Pittsford, Vermont - August 2, 2011
"I'm putting out flags so people know where they can come to get their stuff," said Margaret Evans, a CSA farmer.
Evans spent Tuesday afternoon setting up for her customers.
"One thing we really enjoy is knowing the people we grow our food for," she said.
Evans and her boyfriend lease more than 40 acres at their Groundworks Farm in Pittsford. She's 23 and he's 24.
"I do recognize that I'm very young to have my own business and have my own farm," Evans said.
It's their first season, and she's embracing a growing type of farming known as consumer supported agriculture or CSA.
"It makes sense for us financially because we're able to get a better price for our product and there's no middleman," Evans said.
The CSA model allows farmers to distribute directly to their customers. Customers pay a subscription fee up front-- at Groundworks it'll cost you $535 for six months of produce that's picked up on a weekly basis.
"This is a way to make it really price effective for the customer. I think it comes out to about 18 bucks a week," said Heath Myers, a CSA customer.
Myers is in his eighth week of pickup.
"In general it just tastes better. The colors are so much more vibrant on the food," Myers said.
This type of farming is growing in popularity, with Vermont leading the way. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Vermont has the most CSAs per capita. In 2000 Vermont only had 28 CSAs, by 2010 that number grew to nearly 100.
"The whole local food movement has really grown exponentially," Evans said.
So has her business, Evans says they've already made more than enough to make it through the year.
Click here for more information on Vermont CSAs.
Susie Steimle - WCAX News
