Published: August 11, 2008 11:08 am         

Laughing Owl Farm gardens for others

Sunday, August 10, 2008 — A local farm family is participating for the second year in a program which regularly puts fresh, locally-grown produce on the tables of people who pledge support to the farm operation in return.

It is called Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Dean and Jenifer Mullis of Laughing Owl Farm near Richfield tried the program several years ago but there was no set drop off point and it didn’t work. Now they send bags of fresh vegetables to Charlotte every week to the people who helped provide financial support in the planting and growing of the produce.

Typically in CSA, members or “shareholders” of the farm or garden pledge in advance to cover the anticipated costs of the farm operation and farmer’s salary. In return, they receive shares in the farm’s bounty throughout the growing season, as well as satisfaction gained from reconnecting to the land and participating directly in food production.

The farmland becomes the community’s farm and the growers and consumers provide mutual support and share the risks and benefits of food production.

Sometimes the shareholders stop by to work.

Members also share in the risks of farming, including poor harvests due to unfavorable weather or pests. For instance, the okra crop this year did not make it so they got no okra. And if the heat doesn’t abate there won’t be sweet corn.

Most of the Mullises’ customers are in Charlotte. People around here have gardens or have relatives who have gardens.

By direct sales to community members who have provided the farmer with working capital in advance, growers receive better prices for their crops, gain some financial security and are relieved of much of the burden of marketing.

This week the Mullises’ shareholders got five pounds of assorted tomatoes, squash, zuchinni garlic, peppers and potatoes.

“We have a lot of potatoes and garlic,” Jenifer Mullis said.

“We are known for garlic and have developed it for this soil. We grow greens — collards, arugula, kale, lettuce. We have had fennel and other greens people are not familiar with. And beet greens are delicious.”

They are halfway through the season.

“With the hot dry weather, we have been fortunate to give them nice bags this week,” she said.

“We also take produce to various markets. And some people come and buy at the farm. We welcome that.”

They also have eggs. They have 200 to 250 hens starting to lay right now. They also have chickens, but they are not part of CSA. And they have turkeys once a year.

It is a very small scale but demand is growing,

Jenifer Mullis said the average purchased grocery store food travels 1,200 miles from where it is grown to the table. CSA lets people eat food grown nearby.

“We need more farmers growing,” she said.

“We can’t fill stores, but we can fill up kitchens.”

The Mullises plant in March and April, sometimes in February. And they keep planting all season long. Right now fields are plowed and awaiting the planting of beets.

If it is an unfamiliar vegetable, people ask her, “How do I cook it”

I say, “Cook it with a little olive oil and garlic,” she said.

CSA’s roots reach back 30 years to Japan where a group of women concerned about the increase in food imports and the corresponding decrease in the farming population initiated a direct growing and purchasing relationship between their group and local farms. This arrangement, called “teikei” in Japanese, translates to “putting the farmers’ face on food.”

This concept traveled to Europe and was adapted to the U.S. and given the name “Community Supported Agriculture” at Indian Line Farm, Mass., in 1985. As of January 2005, there were more than 1,500 CSA farms across the U.S. and Canada.

A farmer or grower, often with the assistance of a core group, draws up a budget reflecting the production costs for the year. This includes all salaries, distribution costs, investments for seeds and tools, land payments, machinery maintenance, etc. The budget is then divided by the number of people for which the farm will provide and this determines the cost of each share of the harvest. One share is usually designed to provide the weekly vegetable needs for a family of four. Flowers, fruit, meat, honey, eggs and dairy products are also available through some CSAs.

The number of CSAs in the United States was estimated at 50 in 1990, and has since grown to more than 2000.