88 The Future of CSA (What the Data Tells Us) ~ Interview with Claire Strader

December 30, 2020 by Corinna

It’s the end of 2020, and what better time to take a look back and ask, “How is the CSA movement doing?”

If you’ve been watching the market this year, you KNOW that CSA subscription memberships were on the rise, as many farmer’s markets shut down due to COVID-19. What were the results for CSA farmers? In this episode, I invite Claire Strader, from CSA FairShare Coalition, to share her survey data on the show. She interviews her coalition farmer members every year, to find out data like retention rates, sales figures, profit, and more. What can her regional data tell us about the CSA movement’s future?

Is CSA still a viable option for 2021?…

Who is Claire Strader?

Claire Strader is the Organic Vegetable Educator for FairShare CSA Coalition and Extension Dane County.  In this shared position, Claire works with organic vegetable farmers serving direct markets.  Her previous experience is as a farmer, beginning farmer educator, and retail produce buyer.  She has worked in the Wisconsin local food system since 1993 and started her current position in 2013.  Her key projects include on-farm research on cover crops and reduced tillage techniques for organic vegetables, the Organic Vegetable Farm Manager registered apprenticeship, and the annual Organic Vegetable Production Conference serving farmers in Wisconsin and surrounding states.

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Some of the resources mentioned in this episode:

• • Find my Facebook group for farmers! I jump in here every month to teach farmers tips and fundamentals of marketing.
  • Register for my webinar “The 3 Mistakes Rookie CSA Farmers Make (And How to Avoid Them)” scheduled for Jan. 8, 12:00 PM EST. This is a free webinar, designed to help “new” CSA farmers learn the framework for a profitable and resilient CSA.
  • FairShare CSA Coalition:  https://www.csacoalition.org/
  • Growing Stronger Collaborative Conference:  https://web.cvent.com/event/b1fcc89f-d903-4e65-9a18-c63297078800/summary
  • If you’re a “new” CSA farmer, and you’re looking for help with how to build your CSA box plan, grab my Perfect Box Planner Guide.” This 13 page PDF will give you the formula for how to build your perfect box plan for next year’s season. Use this to guide your crop production plan this winter! Grab it here.
  • Claire mentioned the National Young Farmer’s Coalition Guide to Direct Sales Software Platforms.
  • CSAInnovationNetwork.org Farmer to Farmer Ecommerce Platform Report.

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My hope is to feature guests periodically on the show. If you know someone who is innovating in the area of marketing as a farmer, please send me an email at mydigitalfarmers@gmail.com.

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