CSA Farms and Local Producers

For a list of CSA LOCAL PRODUCERS, click here.

 

How does CSA work?

  • CSA stands for community supported agriculture.
  • Consumers cover the annual operating costs of a farm with a fee paid in the beginning of the year.
  • Farmers provide a supply of fresh seasonal produce, along with eggs, poultry, meat or other foods, weekly or every other week throughout the growing season.
  • Farms distribute boxes of food to pick-up sites conveniently located in neighborhoods around a city.

The Concept of CSA

  • A direct link is established between farmers and consumers of food; the consumer buys directly from the farmer.
  • This economic model supports family farms and local communities.
  • A responsible relationship develops between people and the food they eat, the land on which it is grown, and those who grow it.

What's a typical CSA farm like?

  • The wide variety of regular produce varies with the season and to some extent with each farm. Farms produce only what the season and weather allow.
  • Different CSA farms have different share sizes and different season lengths, which usually correspond to the annual cost to the consumer.
  • Most CSA farms have newsletters that include recipes, food tips and information on the box contents, as well as notice of on-farm events.

More Than Food

By participating in the concept of Community Supported Agriculture, you are helping to shift agriculture toward economically and environmentally sound farming. You are helping the farmer to be successful; you are encouraging the spread of bio-diversity in our food supply and in nature; you are helping to heal the land and the water and to reestablish cultural ties to our food; you are strengthening century-old bonds between the community and the farmer.

The Milwaukee CSA Landscape

The Milwaukee CSA Initiative built a rural and urban network of healthy food and sustainable agricultural practices, bringing farmers and the community closer together. Educational events, such as the CSA Open House held in spring at the Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee, provided such networking.

Milwaukee CSAs and local farmers work closely with Slow Food Wisconsin Southeast (Slow Food WiSE) to help create a healthy, safe and delicious local food supply for Southeastern Wisconsin.

Visit These Websites for Additional Information

Urban Ecology Center
Farm Fresh Atlas
Local Harvest
Robyn Van En Center