposed to volunteer and don't -- but the hourly rate must be valid and consistent.
>>And- this all is not atypical. I think far too many people go "Ooo! CSA!" and fail to analyze what's actually going on... and that lets assholes like John be exploitative with no calling on it.<<
If you don't pay attention, people will screw you over. America trains for that. Sad but true. So it's important to teach people to think about what they're doing.
>>I am intrigued at the idea of writing an article for Mother Earth New (to which we subscribe), etc on CSAs! Thanks for the encouragement! I really do think it's a fabulous idea... but I have also sen some serious exploitation going on, and would love to have that discus ed.<<
Yay! Examining the benefits and flaws of something can make for a very strong article, especially if you have sources or personal experiences you can point to. MEN is also big on articles that talk about how to improve things or fix problems. I'd say check their submission guidelines.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2012-01-17 10:27 pm (UTC)As far as the $300... I am pretty sure that even though that's what supposedly is charged if one does not complete the 7 hours/share of what i call "slave labor"... I am also pretty damn sure that John does NOT, in fact, charge people that when they don't. I resent the hell out of this, because it makes me feel like when I put the time in, I'm being played for a fool. And gods know there is no way in HELL I'd contribute extra time under these circs! no matter how much whingeing goes on begging for such. I mean, if they DID charge the extra $300, think how much time they could afford to HIRE people for! even at a fair wage!
(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-16 03:00 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-17 04:38 am (UTC)Well...
Date: 2012-01-17 05:17 am (UTC)Look for other patterns. What things do some CSAs do that attract people? What do some do that drive members away? What are the feedback loops that cascade into failure once they begin? That's all really useful information for anyone wanting to start a CSA or join one!
Re: Well...
Date: 2012-01-17 05:36 am (UTC)I am really encouraged by your feedback here, and am starting to work on an article that I'll probably send to Mother Earth news.
The whole issue pisses me off, because it SHOULD be SO FABULOUS, and yet there are wankers spoiling it for everyone. GRRR!
Re: Well...
Date: 2012-01-17 05:50 am (UTC)Yay! I love to inspire and encourage people. I have fulfilled my vocation for the day. And this isn't an article I could write myself; your broad experience with CSAs is what will make it effective.
>>The whole issue pisses me off, because it SHOULD be SO FABULOUS, and yet there are wankers spoiling it for everyone. GRRR!<<
I agree! It's like when organic farmers do a megafarm and spray the dickens out of everything with organic pesticides and herbicides. They're taking the 'face' of an alternative business but running it like a conventional business. That is made of FAIL. So we need to identify what the successful versions are, and the unsuccessful versions, such that people can learn to recognize which is which.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-16 02:58 pm (UTC)My family has been a member of Roxbury Farm CSA http://www.roxburyfarm.com/ for many years. They are located in Columbia County, NY and serve NYC and Westchester County as well. Together with fruit and vegetable shares, they offer meat shares of chicken and pork from the farm as well as lamb and beef in partnership with other nearby farms.
Yes...
Date: 2012-01-16 10:02 pm (UTC)Re: Yes...
Date: 2012-01-17 04:44 am (UTC)We declined. If we are doing all the work, and spending all the money... why the HELL should we be giving away the results??? So we set our hives up in our yard rather then the CSA farm.
The farmer was actually rather shocked that we would not want to do it under those conditions. --Not that HE was willing to work for free, or actually PAY to do the work, as he was requesting from us...
Re: Yes...
Date: 2012-01-17 04:47 am (UTC)Re: Yes...
Date: 2012-01-17 05:01 am (UTC)I REALLY appreciate your comments here. J and I plan to use them as a base for requesting more accountability from him via the Facebook page, AND providing a weekly analysis of the approximate worth of the "share" we get, based on local groceries.
One tricky element is that he likes to provide a lot of arugula and/or "mixed greens" which are arguably really expensive... except that they are trivial to grow and we don't much value them, plus he tends to provide them when they are over-grown. We plan to discuss this on Facebook.
Re: Yes...
Date: 2012-01-17 05:14 am (UTC)Those are generally shady business practices, alas.
>>I REALLY appreciate your comments here. J and I plan to use them as a base for requesting more accountability from him via the Facebook page, AND providing a weekly analysis of the approximate worth of the "share" we get, based on local groceries.<<
Please keep me posted! I believe in food empowerment. People deserve to have a good relationship with their farmers ... though it may take a few tries to find a trustworthy one.
This is why some CSAs begin with a group of 20 or so people who HIRE a farmer to grow what they want. He doesn't do a good job? Fire him and hire a different farmer. If your area has had a rash of lousy CSAs over a number of years, you could probably rustle up a sizable group of disgruntled people to band together for a hiring-style CSA. You just figure out what kinds of things you want and what it will reasonably cost to produce them, then find somebody to grow them.
>>One tricky element is that he likes to provide a lot of arugula and/or "mixed greens" which are arguably really expensive... except that they are trivial to grow and we don't much value them, plus he tends to provide them when they are over-grown. We plan to discuss this on Facebook.<<
If your farmer is not polling people, do it for him. FB holds some tools for asking questions and tallying answers. So does LJ. Use them. Some popular CSA questions:
* What are your most favorite things from your share?
* What are your least favorite things?
* What is not offered that you would like to have?
* What is usually left over at the end of the week?
* What usually runs out before the end of the week?
* How satisfied are you with the quality of the food in your share?
* What, if any, flaws have you noticed?
* How satisfied are you with the value of the food in your share?
* Has CSA membership improved your eating habits?
* What recipes do you use for the fresh foods in your share?
Re: Yes...
Date: 2012-01-17 04:53 am (UTC)We did have a bad experience with another meat CSA, where we were buying 10 lbs/month, and they consistently shorted us at least 0.5 pounds/month (Stillman Farms in MA). We squawked when they shorted us 2.5 pounds... and they did make that up mostly... but the whole regular shorting really bothered me.
Chestnut Farms (our meat CSA) does NOT short, and is also really good about adapting the shares to what one wants. This is why we are loyal to them, and I recommend them highly. The meat is really fabulous, too! it's the best lamb I've ever had, for example. The ground meat and sausage is really low-fat, which makes it great for recipes; no need to drain! They also have eggs as an option most months, and they are great eggs.
Re: Yes...
Date: 2012-01-17 05:05 am (UTC)That's stealing. If you're supposed to get X amount and someone shorts you, it's illegal. By all means give them a chance to fix it once, but if that keeps happening, either a) quit, b) insist they weigh everything in front of you before you accept it, or c) report them to your local Chamber of Commerce or other relevant authority.
>>Chestnut Farms (our meat CSA) does NOT short, and is also really good about adapting the shares to what one wants. <<
A smart CSA will poll members at least once a year to determine what people want to eat, and will grow food accordingly. Some memberships might be really into canning beans and peas, but want only enough sweet corn to eat fresh. Some might prefer modern hybrids while others want the funny-looking, awesome-tasting heirloom varieties. You also have to ask what people actually ate and what was given away or just spoiled. That helps figure how much to grow next time. What you do with the food matters too because you need, say, different tomatoes for canning or juicing or slicing onto salads. If there is milk, do you want lakes of low-fat Holstein or ponds of sweet creamy Jersey? That sort of thing.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-24 12:06 am (UTC)Well...
Date: 2012-01-24 01:17 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-24 12:15 am (UTC)Well...
Date: 2012-01-24 01:27 am (UTC)