Community Supported Agriculture
COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a partnership of mutual commitment between a farm and a community of supporters, providing a direct link between the production and consumption of food. CSA members make a commitment to support the farm throughout the season, assume the costs, risks and bounty of growing food along with the farmer. In return, the farm provides a healthy supply of fresh produce throughout the season. This mutually supportive relationship between local farmers and community members creates an economically stable farm operation in which members are assured the highest quality produce.
The roots of the CSA model reach back 30 years to Japan where a group of women initiated a direct growing and purchasing relationship between their community and local farms. They were concerned with an increase of food imports and a corresponding decrease in farming population. This concept spread and today there are several thousand CSA's in the United States alone, with each farm or cooperative adjusting the model to meet the needs of their community. Now in the seventh year of our CSA program, Whipstone Farm is providing food for the community and fostering the direct connection between the farmer and the consumer, making lasting friendships in the process.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Community members can sign up for shares in the fall (or if space is available, up until the beginning of the CSA season). This gives the farmers time to plan and plant accordingly. In return for the investment, CSA members received fresh, natural, and locally grown produce once a week from the beginning of May through the end of October. A Whipstone Farm CSA member can expect to receive weekly a supply of the highest quality produce and flowers grown on the farm. Pickups are located in Downtown Prescott on Tuesdays 4-6 pm or at the farm on Wednesdays.
Weekly shares reflect the growing season, amounts and variety of produce vary as the season progresses, but our goal is to give as much produce as we feel an average family or enthusiastic individual will eat, with an average of 7-10 different vegetable varieties per week. While you don’t get to pick and choose what produce or quantities you will receive, you are provided with substantial quantity and variety and you receive the “cream of the crop” including special items that never make it to the farmers market.
We are always open to suggestion of how to adjust the shares to meet your needs. The first weeks of the season hold the greatest risk due to cold weather and weekly deliveries may be lighter. However, you will be well compensated during the height of the growing season with great bounty and variety. We will send out weekly emails in advance of pick-up, informing you of what you will be receiving that week along with farm updates. We provide recipes to help you learn about your newly discovered vegetables, as well. We welcome visitors anytime to help with work or just to enjoy the farm; we want our members to feel this is their farm. And don’t forget the annual Whipstone Farm barn bash at the end of the season – an event not to be missed!
ABOUT WHIPSTONE FARM
WHIPSTONE FARM was founded in 1995 and currently produces a wide variety of high quality vegetables, herbs and cut flowers. Farmers Cory and Shanti Rade work hard to keep the vegetables coming all season and constantly strive to bring the community together by growing our food. We often have international volunteers, college students and other workers helping us at the farm. We sell produce at the Prescott and Flagstaff Farmers Markets, to local restaurants and stores, and the Prescott College CSA. Whipstone Farm is a “Certified
Naturally Grown” farm. Using the term ‘organic’ requires certification under USDA regulations. This certification is expensive for a small farm. Therefore, the term ‘organic’ is not used to describe the farm’s growing method, but you can be assured that all farming and processing practices are free from synthetic fertilizers and pesticides while ensuring that the land is being treated responsibly for the health of the environment and our community. We welcome visitors to come and check out how we are growing your food.
CSA SHARES: Availability, Quantity, Cost
Available shares for the 2009 season are limited to 60. The cost of a share is $500 for the season (or approximately $20 a week over an estimated 26 weeks). We estimate the quantity to be suitable for a family of 2-4 people. Anyone is welcome to split a share as needed, but the responsibility of finding a partner and dividing up the produce will be yours. We will have an exchange basket for people to switch unwanted items and extra vegetables can be purchased in addition to your share if availability allows.
For more information contact Cory or Shanti Rade at:
21640 N. Juniper Ridge Road, Paulden, Arizona, 86334
phone: