Looking Back, Looking Ahead

2008 was an overall good year for our CSA as we assess our efforts. We had a 24 week season that started with asparagus and ended with broccoli and cauliflower. The experience should lead to improvements for the new season. We have made adjustments in our seed and supply orders , generally ordering more and planning for greater variety and quantities with a few surprises.

I think part of the value of a CSA is the opportunity to try new and different foods and our feed back supports that view. The greatest value though is the community that is built both through the creation of a local alternative to industrial ag, and the fellowship and friendships that develops through the conversation and contact on distribution days, special events, and volunteer opportunities.

We have struggled with the necessity to raise our share price this year especially given the state of the economy, but we really have no choice. All of our costs have risen dramatically and it will be necessary to hire some extra help as well as expand our work share program in order to make the quality improvements that we need to implement for the coming season. We believe a share is still very much in line with comparisons to comparable sources and superior to supermarket alternatives. We hope you understand that our commitment to provide our membership with full value for their share has not diminished but is in fact is a major priority.

As always, we welcome your feedback and look forward to another season. Thank you for all your support, it makes all the hard work worthwhile.