For more information:

Michael Stoner
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802.457.2889

CSA Forum Introduces Consumers to Farmers Who Sell by Subscription

On Tuesday, 26 February, Woodstock-area residents who are interested 
in joining a farm that offers them produce and other products by 
weekly subscription--a CSA (for Community Supported Agriculture)--can 
participate in the area's first CSA Forum. The Forum will be held in 
the Social Hall of the Unitarian-Universalist Church at 7 Church 
Street in Woodstock, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Attendees can meet local 
farmers who run CSAs; people who are CSA members; learn how a CSA 
functions; find out what products are available; and ask questions 
about CSAs. They will also be able to sign up for a CSA with any of 
the farmers represented at the event.

A CSA is a way for the food-buying public to create a relationship 
with a farm and to receive a weekly basket of produce and/or other 
farm products. By making a financial commitment to a farm, people 
become "members" (some farmers call them "partners," "shareholders," 
or "subscribers") of the CSA. Food raised by a local farm has traveled 
shorter distances and is therefore fresher, more flavorful, and 
healthier. And less energy is used to produce and transport it.

The program on February 26th is designed to introduce farmers and 
people who might be interested in joining a CSA to each other. It will 
begin by a introduction to CSAs by Suzanne Long of Luna Bleu Farm. 
Luna Bleu, in South Royalton, runs one of the oldest CSAs in Vermont. 
Following the introduction, more than half a dozen farmers will 
describe how their particular CSAs work. Several people who have 
belonged to a CSA will talk about their experiences. The farmers and 
CSA members will answer questions about any aspect of belonging to a 
CSA. Please come to learn about CSAs, ask questions, and if you are 
interested, sign up for a CSA share.

The participating farms and farmers include: Tim Sanford & Suzanne 
Long, Luna Bleu Farm, So. Royalton; Jinny Hardy Cleland, Four Springs 
Farm, Royalton; Jennifer Megyesi, Fat Rooster Farm, South Royalton; 
Kevin and Laura Channell, Your Farm, Fairlee; Wendy and Jean Palthey, 
Tunbridge Hill Farm, Tunbridge; Bill & Cathy Emmons, Cloudland Farm, 
Pomfret; and Jim & Suzy Krawczyk, Thymeless Herbs, Woodstock; Sharon 
Blake, Rocky Ridge Farm, Hartland.

The number of CSAs in the United States was estimated at 50 in 1990, 
and has since grown to more than 1000. Based on lists from NOFA-VT and 
the Vermont Department of Agriculture, there are between 60-70 CSAs in 
Vermont.

The CSA Forum is cosponsored by Sustainable Woodstock and the 
Woodstock Area Agricultural Forum. Sustainable Woodstock ([log in to unmask]
  ) is a group of local residents who are seeking ways to make their 
own households--and the community--more sustainable. The Woodstock 
Area Agricultural Forum is a group of farmers and others who are 
working to expand agriculture in the Woodstock area. For information, 
contact Cathy Emmons ([log in to unmask]).

UVM Extension - Cultivating Healthy Communities