Community-supported agriculture, commonly referred to as a CSA model, is a system that connects the producer and consumers within the food system more closely by allowing the consumer to subscribe to the harvest of a certain farm or group of farms. It is an alternative, socioeconomic model of agriculture and food distribution that allows the producer and consumer to share the risks of farming. In return for subscribing to a harvest, subscribers receive either a weekly or bi-weekly box of produce or other farm goods. This includes in-season fruits and vegetables and can expand to dried goods, eggs, milk, meat, etc. Typically, farmers try to caress a relationship with it’s subscribers by sending weekly letters of what is happening on the farm, inviting them for harvest, or holding an open-farm event. Some CSAs provide for contributions of labor in lieu of a portion of subscription costs.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
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Rightsizing The Ship: A Farmer’s Tale of Scaling Down
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Adding Value to Farm Products: The Legal Issues
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Cash Flow Basics (For Farmers)
11 minute Free read by Compeer Financial
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Midwestern BioAg and the Business of Biological Farming
45 minutes of Free audio by Edible-Alpha®
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Direct Sales of Farm Food – USDA 2015 Local Food Marketing Practices Survey
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Community Supported Agriculture – New Models for Changing Markets
68 pages of Free report content by USDA
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Are You Ready to Start a CSA?
8 pages of Free report content by University of Tennessee Extension
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Paul Dietmann on Setting Your Farm Up for Financial Success
1 hour & 15 minutes of Free audio by Farmer To Farmer Podcast
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Wisconsin Local Food Marketing Guide
106 pages of Free report content by Wisconsin DATCP
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