Good for the Farmer, Good for the Consumer, Good for the Land

2006 Marks 20th Anniversary of Community Supported Agriculture in America

All summer long and into the fall Michiganders have reported sightings of two adventuresome Gen-Xers on road bikes, traveling from farm to farm trailing peacock feathers off a back fender. Along the way they’ve been joined for a bit of their trip by family and friends. At one point, a spontaneous stranger rode along, curious about their tale. But they were never riding alone. Marty Heller and Michelle Ferrarese carried on through almost 1,000 miles with the support of a growing corps of newfound friends and well wishers.

The Michigan couple’s 2006 odyssey began months before they hit the backroads in June to visit, volunteer and learn from local farmers dedicated to Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in our state. They rolled on into the cooler temperatures of October, from Ann Arbor to Petoskey, reaping the insights and expertise of 32 farm families successfully stewarding anywhere from 2 to 200 acres. Most operate on less than 40. All are rich in tradition, innovation and love for the land.

"At each place we visited, we could tell who’d read our website and who hadn’t," chuckles Ferrarese. "Those who knew what we were up to expected us to be experts. Those who didn’t asked if we knew what a weed was."

While neither Heller nor Ferrarese claims to be an expert, both have agricultural experience. Heller grew up on a livestock farm near Ann Arbor. But he didn’t think it was for him. He achieved a Ph.D. in chemical engineering. But didn’t like what he saw happening in the field. Soon he found himself campaigning against genetic engineering in agriculture in India. Returning to the States he joined the Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He also managed a market garden before starting a small CSA. But following a first successful season, he realized it’s simply too much for one person. "What I needed," he nods, "was a partner."

Enter Michelle. Heller and Ferrarese joined forces–and hearts–while he was working with the C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing and she was completing her master’s there in horticulture. Though schooled in botany, ecology and nutrition, Ferrarese’s first fateful encounter with organic farming came just after college. It took only a few visits to the oldest CSA in Michigan for her to fall in love with the concept.

"The farmers I saw there were extraordinarily happy people," she says. "They loved their work. They helped open my eyes to the idea that farming was possible for me."

Interning at an organic farm followed. Soon she helped start a small CSA and was hooked. Despite the hard work, Ferrarese no longer could imagine doing anything else. After two years working a friend’s CSA in Chelsea, Michigan, she accepted an MSU assistantship and job managing the student organic farm.

Together, young people like Heller and Ferrarese are responding to farmers’ urgent need "to get smart kids back on the farm."

Lessons on the Road

"We learned a lot on our trip," reports Heller. "Operating a CSA is a big commitment. It takes confidence to be on top of your game enough to accept member subscriptions upfront in exchange for weekly delivery of quality produce through an extended season."

Though CSAs here, as across the country, vary widely in size, philosophy, social agreements, business strategies and legal structure, all work to contribute to farm preservation, stability and profitability. Currently, about 70 CSAs operate in Michigan. Some are commercial ventures. Others proceed quietly and privately.

Here’s how they generally work.

CSA members pay a lump sum advance for a share of the harvest. Members receive a weekly basket of the freshest quality fruits and vegetables available. Farmers can count on a reliable cash flow and steady market. Excess products sell well in local farmers’ markets or may be sold at wholesale. The community benefits from preservation of open space, barriers to commercial sprawl and environmentally friendly stewardship. Consumers know first-hand the safe origin of their food. All feel better connected with the land and each other.

Vegetables are the most common CSA crops. Fruits are popular too. Additional products can include eggs, flowers, honey, maple syrup, beef, beer and firewood. A land owner, farmer or manager may designate all or a portion of a parcel to a CSA program. Most employ organic practices, though not all are certified. Buyers already know first-hand how healthy the food is. Some even help garden.

Spending three to four nights at each farm on their route, Heller and Ferrarese have gladly helped out with farm tasks in exchange for a place to pitch their tent, an occasional spare room, laundry facilities, shared meals and most of all, the delight of generous conversation. "Inviting us into their homes at the height of season is big," comments Ferrarese. "Whether they farm full- or part-time, it’s time they need to plant, cultivate and get in the harvest." Michigan’s farming season runs from late May through early October.

Ferrarese notes that each visit showed them something they’d never experienced before. Subtle and significant differences exist in how farmers plant seeds, gather in crops, wash and pack produce. "We’ve been inspired to see what’s possible raising animals as well," says Heller. "Almost everyone keeps chickens, and we’ve never seen so many peacocks, proud birds kept more for their beauty than anything else."

These aspiring CSA farmers loved the energy of working side by side with crews, the rush of a farmer’s market and mingling with brilliant gardeners tending the earth. They found four farms self-powered by wind and sun; only one had emergency access to a rural power grid. So they learned how farms make renewable energy reliable.

"We could have stopped and stayed at every stop, we felt so welcome and content to be there," grins Ferrarese.

"If we’d done that, we’d still be in Ann Arbor!" laughs Heller.

Next Steps

Marty and Michelle aim to open their own CSA a few years down the road. Interim steps include locating land to farm, preparing the soil and establishing themselves in an area of educated consumers and a viable farmers market. They will "definitely grow organic" and hope to start with an acre or two.

As the 2006 leg of their odyssey comes to a close, they’re looking for jobs to pay living and start-up expenses. The connections they’ve made on their journey already are proving invaluable. Great Lakes Bioneers early volunteered to host the tour website. And good friends have loaned a bike, repair services, touring equipment and even a video camera to shoot a trip documentary.

The couple will present their story at the Second Biennial CSA Conference November 10-12 in Tustin, Michigan. There they’ll hear keynote speaker and author Steven McFadden reflect on the past 20 years of CSA in America and renewed vision of its possibilities and promise.

Current Issues

CSAs may be found anywhere, in urban, suburban and rural environments. Estimates put the number of CSAs nationwide at 1,500 to 1,700, a number that varies as small innovative farms take root and others fail to survive increasing shortages of secured, affordable land and labor.

CSAs are the David to the Goliaths of voracious real estate development and chemical-based agribusiness, two politically powerful legacies of the second half of the 20th century. While pervasive sprawl gobbles up farmland, industrial agricultural conglomerates churn out less-tasty, less-nutritious, pesticide-dependent products. Both have been made popular by cut-rate prices. Both continue to take a huge toll on America’s healthy tradition of family farms.

"Making the problem worse," says Heller, "small farmers faced with stiff competition tend to undercharge for the amount and quality of produce they provide." He’d like to see more farmers charge realistic prices based on hard-nosed cost analysis. A tough call when markets and costs are in constant flux.

The good news is that CSAs are helping to shape a new/old vision of agriculture where what is grown locally is eaten locally. Getting back, if we will, to our roots. Not surprisingly, it’s a movement resulting from the vision of concerned citizens.

They’re finding answers in new forms of property ownership, such as community land trusts when citizens unite to set aside land for farmers at reasonable cost on a long-term lease. New forms of cooperation and investment by community residents are replacing interest-burdened pledges to banks to cover payroll, equipment and other operating costs. New forms of economy first address the needs of the land and the people involved as well as necessary profitability. Collaboration among family-size CSAs is on the rise.

Dominance of mega-corporations in other industries has given us all a wake-up call. As rural America hangs on by its fingernails, people are recognizing the need to create safe, local and sustainable food sources as integral to homeland security. As the CSA movement matures here, as abroad, it provides something to build on. Observers look for a fresh wave of interest to triple or even quadruple the number of CSAs in the United States.

Young people today like Marty Heller and Michelle Ferrarese feel called to grow healthy food to feed people. Many want to do it on sustainable community farms vital to the necessary renewal of American agriculture. It’s our job to make sure they can afford to secure and work good land to feed our children well.

For more information on the bike tour visit glbconference.org/csatour2006. It includes links to The Robyn Van En Center, a national resource center for CSAs, and Steven McFadden’s history of CSAs in America published in Rodale’s New Farm magazine. For information on the November 10-12 Biennial Conference call 231-889-3216 or see csafarms.org.

Locate a nearby CSA farm or farmer’s market by zip code at LocalHarvest.org.

Identify hands-on learning opportunities in organic gardening at attrainternships.ncat.org.

Source: Originally published in Natural Awakenings West Michigan November 2006 Natural Foods issue.