12/15/11 CSA Workshop & Panel at the Watauga County Agricultural Conference Center

12/15/11 CSA Workshop & Panel at the Watauga County Agricultural Conference Center

By now, most of you reading this know what a CSA is; a Community Supported Agriculture system usually involves some up-front payment by a buyer followed by multiple (often weekly) deliveries from the grower. But there are many varieties on this theme; what really works for local farms and consumers alike? Join NC Cooperative Extension, the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP), and a panel of successful local CSA farmers on Thursday, December 15, 2011 to learn more about the basics (in the morning session) and detailed logistics (in the afternoon) of successfully running a CSA.

What - CSA Workshop - Basics, Marketing, Planning, and Recordkeeping

When - December 15th

Where - Watauga Country Extension conference room

Time (both sessions with lunch panel) - 9:30am – 3:00pm

Agenda

- 9:30am - 11:30am: Area Extension Agent Richard Boylan on CSA 101, aka “What to think about before starting a CSA”

- 11:30am – 1:00pm - lunch with panel discussion by local CSA farmers

- 1:00pm – 3:00pm - Peter Marks of ASAP on marketing, planning, management, and recordkeeping for a successful CSA

Cost - $5 for either morning or afternoon session only

- $15 for whole day including lunch

The Lunch-time Panel members include a diverse range of CSA Farm examples, including:

Creeksong Farm - (Jeff Thomas) – A diversified Vegetable & Meat CSA has become a viable expanded market for one of the longest-running organic farms in the region;

High Country CSA – An effort to expand opportunities for new and small farms in the High Country region, HCCSA coordinates offerings from a multi-farm network to offer a wide diversity of foods year-round via internet ordering ;

North Fork Farm - ( Jimmy and Sheila Greene) – This remarkably successful CSA was part of North Fork Farm’s first direct-marketing efforts for their own pasture-raised beef, plus pork and chicken from neighbor-farms;

Shady Grove Gardens & Nursery - ( Susan Wright) – Shady Grove has brought the CSA concept to cut flowers in an innovative twist on this marketing system;

Goldfinch Gardens - (Ben McMann) – An example of a single-farm successfully using an internet/email ordering system.

Registration will be available through ASAP beginning Tuesday, 11/29, and a link will be placed at the Watauga County Extension blog by then. Meanwhile, inquiries and/or pre-registrations can be directed to richard_boylan@ncsu or by calling the Watauga County Extension Center at 828-264-3061, or e-mail Hollis Wild at hollis@asapconnections.org