Make a difference with your food dollar! Take part in community-supported agriculture and fill your basket with local, healthy food.

What is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)?

A CSA is a partnership between farmers and customers. Customers become a member of a CSA by making a payment at the beginning of the growing season. Farmers provide a portion or a ‘share’ of the farm’s produce to each CSA member each week throughout the season.

Through direct sales to members, farmers receive better prices for their crops, receive a guaranteed market for their produce, and gain some market security.

A CSA creates agriculture-supported communities where members receive a wide variety of foods freshly harvested from local farms. CSA farmers are able to produce a wide variety of high quality vegetables on a small scale near your neighborhood.

How does a CSA work?

Members of a CSA farm pay in advance for a season’s share of produce. Member-ship fees vary due to the cost of farming in different areas, but typically run between $500 and $600 per year for a household of four. Members receive a weekly share, usually for 20 to 25 weeks, May through October.

Farmers use member payments to pay for seeds, fertilizer, water, equipment maintenance, labor, etc., at the beginning of the season. Members share not only in the harvest but also in the risk of unfavorable weather or pests.

Members receive the freshest produce available each week from their CSA farm. Members may also get the chance to try produce that might not be found at the grocery store.

What is included in a CSA share?

Most CSA’s provide a diversity of seasonal vegetables for 20-25 weeks. A share might also include fruit, eggs, mushrooms, meat, milk, and/or cheese. CSA’s usually provide two share size options – a full share or a half share.

Questions to ask a CSA farmer:

• What is included in a weekly share?
• How much do the shares cost?
• Should my household get a half or a full share?
• What days/times will the CSA share be available?
• When does the season start? When does it end?
• Will there be drop-off/pick up sites available? Is there any extra charge for this?
• Will recipes/cooking suggestions or a farm newsletter be provided with the share?
• Will extra options be available for meat, eggs, flowers, or herbs? How much do these extras cost?
• What happens if I try being a member and I do not like it?

Clark County CSA Farms

DanDee Farm Naturals

Dan and Nola  McPherson                                                                                                                                           Camas (360) 834-7472                                                                                http://dandeefarmnaturals.farmnotebook.com/welcome

Dee Creek Farm

Summer Steenbarger
Woodland (360) 225-9711
info@deecreekfarm.com

Gee Creek Farm

Lyle Stanley
Ridgefield (360) 887-0463
info@geecreekfarm.com

Hidden Oasis

Davie Maxwell
Vancouver (360) 256-6896
tmaxwell@mail2.cu-portland.edu

Hunter’s Greens

Jim & Diane Hunter
Brush Prairie (360) 256-3788
huntersgreens@juno.com

Purple Rain Vineyard

James Voisin & Luisa DePaiva
Hockinson (360) 256-8658
purplerainvineyard@gmail.com

Red Basket Farm

Kate Rae
Battle Ground (360) 687-7030
bkaterae@comcast.net

Rosemattel’s CSA

Brenda Millar-Stanton
Vancouver (360) 576-9767
otbgsm@yahoo.com

Storytree Farm

Nelson & Anne Lawrence
Vancouver (360) 576-7139
www.StorytreeFarm.com

Acknowledgement

Brochure produced by Carol Miles, Caitlin Blethen and Sunrise O’Mahoney, WSU Vancouver REU and the Vancouver Food Cooperative. Artwork by Mary Ann Filbert, Caitlin Blethen, Carol Miles and Tracy Smith. 2006. For more information or brochures, visit the Co-op website at VancouverFood.org/documents/brochures/