Cedar Park & Leander - Community Impact Newspaper

Inside Information | Community Supported Agriculture
By Joseph M. de Leon
Community Supported Agriculture
is a way to buy a “share”
of the harvest directly from
a farmer. Typically, a farmer
offers a number of subscriptions
or memberships to the public.
The shares consist of a box of
vegetables or other farm products
that the members receive
on a regular basis, either at a
designated site or available for
pickup at the farm. Some CSAs
allow the consumer to choose
the assortment of produce and
Farms to doors
The following five groups serve Cedar Park
and Leander, but this is not meant to be a
comprehensive list of area CSAs. For details, visit
www.localharvest.org/csa.
Johnson’s Backyard Garden
Members pick up their shares of seasonal produce
Wednesdays, 3–7 p.m. at 1505 Hunter Ace Way,
Cedar Park.
Farm: Produce comes from two certified organic
farms, one just east of downtown Austin and the
other in Cedar Creek.
Cost: $32 per week (four-week subscription); $30
per week (10-week subscription)
Contact: 386-5273, www.jbgorganic.com
others have standard boxes.
The CSA programs allow a
consumer to form a relationship
with a farm and receive a regular
basket of produce. Members
make a financial commitment
to the farm and pay up front for
season-long produce. Some CSAs
will accept weekly or monthly
payments and a few ask members
to work on the farm during
the growing season.
Jan Vander Tuin, a community
organizer from Switzerland,
is credited with bringing
the CSA concept to the United
States from Europe in 1984,
according to the National Sustainable
Agriculture Information
Service.
Women’s neighborhood groups
throughout Europe who formed
cooperative relationships with
farmers in the 1960s inspired
Vander Tuin to develop the
framework for modern CSAs.
Some of the founding principles
for CSAs include a way to
reconnect urban residents with
farmland, encourage community
Greenling
Although Greenling is not an actual CSA, about
70 percent of its produce comes from local
farms that practice sustainable agriculture. The
online grocery store delivers produce, bread,
dairy products and more to homes from San
Antonio to Leander.
Farm: Produce comes from farms that practice
sustainable agriculture.
Cost: Buy items individually online
Contact: 440-8449, www.greenling.com
Tecolote Farm
The northern-most pick up site is near US 183 and
Capital of Texas Hwy. Farm owners sell at Cedar Park
Farms to Market, 1435 E. Whitestone Blvd., Cedar
Park every Saturday and are considering making
the market a future pick up site if at least 10 people
participate.
Farm: Produce comes from a family farm, originally
certified organic in 1994, located in Manor.
Cost: $30 per week for a half bushel of seven to 12
vegetables
Contact: 276-7008, tecolotefarm@juno.com
pride and provide food security
for disadvantaged groups.
Two types of CSAs have
emerged: one for shareholders,
another for subscribers.
Also known as farmer-driven,
subscription groups make up an
estimated 75 percent of CSAs
in the United States. A farmer
organizes and makes most of
the decisions for the group. Subscribers
generally do not have to
work on the farm.
Shareholder groups—
sometimes called consumer-
Community Impact Newspaper • impactnews.com May 2010 | 41
Hairston Creek Farm
Members agree to pay for a 32-week season of
vegetables and some fruits from April through
November for a share in the harvest that includes
organic produce. Food can be picked up on
Saturdays at Cedar Park Farms to Market, 1435 E.
Whitestone Blvd., Cedar Park.
Farm: Organic produce comes from a family farm
located in Burnet.
Cost: $400 per season (pick up every other week);
$750 per season (pick up weekly); $900 per season
(Share Plus weekly pickup includes eggs, jams and
other farm-made products)
Contact: 512-756-8380, www.hairstoncreekfarm.com
Wild Type Ranch
driven—organize members and
hire a farmer, buy land or lease
acreage to grow produce. A core
group of leaders usually makes
decisions for members.
In 2005, there were 1,144
CSAs in the United States and
45 in Texas, according to a 2005
survey by the United States
Department of Agriculture.
CSAs feed an estimated 270,000
U.S. households during the
growing season each year.
Wild Type Ranch produces pasture-raised Natural Angus
Beef. CSA members can pick up their share in Cedar Park
at Tillman Physical Therapy, 2519 S. Lakeline Blvd., on the
second Monday of the month or at Live Oak Unitarian
Church, 3315 El Salido Parkway, on select Sundays.
Farm: Cattle come from a family ranch located in Milam
County, Texas
Cost: 1/8th Beef on-demand CSA: $200 deposit, $5.70 per
packaged pound (available monthly, members commit to
purchase four months out of a year); Monthly Beef-plus
CSA: $115 deposit; $115/month. Subscribers receive a
monthly pack consisting of approximately 20 pounds of
beef, plus a selection of other locally produced protein
products.
Contact: 826-2218, www.wildtyperanch.com