Growing partnership — Farmers and consumers share in the risks and benefits of farming

Christi Paulson of Salt Lake City values knowing where her food comes from and that it didn't have to travel 1,500 miles to get to her table.

By participating in a program that partners local residents and farmers, Paulson is able to have peace of mind about her concerns and what practices have been used to grow it.

"It's good food and doesn't have to travel long distances to get to me," she said. "Organic (growing) is important because I want to know what's in my food, especially if there's poisons going into the dirt."

Paulson is a participant in the Community Supported Agriculture program. CSA is an innovative partnership between agricultural producers and consumers. Members of the local community, such as Paulson, pay a fee at the beginning of the growing season to meet a farm's operating expenses for the upcoming season. In return, these members, or shareholders, receive a portion of the farm's produce each week throughout the growing season.

The essence of the program is that farmers and consumers share in the risks and benefits of farming. With CSA the entire farm community shares both bounty and scarcity. This cooperation provides financial security to the unpredictable nature of farming and allows the community to reap the benefits of eating fresh, locally grown food while getting a closer connection to their food, their land and local agriculture, said Alison Rogers, spokeswoman for Great Salt Lake RC&D.

This connection is one of the favorite things about CSA for Jeremy East, owner of East Farms LLC, one of the four CSA farms in Utah, located in West Point, Davis County.

"We like doing (CSA) so that it helps us connect with the consumer," he said. "We hear more about what they like and don't like and know who's using our produce."

Typically family operated, CSA farms range from 3 to 300 acres and provide food for 10 to more than 200 households. CSA farms are highly diversified, usually growing more than 40 different vegetables, herbs and fruits. Many farms also supply meat, eggs, honey and other agriculture products, Rogers said.

East's farm is 200 acres, and he starts planting in March and is finished harvesting around Halloween. Last year he had about 350 shareholders for produce on his farm. He said one of the most difficult things about CSA for him is keeping up with the variety of crops he grows.

"With our CSA farm we grow a really big variety. It's challenging sometimes overseeing 50 different crops versus 10," he said.