CSU CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Information for Members

2009 Deadline for Applications has Been Extended!

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF OTHER LOCAL CSAs

		Crops, hand grown, lively Sustaining earth and people, Abundance: heartfelt -Greg Dickinson, 2005 CSA Member -

What is the CSU CSA?

In 2005, the Specialty Crops Program at Colorado State University initiated a campus CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). The CSU CSA provides people who become members a wide variety of local organic produce. The farm is tended by CSU students who are passionate about organic agriculture and who want to share their bounty with the local community. The advantages of signing up for the CSA are many. The consumer gets the freshest possible produce from a local farm; the opportunity to contribute to a sustainable, local economy; and a direct relationship with the people who grow their food. In the simplest of terms, a CSA offers consumers a "subscription" for weekly delivered produce during the growing season.

The Farm:

The Rocky Mountain Small Organic Farm Project was initiated in 2004 and includes 8 acres of certified organic land at the Horticulture Field Research Center near Fort Collins, Colorado. The project involves the establishment of an applied organic research and demonstration facility for the Intermountain region. We address special challenges faced by organic growers through the use of vegetable, flower, and small fruit variety trials.

We also study new techniques for fertility, pest and disease management, and the development of enterprise budgets catered specifically for small farmers. The project also provides unique field experience for students of the University looking to perfect their skills before they take on a farm of their own. This project is managed by the Specialty Crops Program in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture.

How does the CSU CSA work?

		At the beginning of the season, people who are interested in receiving tasty, local, organic produce, purchase a "share" of the farm's harvest for the season. Each share feeds a family of four. Individuals are encouraged to sign up with others for a share if you would like a smaller quantity. The FULL share price for the 16+/- weeks of produce is $480. Due to demand, this year we are also offering HALF shares for $250. This should be enough for two people. If you are interested, we also have separate fruit and flower shares (see below), which are $75 each.

The Risk

Buying a membership for the CSU CSA means that you are making the decision to not only contribute to the student farmers to help them offer locally grown food, but also that you are making a commitment for the season. Because nature is unpredictable, by purchasing a membership, you are showing your commitment to the long term viability of the food producer. Farmers grow a wide variety of produce to minimize the risks innately involved with growing food. Due to these risks, there is no guarantee on the exact amount of produce you will receive.

Receiving Your Share

		Weekly shares will be brought from the farm to CSU's Plant Environmental Research Center (PERC) located at 630 W. Lake St. on Thursday afternoons and will be available for pick up from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Shares will be available beginning around July 1st and will continue into October.

What Veggies to Expect?

Below are examples of a typical full share you would receive at four different times during the season (half shares will be about 1/2 this amount). Exact amounts of produce will of course depend on the weather and other factors but you can roughly expect the amounts below.

Example of an early-mid season (June) share:

¼ lb. arugula, 1 lb. salad greens, one bunch chard/kale, 1 lb. spinach, 1 bunch radishes, one bunch mixed herbs, 1/2 lb of peas

Example of a mid-season (late July) share:

¼ lb. basil, 1 bunch beets, a bunch chard, 2 cucumbers, 2 eggplant, 1 bunch of cilantro, 1 bunch of parsley, 2 heads of lettuce, 4 onions, 1 lb. spinach, 2 lbs. tomatoes, 1 head of broccoli

Example of a peak harvest (early September) box:

¼ lb. basil, 1 bunch beets, 2 heads of broccoli, 1 head of cabbage, one bunch of carrots, 4 cucumbers, 3 eggplant, 1 lb. green beans, one bunch of parsley, one bunch of kale, 2 melons, 2 onions, 3 bell peppers, 6 hot peppers, one bunch of radishes, 1 lb. salad greens, 3 summer squash, 8 ears of sweet corn, 4 lbs. tomatoes

Example of a late season (October) box:

one bunch of beets, one bunch of carrots, one head of broccoli, one head of cauliflower, one bunch chard/kale, 1 lb. spinach, 3 leeks, 2 lbs. potatoes, one bunch of culinary herbs, 2 garlic bulbs, 2 jack-o-lantern pumpkins, 3 winter squash

Note: For those interested in purchasing large quantities of tomatoes for example for canning, etc. we will offer larger boxes for purchase of some produce. More information will be available about this as the season progresses.

Optional Fruit and Flower Shares

Communication with Members

We inform our members about the vegetables in their share, recipes, events at the farm, intern profiles, and other interesting farming tid bits in a weekly newsletter distributed with each share. Click here to see past newsletters. We also communicate primarily by e-mail during the season regarding special orders, pick-up reminders, and other correspondence. Unfortunately we do not have working memberships as a traditional CSA would, wherein members would come to the farm and participate in the growing and harvesting process. This is due to the research nature of our field plots. We do however host CSA Field Days (click on this link for photos from previous field days) where members and their families can see the crops growing or pick their own pumpkins.

Comments from Past CSA Members 

• "There is a good connection with food, growers, and the community of people who participated in it."
• "We'd rather 100% of our money go to farmers than to the grocery store."
• "Pick-up felt like Christmas!"
• "It's important for my child to see food doesn't come from the grocery store, but from people who labor to provide something that is high quality and delicious"

Becoming a Member - Sign up Sheet

2009 Deadline for Applications has been Extended!

We encourage you to spread the word about CSAs to your friends and family. We are fortunate to have many great CSAs in the area. Please click here for more information about other area CSAs that you can support and be involved in. If you are a grower interested in starting a CSA, please see our "CSA Information for Growers" web page.