Page 47 - Hillview_book

We LOVE our CSA!
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) exemplifies the farm-to-table concept. CSAs connect local farmers with local consumers by providing fresh produce on a weekly basis. Consumers pay for a share of the crops
before planting season and every week the shareholders receive fresh food boxes from the local farms based on what is harvested. Shareholders or members usu- ally pick up their boxes from a drop-site or from the farm itself.
Nine CSAs operate within the greater La Crosse area, including Small Family Farm, situated on 21 acres in La Farge. This CSA is run by young farmers who believe in consumers knowing the farmers who produce their food. Harvesting 100 varieties of vegetables, this certified organic farm supports about 100 mem- bers from the area.
CSAs have grown in other ways. Some area CSAs are also members of the FairShare CSA Coalition, headquartered in Madison, which started in 1992 and has grown to nearly 50 farms and 9,500 shares. These farms provide fresh pro- duce to about 25,000 people each year.
For a list of local CSAs, please go to the directory on page 58.
HillviewUAC.org
PHOTO: Jim Klausia
AS YOUNG, FIRST-GENERATION FARMERS, we hope to pre- serve some of the knowledge that is going to die along with our veteran farmers and farms. We hope to learn and then practice local wisdom from our neighboring farm community that is endangered by the ever-sprawling cities and subdivided country- side. We recognize the need for farmers who are truly in love with farming and small family farm life and who wish to be responsible stewards of the land as much as they wish to be responsible stewards to their community.
Jillian & Adam Varney, Small Family CSA Farm Great food from people you know. smallfamilycsa.com
45