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Growing up, community supported agriculture meant I had to work in the garden everyday and I did, and it was big, there were two….. and I didn’t like it. But I did it anyway and I’ve developed a different perspective on growing my own food and enjoy the fruit and vegetable industry as farmer and market owner today. It’s a lot of work and it’s very rewarding.  It’s fun being in a spot where opportunities for growth are limitless both figuratively and literally.  Our central Michigan CSA program was actually started in my 3rd year of operating the farm market located in Clare Michigan just of northbound U.S. 27 and it makes a lot of sense in more ways than one.

Our CSA Farm in Mid Michigan

Our CSA program is supplied from food grown on our farm just east of Clare about 3 miles from our farm market.  It is a family farm and for years was a cow/calf beef farm.  At the peak we had about 30 cows and raise their calves that were later sold as feeder steers (400 lbs.).  While our family has always raised our own vegetables, fruit, honey, maple syrup, beef, pork and poulty I’m the first in the family to offer it to others as a service.  Our central Michgan CSA program is an extention of the same philosophy I grew up with here at the farm only on a larger scale.  In order to make our program one of the best CSA’s in Michigan we’ve decided to also provide fresh picked fruits from local orchards and berry patches and also include honey, maple syrup and fresh flowers which we produce on our farm.

My Dad has since sold the beef cattle except for a few for butchering and that has left over 60 acres of pasture available on the 120 acre farm that lays along the Tobacco River in Sheridan Township.  I’ve relied on two Amish communities to grow most of the vegetables and fruits I offer at the market for the last 4 years and will continue to supply the market with that food because it is the highest quality of food I’ve found in terms of taste, cleanliness, and availability.  Two years ago I did an experiment on an acre of pasture land here at the farm to see how crops would grow.  I planted a little of everything and was pleased with the results.  Growing here on the farm allows me to grow some of the old varieties also know as home grown varieties.  Heirloom tomatoes are one example that I can grow here but am hard pressed to haul them any distance unless I hold them in my lap.  They don’t ship well and there are many other great tasting varieties of other vegetables that don’t ship well either, I can grow them here for the CSA and I’m excited about that.

Growing vegetables requires water, lots of water, so I looked for ways to minimize the quanity of water need to grow good food.  We have three farm pond that total about 4 acres and they have nutrient rich water that we’ve used to irrigate our gardens for over 20 years.  We pump the water into a 1,000 tank and haul it up to the produce field to water.  I installed mulch and gravity fed drip lines beneath it to water the plants, this greatly conserves water, deisel fuel, and time.  Another benifit of water at the ground level is that the plants aren’t constantly wet which promotes disease like fungal blights and other problems.

What is a CSA?

In case your wondering CSA stands for “community supported agriculture” and is a term typically used to describe an agreement between a grower or growers and consumers. Essentially you subscribe, buy in, or express interest in a CSA and this entitles you to pre-agreed amounts of produce.  Many time the CSA will offer shares and half shares.  These shares cost a set amount of money and are typically paid early in the growing season.   The cost varies on what is offered and the lenght of the season.  Some CSA’s offer specialty shares which can include things like flowers, honey, meats and eggs while some include these things in their normal share price.   Most  successful michgan CSA’s I’ve seen design the full share to feed a family of four, and a 1/2 share obviously is more in line for two people.

Our CSA Program Details

Well, that’s a little about our CSA farm here in Mid Michgan, now I’ll share some of the details of the CSA program and how you can become a member of our CSA program.  You don’t have to be a member of our CSA to get fresh locally grown produce, we still offer it at the Market, but members will be able to get different items that we don’t offer at our open air farm market.  Things like lettuce, greens, rasberries, and even radishes have a shelf life of about 4 hours so we don’t offer them at the market as we don’t refridgerate our produce.  Many of the items at the market are picked the same day you buy/eat them unlike most grocery stores, but we are limited to things that can hold up without refridgeration.

Are you interested in participating in a C.S.A?  You can get the program details by filling our the form here on the website. It should be on the right.  You can also call me directly if you would like to discuss it more or have questions.  My contact number is 989-284-8251 you can also leave a comment below if you have feedback or want to ask a question that way.

Community supported agriculture programs have gained more interest over the past few years and they are becoming a popular way to get the freshest produce direct from the farmer and plus it help farmers.   Many CSA’s offer multiple drop off points making it more conveinient for customers to pick up their food.  These drop off points can include farm markets, the CSA farm, or even delivery.  For now we are requesting people pick up their shares at the farm market or the farm.  I do intend to provide additional drop off points as the need arises.

Central Michiga CSA or Vegetable Co-Op Program

I’ve noticed older customers talk about vegetable co-ops and from what I understand they are very similar to the CSA model.  Our program has a 22 week goal based on past years this is realistic.  We start with greens and asparagus in May and then move into strawberries and other early vegetables like summer squash, green beans, early potatoes during June.  We end the season with winter squash (over 10 varieties) along with potatoes, onions, garlic and apples.  Our share price is set at $485 right now and that is for a full share of fruits and vegetables which feed a family of 4-5 (about a bushel of produce) for 22 weeks.  That works out to $22.00 a week and there is a good chance you’ll see the program last longer.  1/2 Shares are also available for $265.00 and you’ll find that will be enough food to feed 2-3  family members or friends.  Some of the areas we expect to serve are listed below though you are invited to become a member regardless of the town you live in.  Just fill out the form and I will get in touch to discuss the details.  You will also get our weekly CSA newsletter which will arrive each week of the CSA.  It will contain recipes from us and from other members along with tips and quirky info about food.

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