What is community supported agriculture?

What is CSA?

C–Community S–Supporting A–Agriculture

CSA is a mutually beneficial relationship between individuals, families and farmers. CSA members (farm supporters), purchase a Season’s worth of home grown vegetables, produce and fruit delivered to a neighborhood drop off location, their workplace or their home. The members register and pay in advance for their CSA share. Their purchase of a CSA share helps the farmers with operating costs prior to and throughout the season. In exchange for this, farm supporters receive a weekly delivery during the season of the farm’s bounty for a definite number of weeks. The 2024 season is for 18 weeks, with a goal to begin deliveries in mid May. We can’t commit to a definite start date until closer to the time of our first harvests. The weather and the maturity of crops are the ultimate “deciders” on when we can begin our deliveries. We estimate to the best of our ability. We are ready to begin as soon as we can.

Our CSA members value eating fresh, nutritious food grown close to home by seasoned farmers. Doe Run Farms is committed to offering our CSA members the very best locally grown food available.

DOING GOOD…CLOSE TO HOME

Doe Run Farms is proud to be able to give back to communities where we deliver shares. We are pleased to donate fresh, homegrown produce and vegetables during our growing season, to various organizations that help feed people and provide food security. Manna House in Huntsville, Alabama is one of our main benefactors.

These food donations have improved the health and well being of members of the community by providing access to healthy fruits and vegetables to those in need, who may otherwise go without.

Why purchase a weekly farm box from Doe Run Farms?

The food in your CSA share comes from our farm and a select group of small southern Tennessee and northern Alabama partner farms. All of us are dedicated to using safe and sustainable practices on our farms to grow delicious, healthy and nutritious food. Our farm partners were chosen based on their expertise in growing specific crops, and their ability to help our farm to provide premium quality food for our CSA members consistently throughout the season. The 2024 CSA season is our 19th year of CSA from Doe Run Farms.

Some of the benefits of joining:

Traveling this summer? If you know you will be traveling, you can receive credit for missed shares with advance notice to the farm. Up to 2 weeks credit is offered to protect your investment this season. . Every one registered for CSA receives the CSA GUIDE which will be sent to your email inbox before deliveries begin or shortly thereafter. Please become familiar with the Guide.

You may change your pick up location during the delivery season if the need should arise. You We have many convenient pick up locations. We ask that you give us 48 hour notice to change your location.

Major credit cards are accepted for payment. You are not charged a fee for using your credit card to pay in full for your share.

Workplace delivery – If you’d like us to deliver to your workplace, mention it to your HR or company Benefits Manager to get the ok for us to make deliveries. The company has to be “onboard” with having deliveries to their facility. Offering CSA share deliveries to employees, serve to compliment other company Wellness initiatives. The delivery only takes a few minutes and it isn’t necessary for us to come into your building to deliver the CSA shares. We deliver to small offices as well as corporations. Call or email us for more information.

Home Deliveries: Available to single family homes within our delivery areas. (no condos or apartments). Email the farm to see if your address is within our delivery area before registering for a CSA share. You do not have to be home for delivery.

All of your favorites such as tomatoes, green beans, sweet corn, cucumbers, okra, peaches, and other fruit, provided we have an ample supply, will be available to buy as an add on to your CSA share, through our Country Store in early summer. You may also purchase these items in bulk sizes for canning or freezing when they are offered. Enjoy the taste of summer all winter long by dehydrating, freezing or canning when things are at their peak in summer.

The deadline to order from the Country Store is the Sunday night before your next delivery. Your items will be delivered along with your weekly box.

WONDERING IF CSA IS RIGHT FOR YOU? If you eat out most meals, travel a lot, or if by your own admission you are a “picky” eater that doesn’t care for vegetables, then a weekly CSA share is not a good fit for you. But, if you’re interested in (1) improving your overall health and well being as well as that of your family (2) you enjoy home cooked meals along with an occasional meal out, and you are open to trying something new now and then, (3) you prefer to eat “locally grown” food as much as possible because you believe it is not only healthier, fresher, and just tastes better, chances are good that a weekly farm box would make eating healthy fun!

I’m in, how do I register?

Visit our online country store to open an account and purchase your weekly farm box. Consider adding on one of our add on shares of Tomatoes, Fruit, or a Tomato-Fruit Combo when placing your order.

**Please print and retain a copy of your registration form to have on hand for reference.