The History of the CSA

CSA's are a relatively new concept.  Steming from roots overseas, the CSA model in the US has grown from 2 farms in the late 1980's to about 60 in 1990 to over 1,000 farms in 2000 to over 6,500 now in 2013.   It is clear that CSA's have not where to go but up!

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and is relationship of mutual trust and commitment between farmers and members or shareholders. In return for an annual fee that helps with production costs, members receive a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly share of produce from that farm.

The first CSA was in Japan about 30 years ago. The teikei [partnerships with local farmers through annual subscriptions] was formed by individuals that wanted a better sense of where the food was coming from. By buying into a local farm, they were able to support their local economy and form a relationship based on trust with their farmer.

Austrian philosopher, Rudolf Steiner, developed the concept for the CSA model after World War I and that idea inspired two farms to pioneer the first CSAs.

In 1986, two CSA's emerged in New England, Indian Line Farm in western Massachusetts, and the Temple-Wilton Community Farm in southern New Hampshire.


Left: Robyn Van En (1949-1997), cofounder and original owner of Indian Line Farm in South Egremont, Mass., is widely recognized as one of the true pioneers of the CSA movement.

Susan Witt is the director of the Schumaker Society which "promotes the wisdom and insight of E.F. Schumaker to inspire a new generation who are seeking relevant and practical solutions to heal a world in crisis and build a sane, humane and ecological society". She recalls that, "One of Steiner’s major concepts was the producer-consumer association, where consumer and producer are linked by their mutual interests," she explained. "And one of Schumaker’s major concepts was ‘to develop an economy where you produce locally what is consumed locally.’ We began to see CSA as a way to bring these key ideas together."

The modern CSA model certainly accomplishes Steiner's concept.


Robin Van En (center) and other Indian Line members divide shares following a harvest

Nowadays, CSA do not only apply to produce, many farms have also come to include meat, eggs, and milk into their weekly shares.  This truly makes a family's CSA their primary source of their weekly food sources.

Members of CSA's receive many benefits:

Eat ultra-fresh food, with all the flavor and vitamin benefits

Get exposed to new vegetables and new ways of cooking

Understanding what grows at different times of the year

Develop a relationship with the farmer who grows their food

Learn from the farmer about how their food is grown

Stony Hill Farms CSA Members also receive a 10% discount anytime they shop with us

We as farmers also receive benefits from CSA's

Receive payment early in the season, which helps with the farm's cash flow

Have an opportunity to get to know the people who eat the food they grow

A Message from us at Stony Hill:

We are only in our second year with our CSA program so we are very excited to see what the future has to offer to us and our members.

Thank you to all of our current members who support all 3 Davis Families as well as many others that are part of our Stony Hill Family.

We are truly grateful for all of the opportunities you have given us and how supportive you all have been throughout our first two seasons and we are looking forward to many seasons to come.

-Kaitlyn Yakscoe-Davis & The entire Davis Family

Sources:
http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/features/0104/csa-history/part1.shtml
http://www.localharvest.org/csa/
http://thecalloftheland.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/unraveling-the-csa-number-conundrum/