Shawn Linehan Green Adventures #14 - The Time's Right for Supporting Local Agriculture

With spring just around the corner, I find myself looking forward to farm fresh food. Many communities have farmer's markets that sell some of the freshest, healthiest produce from local farms. Another way to get great, fresh food that's in season is through Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs).

With a typical CSA, consumers pre-pay an amount (say $400) at the beginning of the growing season that will cover the cost of weekly baskets of goodies throughout the season. In this way, the CSA farmers are provided the capital they will need to invest in the farm, while the consumers are assured of fresh veggies, picked at their peak, for their household each week. (Some CSAs also offer eggs, milk, cheese, and meat.) Consumers can also benefit knowing they are supporting local small businesses, and many experience a deep sense of community when they are able to visit the farm and know the people growing their food.

Of course, individual CSAs differ from one another, and choosing one that best meets your needs is key to ensuring a satisfying experience. LocalHarvest.org has a good article on choosing the right CSA. Many communities hold a weekend farm tour each year, which is also a great time to check out local CSAs. Food co-ops and health food stores often have information about the farm tours.

A few seasons ago, I photographed a Portland area CSA, Diggin' Roots Farm, owned by husband and wife team Conner Voss and Sarah Brown. They are currently searching for a bigger piece of land, so you can't buy into their CSA at the moment. However, I thought it would be good to revisit their story because it illustrates some issues happening in the wider small farm community.

Small farms like Diggin' Roots often face a big problem getting their food into stores. Infrastructure in the United States currently favors the shipping and handling of mass quantities of food for distribution to big grocery store chains. There is little opportunity for small farmers to get their produce onto the shelves of your local big chain store. Because big stores need a lot of produce, it's understandably challenging for them to deal with a bunch of independent small farms. Even though the problem is complex, I feel it's something we ought to be able to figure out. This article in The New York Times describes Walmart's plans to invest in infrastructure that will enable them to offer more local food from small to medium-sized farms. Walmart's influence could be a big step in helping small farms sustain themselves.

Why should big chains be interested in offering food from small, local farms? Having local suppliers usually means less fuel is wasted in shipping over great distances, which in turn reduces costs (as well as pollution). Shorter trips from the farm to the shelves also means food is fresher. Many small farms are organic, and there is rising consumer demand for food with fewer, potentially unhealthy chemicals. Likewise, there has been growing concern about foodborne illnesses, and contamination is better contained and losses mitigated when food doesn't all come from the same place.

Another problem facing many small farms is the looming retirement of their current owners. According to the USDA, the average age of a farmer in the United States is 57. If kids decide to move off to the big city, it's not always easy to find someone to take over the farm. Organizations like American Farmland Trust and Friends of Family Farmers are working to help match retiring farmers with novice farmers. It's been very gratifying for me to see and document the renewed interest from younger people like Sarah and Conner. Hopefully, with their continued effort, our food supply can remain safe, nutritious and delicious for years to come.

New Picture Book! Some of my best photos to date are included in a new book called Photos from the Farm. It follows the seasons while incorporating beautiful images of the farms – and the farm animals – I visited over the past two years, making it an excellent teaching tool for kids. Take a gander and get a copy at the Blurb website.