Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Meat: Important Things to Know About It
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), also called crop sharing, originated in Japan but was later on adopted by foreign countries such as the United States and Europe. Simply put, CSA is an agricultural model where the farmer and the customer/consumer have a shared responsibility when it comes to their farm’s yield. This is made possible when the two parties have already come up with an agreement on how the expenses and produce will be shared even before the farming or breeding seasons have started.
The CSA concept has been going around for about 30 years and more. It has continued to gain such a strong following because people are becoming more conscious of the quality of food they take in. This is one of the reasons why CSA continues to gain positive traction as it supports organic farming. The animals are raised originally - grass-fed and pastured.
What are the benefits of a CSA model?
Farmers/ Breeders spend less time marketing their farm as they have determined where the meat is going even before the animals have fully grown. Some breeders are not fully skilled in marketing their animals, with CSA in place, they can be assured that someone will get to enjoy their meat product without them spending time learning marketing.
Breeders’ burnout could also be prevented. One thing which tires out breeders is the lack of support from their market. They would eventually lose interest in breeding animals if there are no people to make the purchase. The CSA ensures that the consumers are already identified and they can focus on making sure that the animals grow healthy.
The majority of CSA models are organically raised. Breeders shy away from factory methods where animals are injected with antibiotics and other harmful substances in an attempt to make them look fresh.
One obvious advantage of CSA is that consumers know their breeders. The former is familiar with the breeding method of the latter and they can be guaranteed that their meat is locally produced and organically sourced.
As CSA is about sharing the risk in breeding the animal, this means that breeders get to receive an upfront payment before the breeding season starts in exchange for receiving products from the breeders. Consumers are not guaranteed what they get to receive on a weekly/bi-weekly or monthly delivery. The flip side of this is that consumers get to have fresh meat delivered to their doorsteps.
According to Spring House Farm, one of the best advantages of the membership is that you get access to the prime cuts and cuts which aren’t easily accessible in the market.
Access to discussions and promos is another thing. Who else gets to be informed first of any upcoming sale that its members?
Farmers, such as Groce Family Farm, offer convenient drop-off points where the consumers could easily pick up the item without any hassle.
Who can initiate this CSA concept?
Breeder-initiated CSAs - this CSA is made possible through the initiative of meat breeders
Member-initiated CSAs - when a group of meat consumers works together to find a farm willing to do the CSA concept with them
Organization-initiated CSAs - when a group of people such as a civic group/ church group or business group jumpstarts a CSA model
Things Needed to Get CSA Started
Members - This is one of the core parts of the CSA. Members could start with your circle of friends, family members, relatives, officemates, and acquaintances
Budget - A working budget must be agreed on before taking things to the next level. The budget should cover the operating, labor, capital, and maintaining expenses.
Business Plan - Create a business plan where both the members (breeders included) get to have their say. If you fail to get the consensus of the body, you might be facing some challenges along the way.
Established your officers acting as a core group. Running a farm is a huge task, work should be delegated properly to easily identify who among the members isn't pulling their weight.
Agree on the Market price and Payment method. CSA operates differently from one location to another. There are those which allow installment in payment terms while others do not.
Decide on what animals to raise, how long should each animal be catered to and when to sell them, and to what price.
Agree on the methods of recruiting, accepting, and retaining members.
Recruiting - word-of-mouth (WOM), brochure, flyers, social media, paid ads, influencers, traditional marketing
Accepting - terms and conditions before getting accepted, membership fee/ maintenance fee if there is any
Retaining - safe space for feedback, open communication, suggestion box
What to expect if you are a CSA member?
CSA members should expect that they get a variety of meat depending on the season and what the farm is breeding. One should not expect chicken meat to be delivered if you're a member of a CSA which raises beef, lamb, turkey, or pork.
According to Elmwood Stock Farm, depending on the farm there are plenty of options you can choose from when it comes to portion size. Some farms offer small, regular, or family-sized portions of meat cuts of your choice (or what’s available in the market).
As for the Trustees.org, they have a different form of marketing technique, they offer Summer Grill Share - 15 pounds of meat composed of lamb, beef, pork, and chicken; Winter Share - 45 pounds of meat which are only available from November to January; Spring Share - 45 pounds of meat which are only available from March to May.
How do you strengthen CSA relationships?
Communication is a key part of making sure that CSA remains strong. Breeders should keep their consumers well aware of what’s happening on the farm. Likewise, consumers should keep their breeders updated on their feedback and suggestions. There are several ways on keeping communications open:
A face-to-face and personal discussions between the consumers and the breeders
A regular newsletter sent to its subscribers
Social media pages are kept updated regularly on what are the highlights on the farm
A letterbox/suggestion box within the farm’s premise
If you are unfamiliar with the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) concept perhaps this is the best time to try it out. What better way to start living healthy than by supporting eco-friendly agricultural practices such as this. You do not only get access to fresh meat, in a way, you are supporting your local breeder.
