We held a CSA workshop in December 2010.
Many thanks to all those who came and contributed, to ACORN for helping make it happen and the the Ecology Action Center for keeping track of what happened and writing the mintues.
The minutes are attached at this link: Nature’s Route Farm CSA Workshop Minutes
HERE IS WHAT GOT IT STARTED:
Do you want to improve your CSA?
Would you like to network, but, find it difficult with a young family? We are arranging some help with childcare and activities.
We would like to initiate a CSA weekend – families welcome and help with childcare possible.
After 4 years of growing our CSA Ruth and I would like to both share our experience and improve our business. After much discussion and thought, we think that the best way to do this is to work with our peers. Specifically, we would like to start an open and progressive dialogue with our peers. In the medium term, if we can develop a functional group, I think it would be interesting to organize a “CSA Tour” of some larger centers and CSA farms in places like New England, Quebec or Ontario.
We strongly believe good business results in good referrals, happy customers and building of a profitable and sustainable farming model that is accessible to new entrants. If one CSA in the Maritimes has dissatisfied customers all of us lose business.
To get started Ruth and I would like to host a “Maritime CSA Weekend”. To be most objective we would like to limit participation to farmers that have at least 1 season of CSA experience under their belt. French and English welcome – most of the dialogue will be in English.
We propose the weekend of 4-5 December 2010.
Here is what we would like to accomplish:
Saturday Evening (5-9pm) at Point de Bute Community Hall.
1. Farmer Introduction and Potluck Supper
2. ACORN welcome
3. Discuss Purpose of Group
4. Discuss Guidelines of HOW TO MAKE IT WORK (Things like willingness to share, doing things for the better of the group, not the better of the individual…)
5. Brainstorm objectives – General – CSA Models, Data Management, Production (lots and lots to discuss), Marketing, Communication, Labour, Finances…” Flip chart activity
6. Next Steps (prioritize objectives and determine an action plan to meet them)
7. Decide learning objectives for Sunday
Sunday (All Day until 2pm)
7:30am Sunrise Morning Woods Walk – Nature’s Route Farm (optional)
8:30am Breakfast- Nature’s Route Farm (optional)
9:30am Nature’s Route Farm Tour – we hope to share our ideas and hear lots of yours.
10:30am Learning Objectives as determined on Saturday – Real, tangible learning, nuts and bolts of making our farms work.
Accommodation: We live in a great community that can likely help provide a place to sleep. If you are really frugal, be prepared to sleep on the floor. There are several hotels and B&Bs around for the more normal.
Meals: Potluck. We can do some collective meals. We will rent the community hall that has a kitchen to help with meal preparation.
What to bring:
1. Open mind and willingness to share.
2. Computer,(if you want) – we do have wireless internet – the community hall does not.
3. Your family. Children welcome. We can likely get some volunteers to help entertain children while we “work” in the other half of the room. We have a 3 and 5 year old.
Cost: No Cost. ACORN has offered some organic tea, coffee, sugar (and pasta) and we are quite happy to make a donation to our community hall.
Preparation: Think of the things you are really good at and the things you would like to improve.
Directions: We are less than 15 minutes from Sackville, NB and Amherst, NS. Our civic address is 785 Route 16, Point de Bute, NB and the town hall is across the road from 431 Route 16 (beside fire hall).
This will only work if we get several participants; the more experience we can bring the better it will be for all of us.
THERE HAS BEEN EXCELLENT INTEREST AND WE WILL GO AHEAD – 4-5 Dec 10. We need to know:
1. Are you coming, your name and farm?
2. How many are you and will you bring children?
3. Do you need a place to sleep? How many beds?
4. Food allergies?
We will provide more details to participants the the week before “our weekend”.
Thanks,
Kent and Ruth Coates
Nature’s Route Farm
P.O. Box 6354
Sackville, NB E4L 1G6
506-536-3562
