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P� S�� July 2002 A monthly newsletter promoting awareness, understanding and practice of sustainable agriculture North Carolina Cooperative Extension Chatham County Center North Carolina Cooperative Extension College of Agriculture and Life Sciences 45 South Street Post Office Box 279 Pittsboro, NC 27312 Telephone: 919.542.8202 Fax: 919.542.8246 %;\ *•�4�11RRIp��'�- 0}��T, Y,•.. "r "' s` ' ))��I[['• t ,� 'i *•Rt��fese rx:a =�� 4V 1q_ Inside This Issue July CSA Workshop ...................1 Upcoming Workshops ................ 2 NCA &TSU Field Day ................ 2 Intern Demos at CEFS ........ ......... 2 Calendar of Events ...................... 3 I hope you find this newsletter helpful and informative. If you have ideas or suggestions for fu- ture issues, call or stop by the of- fice. I always welcome your feed- back! Debbie Roos Agricultural Extension Agent 919 -542 -8202 debbie_roos @ncsu.edu July Enhancing Sustainability Workshop: Marketing Through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) According to ATTRA's Lane Greer, CSA is quickly becoming a direct marketing al- ternative for small -scale growers. The CSA movement began in Europe and Japan over 30 years ago. The first CSAs in the U.S. were created in the mid -1980s in New England. Today there are over 1000 CSAs in the U.S. and Canada. In a CSA system, a farmer grows food for a group of shareholders who pledge to buy a portion of the farm's crop for that season. This arrangement gives growers up -front cash to finance their operation. Besides receiving a weekly box or bag of fresh, high - quality produce, shareholders also know that they are directly supporting a local farm. CSAs also allow shareholders tore- establish a connection with the land that many people feel they have lost. The Chatham County Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service will offer a marketing workshop as part of its Enhancing Sustainability Series on Monday, July 15, from 7:00 -9:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the Agricultural Building in Pittsboro. "Marketing Through Community Supported Agriculture" will be presented by me and UNC- Greensboro Professor Dr. Susan Andreatta. A panel of local farmers who operate CSAs —Elise Margoles from Elysian Fields Farm, Fred Mifler from Hilltop Farm, and Steve Moize from Shady Grove Farm —will describe their operations and answer questions. Presenters will discuss the history and philoso- phy of the CSA movement, present strategies for designing and establishing a CSA and recruiting and retaining members, discuss the pros and cons of CSAs, and share information on resources. I am personally very excited about this workshop (even though it doesn't involve BUGS!) because of my very positive experience as a core group member of a success- ful CSA in north Florida in the late 1990s. I was actually a bit surprised upon moving to North Carolina in 1999 that I could count the number of CSAs in the area on one hand, but I attributed this dearth to the fact that we were blessed with viable farmers' markets in the area. However, I have seen interest in CSAs grow over the past couple of years, and enough people have asked me about it that I figured it warranted a work- shop. CSA is not for everyone. But whether you are a consumer or a farmer looking for alternatives, consider attending this workshop to see if CSA is right for you. The cost of the workshop is $10.00 to cover materials. The deadline for registration is July 12. Email or call me at 919 -542 -8202 for more information.. Enrploynrent and program opportunities are offered to all people regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.