Enterprise News Story: EARTH DAY 2010

On eve of Earth Day, Brockton area farmers celebrate new consumer trend.
Local farmers get boost from program that sells share of harvest to consumers.
By Amy Littlefield
ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER


The tiny spinach transplants are still covered with a protective cloth, but soon the crops will make a hearty offering for the people enrolled in CSA programs.

Community-supported agriculture programs, or CSAs, have become increasingly popular in recent years. They allow consumers to pay for a share of a farm’s harvest ahead of time and then receive weekly offerings of produce through the summer and fall.

James Reynolds, who runs The Dahlia Farm in Middleboro, said his farm started receiving requests for CSA shares in December.

“Last year, we were just flooded with interest. This year, it’s been even bigger,” said Reynolds.

On the eve of Earth Day, which is celebrated on Thursday, Reynolds attributed that popularity to a growing awareness of the benefits of buying local, healthy food.

“I think it’s more of a paradigm shift in the consumer mind,” said Reynolds. “I think the average American is becoming more aware of exactly the food that we’re eating, the environment that we live in, the global community.”

Last year, Reynolds provided a basket of vegetables, greens, flowers and herbs to CSA customers every week for 20 weeks in return for $500. Reynolds also sells egg shares and half-shares.

Community-supported agriculture programs began in Massachusetts and New Hampshire in 1986, said Katie Cavanagh, Farms Forever coordinator at the Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership. There are now 22 registered CSAs in Southeastern Massachusetts alone, Cavanagh said.

“They’ve grown more in popularity recently as farmers have realized the benefits of selling directly,” said Cavanagh.

She said Massachusetts farmers sell more farm products directly to consumers than farmers in any other state.

“Because we’re primarily small farms, we have that close relationship with the consumer,” Cavanagh said.

CSA programs provide revenue before a harvest, when farmers need it most.In return, customers are offered a chance to meet their farmer and see the source of their food. Some programs even allow CSA members to pick their own produce.

The only downside is that there may one day be more interested consumers than available shares.

“Just within Massachusetts, there’s more of a demand than a supply,” said Reynolds. “There’s only so much land that’s available, in addition to resources, capital and people who are willing to work as farmers in a modern society.”