If you’re already looking ahead to summer, next week is the time to start signing up for CSAs to make sure you can get fresh local produce and other goods delivered.
CSAs–community-supported agriculture–are becoming more and more popular, according to Karin Davey with The Good Acre, an organization that connects farmers with business and other customer opportunities.
Davey said CSA Week is next week, February 20-26. It’s a time to sign up for weekly deliveries during the growing season of fresh local produce (and other goods).
“People are starting to realize that supporting your local farmers really is a good way to help your dollars do the most good,” said Davey.
CSAs grew in popularity during the early stages of the pandemic, with a lot of social distancing and economic uncertainty for customers.
“I think it really showed people that if you’re buying your food local, there’s much shorter supply chain, it’s more nutritious for you, and it’s often a lot cheaper,” she said.
This is the time not only for farmers to plan what they grow and how much, but there’s a financial advantage to having attention drawn to CSAs in mid-February.
“It’s typically a time when a financial boost is a really big help for (farmers), because they’ve been putting in a lot of money getting the season started, (and) they’ve been buying seed,” she said. “When people buy CSAs, they pay up front.”
The Good Acre has information on its website, as does Minnesota Grown.
