Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

February 15, 2007 issue

From Japan to the High Country: Community-Supported Agriculture Making Headway

Story by Celeste von Mangan

The concept and model for community-supported agriculture (CSA) was conceived by a group of Japanese women concerned about increased prices of food imports and a decrease in the farming population. Their idea was to initiate a direct growing and purchasing relationship between their group and the local farms. The CSAs birthed from their vision were called “tiekel,” a Japanese word that translates to “putting the farmer’s face to food.” The tiekel concept made its way to Europe and the United States where the folks at Indian Line Farm in Massachusetts came up with the name community-supported agriculture in 1985. In 1990, there were 50 CSAs in this country; there are now 1,500 CSA farms across America and Canada.

This unique model of local agriculture has taken root in both Ashe and Watauga counties. CSAs offer an alternative to the conventional system of food distribution. Food travels an average of 1,300 miles between farm and table, passing through a variety of processors, wholesalers and distributors along the way. In a CSA, farmers receive 100 percent of the food dollar.

Local CSAs

Ann Rose of Rose Mountain Farm in Lansing and Nancy Hoffman of Foxfire Hollar Sheep Farm offer produce and meat through their CSA shareholder program. Yellow Wolf Farm in Todd is now accepting applications for CSA, and in Watauga County, Maverick Farms launched a CSA program in 2005. Moretz Mountain Orchard has offered a subscription program for apples for several years.

“Rose Mountain Farm and Foxfire Hollar Sheep Farm are proud to offer all our customers a chance to get their produce and meats secured for the coming season,” said a spokesperson for the farms. “We will offer a wide variety of vegetables, from greens to potatoes, shitakes to eggs in season, pork, beef, lamb and poultry, all raised humanely and free range, hormone and antibiotic free.”

Both Rose Mountain Farm and Foxfire Hollar Sheep Farm are certified naturally grown farms and members of New River Organic Growers and Carolina Farm Stewardship Association. Only ten shares are available for 2007. Shares are based on a 28-week season, and CSA customers may make requests for specific vegetables with full payment of a half share or a full share.

A half share for vegetables only costs $375 and a full share costs $700. The cost equates to $25 per week for a vegetable full share and $13.39 for a half share. For weekly meat allowances of beef and lamb OR pork and poultry, add $200 for a full share or $110 for a half share. Shares sell quickly; a deposit of $200 will hold a full share membership, with $250 due March 1 and $250 due April 1. A deposit of $100 will hold a half share membership with $175 due March 1 and $100 due April 1. No delivery is available; shareholders can pick up their weekly produce and meat at the Spin A Yarn...Weave A Web store in Warrensville on Fridays or at the Ashe County Farmers’ Market on Saturdays. Drop off payments at Spin A Yarn or send checks and money orders to Ann Rose, PO Box 225, Lansing, NC 28643 or Nancy Hoffman, 5983 Highway 194N, Warrensville, NC 28693. Call 336-977-2535 for more information.

Yellow Wolf Farm has only a few slots available for CSA shares. The farm has organic (non certified) produce, as well as pasture-raised poultry and lamb. Call Stacy Martin at 336-877-9138 for more information. 

Maverick Farms in Valle Crucis is selling shares for its 2007 CSA season, and has 25 slots available. The farm grows more than 30 varieties of organic vegetables and herbs, many of them heirloom and specialty crops. CSA shareholders will receive a box of seven to twelve different types of herbs and vegetables each week, including lettuce, tomatoes, hot peppers, summer and winter squash, potatoes, green beans, beets, carrots, sweet corn, basil, cucumbers and garlic. Each share costs $500, plus a six-hour labor commitment over the length of the growing season. The work requirement is designed to build community and to provide shareholders the opportunity to be directly involved with the production of their food. The Maverick Farms CSA project will run 20 weeks from the second week of June through mid-October, with boxes averaging $25 per week. Shareholders can pick up their vegetables weekly at two locations, at the farm or in Boone. For more info, call 828-963-4656 or email alyssa@maverickfarms.org.

Moretz’s Mountain Orchard has had a subscription service for apples for a number of years. While not a CSA, the orchard’s subscription program functions in a similar fashion. Subscribers pay $35 to receive a different bag of apples each week for a period of 12 weeks. Call 828-264-3424 for more information.