Farmers work for the winter and spring months to prepare for the summer and fall bounty. While a lot of us grow year round in hoophouses and greenhouse, the majority of our income for the year comes in June-November. We incur most of our expenses December- March. The CSA model originated when farmers sought an alternative to bank and USDA loans when getting seed money for the coming year.

 When a someone buys a CSA share, that person is directly funding the farmer at the time when income is low and expenses are high. In return, the member receives generous portions of some vegetables and a 10-15% discount on their share.