Community Supported Agriculture in Tompkins County

What is Community Supported Agriculture?
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) was introduced in New England in 1986 as a new and innovative approach to agricultural marketing. It is based upon a mutually supportive and cooperative relationship between the producer and the consumer. The consumer pays for a crop “share” in advance, guaranteeing producers a market for their goods. In return, growers commit themselves to supplying fresh, quality produce to shareholders on a weekly basis throughout the growing season.

How does CSA benefit producers?
Community Supported Agriculture offers a means of survival to small farms at risk of disappearance. Share payment in advance eases the growers’ financial burden in the early growing season and guarantees them both a market and an income. Because they already know their market, they are less likely to over or under produce. CSA farmers are also less likely to be devastated by unexpected weather conditions because they grow a wide range of crops. While certain conditions may not be ideal for one crop, they are likely to produce an abundance of another.

How does CSA benefit consumers?
Shareholders have a lot to gain from their share payment. First, they are guaranteed a supply of fresh, quality produce during the growing season, and possibly longer. Secondly, they have the unique opportunity to connect with the land on which their food is grown by assisting in production or just visiting the farm on a regular basis (for pick up or shareholder events). Finally, community is fostered as a result of cooperative work, shared responsibility, and keeping the food dollars within the local economy.

How does CSA benefit the earth?
CSA farmers are committed to respecting and preserving the natural beauty and richness of their land. All the CSA farms listed employ sustainable agricultural practices including organic farming (using no pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers), diversifying crops, minimizing waste by avoiding overproduction and reducing packaging and transportation. In addition, customers who spend time at the farms will become aware of and sensitive to the fragile beauty and natural richness of their ecosystem.

How do I participate in CSA?
Review this information to find CSA farms that best suit your needs. Visit the farms to meet the owners and see the land. Review the share price(s) (call farms for current prices), pick up times and locations, length of season, products available, and special features of the CSA. Then contact the farm to join. Please note that most CSA’s require that you to purchase your share in the Spring, before the season begins.

Local farms participating in Community Supported Agriculture:

BloodnickFamily Farms
Blue Heron Farm
Early Morning Organic Farm
Frosty Morning Farm
The Full Plate Farm Collective
Future Farm/Solidarity Food Network
The Happy Farmer/Aaron Rust
Hendy Hollow Organic Farm
Meadow Sweet Dairy, LLC
Muddy Fingers Farm
Sacred Seed Farm
Siren Farms
Sweetland Farm
Thompson Farm
West Haven Farm

Bloodnick Family Farms
Lisa & Brendan Bloodnick
691 Pennsylvania Avenue
Apalachin NY 13732
607-625-4141

Share: Single, Family
Pick-up: Wed or Sat at Vestal Farmers Market, 9-11
Season: Jun-Oct
Products: Over 150 varieties of vegetables, herbs & flowers, specialty products like Shiitake mushrooms available in addition to membership benefits
Special Features: NOFA-NY certified organic, monthly newsletter, recipes, special events (harvest dinners, summer picnics, threshing parties)

Blue Heron Farm
Robin Ostfeld & Lou Johns
1641 Shaw Road
Lodi NY 14860
607-582-6336
bluheron@mail.empacc.net

Share: Winter
Pick-up: Bi-weekly: Sat afternoons in the GreenStar Market parking lot, Ithaca; other times/locations TBA
Season: Jan-Mar (sign-up Oct 15-Dec 15)
Products: Storage crops & winter greens
Special Features: NOFA-NY certified organic

Early Morning Organic Farm
Anton Burkett
9658 Route 90
Genoa, NY 13071
315-364-6941
info@EarlyMornFarm.net
www.earlymorningfarm.com

Share: Full, Working, Single Person Household
Pick-up: Ithaca Farmers Market Season: Jun-Oct
Products: Broad selection of produce
Special Features: NOFA-NY certified organic, members “shop" at the farm’s Ithaca Farmers Market stand weekly, farm visits encouraged, goat, lamb & pork also available

Frosty Morning Farm
Karl & Alison Frost
4211 Route 13
Truxton NY 13158
607-842-6799
frostym@swns.net

Share: Single, Family; Working/Non-working
Pick-up: Th afternoons in Preble or Truxton
Season: Mid May-Early Nov
Products: Diverse variety of vegetables, herbs & fruits
Special Features: NOFA-NY certified organic

The Full Plate Farm Collective
Katie Church, Coordinator
Full Plate Farm Collective
P.O. Box 6898
Ithaca, NY 14850
607-342-7632
info@fullplatefarms.org
www.fullplatefarms.org

Share: Full
Pick-up: Stick and Stone Farm on Trumansburg Rd in Ithaca, or Three Swallows Farm on Nelson Rd in Danby; delivery to workplace or home for extra fee
Season: Jun-Nov
Products: Wide range of vegetables, plus pick your own flowers, herbs, peas & more
Special Features: Weekly Newsletter, Stick and Stone Farm is NOFA-certified organic, Remembrance & Three Swallows Farm are biodynamic.

Future Farm/Solidarity Food Network
Rob Young
421 Langford Creek Road
Van Etten, NY 14889
607-589-4102

Share: Full, Half
Pick-up: Tu/Th drop off sites
Season: 22 weeks starting 1st week in Jun
Products: variety of vegetables, eggs
Special features: newsletters, Farm Days (2), priced for moderate to low income households

The Happy Farmer
Aaron Rust
2710 Slaterville Road
Slaterville Springs NY 14881
607-330-1952
The happies@yahoo.com

Share: Full
Pick-up: Tu in Fall Creek, Ithaca; F at the farm
Season: Jun-Oct
Products: Vegetables, berries, herbs
Special Features: NOFA-NY Farmers Pledge Grower

Hendy Hollow Organic Farm
Steve Kettelle
2 Monastery Road
Pine City NY 14871
607-733-1393
HendyHollowFarm@aol.com

Share: Single, family
Pick-up: Th in Elmira; Tu, Sa & Su at Ithaca Farmers' Market; on farm
Season: early June - Oct
Products: Wide variety of produce
Special Features: Blueberries, raspberries & blackberries; NOFA-NY certified organic

Meadow Sweet Dairy, LLC
2054 Smith Road
Lodi NY 14860
607-582-6954
smiths@meadowsweetfarm.com

Share: Members purchase part ownership in the dairy cow herd which entitles them to part of the herd's products
Pick-up: at farm; Ithaca Farmers' Market; Stick & Stone Farm (Rt. 96)
Season: Year around
Products: raw milk & raw milk products: yogurt, kefir, butter, buttermilk, aged cheese
Special Features: herd managed organically

Muddy Fingers Farm
Matthew Glenn & Elizabeth Martin
3859 Dugue Road
Hector NY 14841
607-535-4989
maglenn_1999@yahoo.com

Share: Small share, Large share, pick-your-owns picked for you at additional cost, Farm Card in any amount, No work requirement
Pick-up: On-Farm, Elmira, Corning, Watkins Glen & Ithaca Farmers' Markets
Season: Jun-Oct
Products: All kinds of mixed vegetables, Certified Naturally Grown.

Sacred Seed Farm
Michael Berry
3938 West Road #213
Cortland, NY 13045
607-423-3945

Share: Full, Half, Blueberry
Pick-up: Wed in Cortland; Tu, Sa or Su at the Ithaca Farmers Market
Season: Jun-Nov
Products: Wide variety of produce, herbs, u-pick blueberries
Special Features: NOFA-NY certified organic, farm visits encouraged, monthly newsletter, seasonal potluck

Siren Farms
Dave H. Neilsen
360 Candor Road
Spencer, NY 14883-9714
607-589-4799
sirenfarms@clarityconnect.com

Share: Full, Half, Working considered
Pick-up: On-farm or a location determined by the make-up of members
Season: May-Nov
Products: Wide variety of produce
Special Features: NOFA-NY certified organic, visits welcome, 3 Sisters/Native American Ag practices demonstration plot

Sunnyside Farm
Rob & Pam Moore
2083 Moore Hill Road
Nichols, NY 13812
607-699-7968

Share: Full or Half
Pick-up: monthly on-farm or in Ithaca, Binghamton, Vestal
Season: 5 months beginning in Jun
Products: Cheese, eggs, pasture raised beef & pork
Special Features: GOA certified organic, pork-free option available, bonus items, farm newsletter, farm gatherings.

Sweetland Farm
Evangeline Sarat & Paul Martin
9732 Route 96
Trumansburg, NY 14886
607-397-3702
evangelinesarat@gmail.com
www.sweetlandfarm.com

Share: Full
Pick-up: on-farm, site in Cortland
Season: Jun-Nov
Products: Wide variety of produce
Special Features: Unlimited pick-your-own of certain vegetables.

Thompson Farm
823 Vanb Ostrand Road
Groton, NY 13073
607-533-7360/342-3185

Share: 2-person household; working option
Pick-up: W & Sat on-farm
Season: late-May-Oct
Products: Wide variety of produce
Special Features: Organic growing methods, herbs, cut flowers

West Haven Farm
John & Jennifer Bokaer-Smith
114 Rachel Carson Way
Ithaca NY 14850
607-272-4636
bokaer-smith@
ecovillage.ithaca.ny.us
http://westhavenfarm.ithaca.ny.us

Share: One, Double; Working (30 hour min. during the season) Sliding scale
Pick-up: Tu on-farm after 4 pm or downtown after 5 pm
Season: Late May-Nov
Products: Wide selection of produce
Special Features: NOFA-NY certified organic, Flexible share/choose from a variety of products, member work parties, U-pick crops, weekly newsletter, recipes, nutrition education, accepts food stamps