Thursday, February 20, 2025
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Washington: What is CSA and why is it important?
In celebration of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Week, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) recently spoke with local farmers and Eat Local First to take a closer look at what the CSA model is, why it’s beneficial for farmers, consumers, and the economy, and how you can find a CSA near you.
What is true Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)?
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a model where consumers subscribe to receive a share of fresh, locally grown produce directly from farms. True CSAs typically pack their produce directly from a single farm or a collective of local farms, ensuring that the money goes straight to supporting the farmers, rather than intermediaries. This stimulates local agricultural economies and encourages consumers to discover unique foods grown in their area.In contrast, "box" subscriptions often repackage and ship wholesale produce from out of state, diluting the impact on local farms. These box programs, while convenient, can mislead consumers into thinking they are supporting local agriculture when they are, in fact, competing with true CSAs.
Why CSAs are important for small farmers and the economy?
As the winter months settle in Washington, farmers are deep in preparation for the bustling summer season ahead. Rawley Johnson, a local farmer from Tacoma, WA, has been using a CSA model on his farm for over 10 years now with great results. As he showed us around, the snow crunching beneath his boots and a basket of eggs in his arms, he described what this time of year looks like on his farm.“Everyone wants to know what the heck I’m doing on the off season,” Rawley said with a chuckle. "In winter, I prepare for the next season—ordering seeds, fixing major projects, and handling the business side. It's when I lay the groundwork for the CSA."
Rawley and his wife, Rebecca, established their farm, Early Bird Farm, back in 2013. They initially started growing produce with a focus on farmers markets, but after a year of trial, they transitioned to a CSA model, which has become the backbone of their operation.
Nowadays, about half of their customers are located in Seattle, and the other half pick up their shares directly at their farm in Tacoma.
Rawley explained that as a CSA member, you receive fresh food straight from the farm at its peak flavor. "There’s really nothing like it…it’s a model that really works for the farmer and for the customer. You’re getting a huge value...if you were to go to the farmers market and buy all the heirloom tomatoes that we offer our customers in peak season, you’d be paying way more.”
Early Bird Farm follows a traditional CSA model, where the farmer chooses what’s in the share every week. However, they have a unique set up with an added trade box, where their customers can swap produce with each other.
Rawley also brought up the significance of backing local farms, noting that joining a CSA is one of the most effective ways to support both local farmers and the economy. “Folks who join a CSA are investing in the farm upfront in the spring, and they’re helping us with all of our upfront costs, buying seeds, paying our crew to get everything in the ground.”
Compared with the traditional farming model, which often requires taking out short-term loans to cover the initial costs of farming, he explained, “The CSA model breaks that mold and allows the farmers to be financially solvent without relying on interest rates and loans from banks.”
Through the CSA model on their farm, Rawley has been able to develop connections with their returning customers, “Now that we've done it over a decade, I personally really know our CSA customers. I've watched their kids grow up.”
How to find a CSA near you with Eat Local First’s CSA Finder tool
Discovering a CSA in your area can be tough, but there are a lot of great resources out there that can connect you to local food systems. Eat Local First (ELF) is a program designed to strengthen the local food economy by linking consumers with nearby farmers and producers. Their CSA finder tool has a total of 298 CSA listings and allows you to search for CSAs in specific areas as well as learn more about each farm and what they produce.As Jess Meyer, Outreach Coordinator for Sustainable Connections & the Eat Local First Collaborative, said, “There’s a huge variety of foods to choose from—you can connect with numerous farms offering fresh, seasonal products like fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat, and even flowers. Farms of all sizes and income levels participate, but many farmers are so busy managing payroll, planting, and maintaining the farm, along with handling social media, that they often struggle to find time for marketing.”
Meyer highlighted that one of the biggest challenges farmers face is making sure people know about the fresh, healthy options available right in their area—sometimes just a few miles away. Make sure you check out their CSA Finder to see what CSAs are available near you!
How to choose a CSA program that works for you
Since there are a lot of CSA options out there, it can be difficult to choose one. To help make this process easier, we sat down with TJ Johnson, founder of Urban Futures Farm in Olympia, WA that operates on a CSA model, to ask for his advice. He shared with us some helpful tips for how you can narrow down your options and pick a CSA program that’s the right fit for you.When choosing a CSA, TJ suggests considering your priorities first, whether that’s values, the types of food offered, portion sizes, or your cooking habits. "If you eat out a lot or travel frequently, CSA may not be the best fit," he said. "People who don’t cook much can struggle with the amount of food they get."
It’s important to select a CSA that aligns with your culinary preferences. CSAs vary in price and share sizes, so it’s essential to choose one that fits your budget and your family's needs. Urban Futures Farm offers two main CSA/share sizes: "A regular share is perfect for a couple or small family, while the larger share is ideal for families who cook often."
TJ explains that “The main reason people don’t return to my CSA is because they felt overwhelmed by the volume of food," he says. "Even though we provide recipe ideas, they just didn’t know what to do with it all. As a farmer, I don’t want my food to go to waste—it’s meant to be enjoyed and shared.”
If you’re brand new to CSAs and don’t know where to begin, TJ recommends starting small, “Maybe try a smaller share or split one with a friend.” That way, you can experience CSA without feeling overwhelmed by the amount of food.