Local foodshed in uncertain times

Theres no avoiding the topic - Covid-19 is looming large in our daily lives as events, classes, travel, and work are disrupted as we try to reduce the rapid spread of the virus. I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about the virus. Between being in an election cycle and the 24 hour news updates about the virus, we all are getting more information good or bad than we probably need.

When I (Elisabeth) first began my journey to back to farming, it was kicked off in my Agroecology class where we were tasked with a paper on our local food-shed. Could our county’s farms & other resources feed those that lived there? Ever the optimist I argued that we could support ourselves. That the resources of the county and state in a pinch could feed us if we rethought how we get our food.

The biggest way we could feed the population locally I saw was CSA programs. The no nonsense direct to consumer distribution of produce, meat, eggs, fruit, etc seemed such a simple way to ensure that local farms sold locally and consumers ate locally. Additionally farmers markets, urban farms, and individuals victory gardens would act to fill gaps. Living in a place with rich farmland meant we had a potential abundance if we could figure out how to get it into the hands of the community.

Of course now as a seasoned CSA farmer I know that I may have been a little bit of an idealist in my 20’s when I wrote that paper. The local food movement isn’t aways simple and there is still a lot of work to do. It doesn’t always support farms the way we want it to. But, it still doesn’t change the core message of a local positive foodshed giving us independence from the ups and downs of the larger markets and trends.

Another way to look at it is sphere of influence. I can’t change the fact that we’re dealing with a pandemic or politics that alienate neighbors. But I can make personal decisions that are positive for myself and my immediate community. More people eating directly from farmers, or less people going out to reduce virus transmission make big impacts on our community. It also means a healthier population.

Now almost 10 years since writing that paper, I do still see the CSA model as an important way of feeding our local community and providing stability. It’s not just a business model or gimmick. Small businesses are the back bone of our communities and our goals are simple. Grow local, eat local, buy local, create a sustainable business that can support our family.

We’ve always taken food safety seriously. We’ve take pride in providing safe food to our members even when the nation is dealing with massive food recalls. Because we are a small farm and business the accountability is directly with us. The training and experience we have means that we are always looking at better ways to do things. So if we need to adjust we will. Thats the nature of farming at its core.

In a time of “social distancing” we are still have an opportunities to still be involved in our community. Being part of a CSA is an easy step. You support your farmers who already grow for your community. While giving yourself the stability of knowing that for the season you have secured 20 weeks of fresh produce.

Thanks for reading,

Elisabeth & Steven