MILAN--A growing number of local farms have begun to work in a cooperative effort with local businesses by offering shares of the harvest to the businesses and individuals. Indeed, the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement has taken root in the Hudson Valley and a new CSA, Great Song Farm, is launching this season in Dutchess County, and hosting information sessions in Milan and Rhinebeck.
The Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement began in 1986 based upon an idea created in the late 1970's by Carlo Pietzner and Harmon von Jeetze at a community for handicapped adults in Copake. The idea behind CSA is for consumers to provide up-front funding for the producers of their food in exchange for a certain quantity and quality of the harvest, according to an essay written by Gary Lamb entitled: Community Supported Agriculture: Can it Become the Basis for a new Associative Economy?
According to LocalHarvest.org there are 284 Community Supported Agriculture groups in the state of New York and 20 in Kingston and the surrounding areas. Great Song Farm in Milan is a member of one of these groups. According to Jennifer Carson, one of the owners of Great Song, "a share from the farm would be able to feed a family of four for a week." The vegetables on Great Song Farm are naturally grown, hand-weeded, and contain no chemical pesticides. Investors or "shareholders" in the farm are allowed to collect on their investment every week from June to November.
Great Song Farm is holding an information session on Feb. 6 at 1 p.m. at their farm located at 474-479 Milan Hill Road, Milan, and Feb. 10 at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room at the Starr Library, 69 West Market Street in Rhinebeck. The session will include discussion from Jennifer Carson and Anthony Mecca on their experiences as participants in CSA as well as a video of the farming experience. Carson and Mecca will also be offering shares for upcoming 2011 farming season.
Source: Great Song Farm
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