Cutting Out the Middlemen, Shoppers Buy Slices of Farms

[XemaSab]

In an environmentally conscious tweak on the typical way of getting food to the table, growing numbers of people are skipping out on grocery stores and even farmers markets and instead going right to the source by buying shares of farms.

On one of the farms, here about 35 miles west of Chicago, Steve Trisko was weeding beets the other day and cutting back a shade tree so baby tomatoes could get sunlight. Mr. Trisko is a retired computer consultant who owns shares in the four-acre Erehwon Farm.

“We decided that it’s in our interest to have a small farm succeed, and have them be able to have a sustainable farm producing good food,” Mr. Trisko said.

Part of a loose but growing network mostly mobilized on the Internet, Erehwon is participating in what is known as community-supported agriculture. About 150 people have bought shares in Erehwon — in essence, hiring personal farmers and turning the old notion of sharecropping on its head.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/10/us/10farms.html?ref=us

[coffeenap]

1. Thank you so much for this--I am here in Illinois

and I am going to help them reach their next share holder goal by trying to become one. What a great idea-everyone wins: the farmers, the customers, the economy, the environment. Yay!

[kestrel91316]

2. CSAs - they are going to be the lifeblood of many communities

some day. Heck, they are already are, some places.

My sister and BIL in WI belong to a CSA and have for several years. They LOVE it, and put ALL the veggies to good use. A bumper crop of green beans became the most delicious pickled green beans I have ever had, and I got a jar to bring home at Christmas.

They also have hooked up with local farmers for their grass-fed beef and chicken and eggs.

Sadly, CSAs are not available in Lost Angeles (at least in my area). But we have great farmers' markets.

[DinahMoeHum]

3. Great website (Local Harvest) for finding CSA's and farmers markets. . .

in your area:

www.localharvest.org

:9 :9

[OKIsItJustMe]

4. Indeed! A few years ago, a co-worker brought in an announcement from an acquaintance

Essentially, it was a chance to subscribe for fruits & vegetables. $X/month got you regular deliveries.

She even took special requests (before the growing season obviously.)

[Nihil]

5. Off to the greatest page - with good news for a change!

I liked this quote from the article:
> "Like everything organic, it’s not a bargain, but what price do you
> put on being healthy? Considering all things, it’s actually a very
> good deal."

:applause:

[eridani]

6. I disagree--I think it's a bargain, even in a financial sense

Organic food has all its costs included; food from industrial products does not.

[Nihil]

7. I think it's a good trade-off (one I take a lot of the time) ...

... but that's because I'm thinking about a wider picture than
most shoppers. I'm also fortunate enough that I've been able to
work up to this gradually (i.e., increasing the ratio of organic
to other over time) so the price impact has been incremental
rather than a big step. When I was made redundant (again) a few
years ago, we looked at ways to trim our outgoings and made a
joint decision that going back to "bargain" food would be a last
resort as our family would have a much better chance if they
could still eat & drink healthily - even while wearing more layers
indoors to allow us to save on heating bills.

You are quite correct that it is a bargain when you consider the
overall effect of the product (rather than just the price on the
label for the goods below it) but we are a *long* way from getting
people to think in those terms: most are worried enough about getting
*any* food on their table never mind the "full system costs" involved
so I really think it is largely an academic argument for now.

YMMV :hi:

[eridani]

8. Maybe we could help agribusiness interalize some of those costs

--by slapping some taxes on them? Or even just ending the breaks.

[trof]

9. Our daughter belongs to one near Boston.

K&R