Morning Sentinel
Consumers' investments help farmers produce a return benefiting both
BY MORNING SENTINEL STAFF Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel 05/05/2008

BY MORNING SENTINEL STAFF

Billi Barker, who has a 25-acre market farm in St. Albans, faces her greatest need for money in the spring.

That's when she needs fuel for the tractor to till the soil, equipment to be readied, improvements made, irrigation systems repaired and seeds and soil amendments purchased.

"We don't see much coming into the farm until June and with costs for everything from fuel to plastic drip lines doubling, it is hard," she said.

At Barker's Fire Fly Farm on Dexter Road, she grows heirloom and hybrid seasonal vegetables, has a commercial kitchen where she bakes and cooks, and she is a regular at the weekly Skowhegan Farmers Market.

Saving the day for a growing number of small farmers like Barker is a program called Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, that invites food consumers to invest in their local growers in return for produce.

"It is nice to see some agricultural money coming in early in the season. It helps get everything going," Barker said.

The idea behind CSA is that a community of individuals, known as shareholders, pledge in advance to cover the anticipated costs of the farm operation. In return, they receive shares in the farm's bounty throughout the growing season.

By direct sales to community members who have provided the farmer with working capital in advance, growers gain some financial security and are relieved of much of the burden of marketing. The concept was introduced in the United States in the mid-1980s and originated in the 1960s in Switzerland and Japan. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates there are more than 400 CSA farms nationwide.

In Maine, there are over 100 CSA farms and more than 4,000 shares, according to the Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association.

Melissa Pillsbury, MOFGA's organic marketing coordinator, said each farm that sells shares sets their system up differently. Traditionally, a farm offers a "share" of the coming season's harvest for a set price that is paid before the season begins.

"This gives the farmer some capital at a time of the year when typically a farm has to take out loans to pay for seasonal startup costs," she said.

Usually, members pick up a prepackaged weekly box of produce at the farm or farmers market. Some farms offer pre-paid credit to spend at the farm stand and others offer a weekly selection. Many farms also offer tours, have work days, send out newsletters and have pot-lucks and parties.

"Local farms have an incredibly important role to play in food security, and every community that has a farm producing and selling food is very fortunate," Pillsbury said. "To keep that resource available, we need to do everything we can to make sure that resource doesn't go away."

Over the last decade, there has been a proliferation of farmers' markets nationwide. The numbers have increased more than 7 percent in 2006 alone and more than doubled in the last 10 years, according to MOFGA.

At the Turkey Farm on Route 27 in New Sharon, owner Bob Neal has been offering CSA shares since 1990 and has about 70 active members this year. He said people have serious concern over the quality of their food.

"They like coming to farmers markets because they can talk to the person who produced it," he said. Neal said CSA shares are critical to his operation because he needs thousands of dollars at the start of the season when expenses are high but cash flow is low.

"We have a line of credit with our bank for feed but CSAs mean we can embark on necessary capital projects without having to borrow right away," he said.

Neal, whose flock will number about 3,600 birds this year, plans to use the CSA revenue to help projects that include a walk-in cooler, a workshop, and new range.

CSA also provides a less tangible benefit, he said.

"There is the emotional benefit, knowing you have people's confidence, knowing there are that many people who are actively supporting what we are doing," he said.

At Long Meadow Farm in West Gardiner, owners Michele Roy and Denis Thoet operate a "low-tech" farm without fossil fuels. Their CSA plan offers members fresh, organic produce once a week from June through October.

"CSA helps us plan. We budget on a yearly basis and this lets us take a longer view," Thoet said. Thoet said the increasing number of people requesting CSA shares and the rising number of farms offering them is encouraging.

"This is a good time to get into farming in Maine and a good time for people to look into CSAs," he said.

For a complete listing of CSA farms in Maine, go to www.mofga.org.

Betty Jespersen -- 778-6991

bjespersen@centralmaine.com

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