Frequently Asked Questions:
CSA Frequently Asked Questions…
WHAT IS A CSA? Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a model of food production, sales, and distribution aimed at connecting local farmers with local consumers. Becoming a member of a CSA creates a responsible relationship between people and the food they eat, the land on which it is grown and those who grow it.
Members of a CSA pledge their support towards a portion of the farm’s seasonal operating budget by purchasing a share of the season’s yield in the beginning of the season. In return members receive a portion of the farm’s harvest. Members share in the risks of farming, including poor harvests due to unfavorable weather or pests.
WHAT IS A MARKET CSA SHARE? A Market CSA share is designed for you to shop at our Farmers Market stand. Spend you credit every Friday night, or when it is convenient for you. Our market stand is at the Cameron Park Farmers Market in La Crosse. It is open May through October on Friday nights, 4pm to dusk (7:00/8:00).
WHAT IS A CUSTOM CSA SHARE? (NEW THIS YEAR) We are offering a flexible, build your own CSA box. You choose the weeks you want to pick up your box, and you choose the contents of your box.
- HOW DO I PLACE MY CSA CUSTOM ORDER? Every Friday morning we will send an email with a link to our online Google order form. This form will list all of our available produce for the upcoming week. The list will change weekly, in response to our seasonal availability. Sample form: https://goo.gl/forms/qymVyql8T70e4ylQ2
- HOW DO I GET MY PRODUCE? Our produce is picked and immediately delivered to local drop off sites, where members pick up their shares. Choose from locations in Bangor, Black River Falls, Sparta, Onalaska and LaCrosse.
- WHAT IF WE FORGET TO PICK UP OUR BOX? It is your responsibility to remember to pick up your box. Any boxes that are not picked up will be taken back to our farm and stored in our cooler for 24 hours. If you have forgotten your box, you can call and arrange to pick it up. Any boxes not claimed within 24 hours will be donated.
WHY DO WE PAY IN ADVANCE? Paying in advance helps us purchase seed, maintain equipment, and pay for other expenses before the growing season gets underway. Your season-long commitment supports our farm and ensures that all of our produce is specially grown with our members in mind.
CAN I USE MY CREDIT TO BUY A BUSHEL OF TOMATOES FOR CANNING? Our goal is to provide you with a variety of produce. Both of these CSA programs are not designed for single variety bulk purchases. Therefore, you may only spend a maximum of $15 per produce variety per week. For example, you can’t spend a total of $40 all on the same item, like tomatoes. However, you could spend up to $15 on tomatoes every week.
CAN I USE MY CREDIT TO BUY EGGS OR MEAT? Eggs and meat cannot be purchased with your CSA credit. You may, however add an egg or meat order for an additional payment and pick it up at your CSA drop spot.
CAN I USE MY CSA CREDIT TO BUY PLANTS? We grow a wide variety of starter plants for your garden. Edible plants (vegetables, herbs) can be purchased with your CSA credit. We offer an early-bird pricing discount for ordering starter plants. CSA members cannot take advantage of the early-bird discount, since your CSA share is already discounted. CSA members can purchase starter plants at the listed price.
WHAT IF I DON’T USE ALL OF MY CSA CREDIT? You have 6 months to use your credit. We recommend looking at your calendar and roughly budgeting out an amount you plan to spend each month. We will notify you of your ongoing credit balance, so you can plan to spend down your balance by the end of October. You may transfer your credit to another person as long as you notify us of the change. All of your credit must be spent by October 31st, 2018. Refunds will not be made for credit not used by 10/31/18.
WHAT PRODUCE WILL BE AVAILABLE? We are a diversified farm growing over 60 varieties of vegetables, herbs, and fruit. Link to our seasonal availability and prices:
http://oldoakfamilyfarm.com/wp-content/uploads/Produce-by-month_2018.pdf
A few of our produce varieties (ex. Asparagus) may be limited to 1 bunch per member due to the fact that it is a perennial crop, and our quantities are limited.