What is CSA?

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and is a form of financing that is all about sharing risk and building relationships. It is a season-long partnership between consumer and farmer.  

CSA members pay a lump sum of money at the start of a season. The Farmer takes that money and buys seeds and pays for labor and grows your food. Later in the year, when plants are ready for harvest CSA members receive weekly shares of produce for a predetermined period (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter). This helps finance the farm at the beginning of the season when income is more scarce, and also stabilizes the cost of food for the consumer as CSA prices are locked in at the start of the year.

Most farmers make the bulk of their income in mid-summer and early fall when crops are harvestable. In the winter and early Spring the farm isn’t earning any money and is supported by a dwindling savings that was generated earlier in the season. Many farms choose to take out loans in order to finance the cost of each year’s efforts such as buying seed and repairing machinery. By buying a CSA share you help reduce some of the financial pressures of farming and allow farmers a more livable wage. Thank you for choosing to be a part of a more equitable food system!

What’s This About Sharing Risk?

Each year is unique and comes with a new set of challenges. A farmer can make their best efforts and predictions and still be hit with long heatwaves, frosts, or heavy rainfall, wildfires or even global pandemics can happen fast and catch even the most seasoned farmer off guard. By buying a share and supporting a CSA, you agree to help take on some of the risk of crop loss. (Of course you also may be rewarded with boon harvests and get more veg than you paid for - we also share the rewards of our potential excesses with our members!)   

With this early season investment, farmers have more options to prepare mitigation strategies for some of the above scenarios. It gives them the ability to invest more into their operation and do things like plant a wider variety of crops in case one fails. There by increasing their ability to provide a plentiful, season long, supply of vegetables to those who took the initial risk and supported their farmer.

Understanding CSA Logistics

CSA’s operate on a different business model than traditional grocery stores or direct home delivery grocers and face different logistical hurdles. One of those hurdles is where to host a drop site so that members can easily access their shares in their neighborhood. Homeowner’s and renters are just as willing and eager to lend support in this effort, but there are special challenges to working in residential areas as a commercial business.

CSA Scholarship Fund

We understand that not everyone can afford the cost of a typical CSA membership which is why the team at Good Rain Farm has an annual goal of providing 50% of our shares to families and individuals in need with fully funded CSA scholarships, meaning we provide food at low to no cost to 50% of our member community. We continue to partner with SNAP, Double Up Food Bucks, and non-profits like Native American Youth And Family Center, Growing Gardens, and LULAC among other organizations in the region with the mission of expanding our reach and volume of financially accessible shares each year. 

Thank you to our community of generous donors for helping us do the “impossible” again this year - putting dignity on farm work and freely feeding our community good fresh food!