What
is CSA-L? 
What
is Community Supported Agriculture?
How
do I subscribe to CSA-L?
How
do I unsubscribe to CSA-L?
What
is appropriate to post to CSA-L?
How
do I post to CSA-L?
Who
subscribes to CSA-L?
Where
can I find archives of CSA-L?
How
can I find a CSA where I live?
What
are some useful national and regional CSA organizations?
What
are some good books, articles, and videos of CSA?
How
do I get CSA-L in digest format?
What is CSA-L?
The CSA e-mail list is for networking on Community Supported Agriculture and is primarily for the benefit of its farmer participants. While researchers and others may lurk, we ask that you not solicit our members for research studies or use the list to locate nearby CSAs. There are more appropriate avenues for this type of information gathering. We hope to see discussions on goals, distribution styles, outreach tools, member retention, educational work, connections with non-CSA organizations, etc. We also would like to see the exchange of newsletter articles and information about resources on CSA such as networking organizations, books, journals, videos, audio tapes from conferences, speaker tours of interest to CSAs, etc. In short, we would like to take advantage of the collective knowledge of as many CSA's as possible to help the CSA movement grow and strengthen!The listowner is Anna Barnes of Prairieland CSA in Champaign, Illinois.
What is Community Supported Agricutlure?
Community Supported Agriculture is a partnership between farmers and consumers. In CSA, consumers buy products directly from the farm, and pay for them in advance. Farmers do their best to produce sufficient quantity and quality of fresh, nutritious food for their customers' needs and palates.In some CSAs, people pay in advance to support a farm for a season. In return, these 'shareholders' or 'sharers' receive a share of whatever the farm has ready to harvest each week. In other CSAs, also called subscription farms, people subscribe to a share of a given value, prepaying monthly or quarterly. Content and quantity of shares vary throughout the season.
CSA gives non-farmers a chance to get more involved in producing and distributing their own food. Farms sponsor tours, workdays, and even 'workshares' to bring shareholders out to the farm. CSAs also often ask shareholders to help deliver shares, sponsor drop-off sites, manage shareholder lists, write newsletters, and more.
How do I subscribe to CSA-L?
Use this form.
How do I unsubscribe to CSA-L?
Use the form
here:
https://mail.prairienet.org/mailman/options/csa-l
Use this
form to cancel old email addresses. To resubscribe under a new address
use this form.
If you encounter problems unsubscribing, email the list moderator.
What is appropriate to post to CSA-L?
All messages should meet the following criteria:- Messages should be related to the purpose of the list. Do not solicit for research studies or use the list to promote books or other such items that you receive income from.
- Messages should have a clear subject heading.
- Messages between individuals should not go to the entire list unless the information in them may be of interest to the list.
- Messages should include a good signature which includes your name, any organization that you represent, and where you are located geographically.
- Questions that are answered in the Frequently Asked Questions Postings (FAQs) should be avoided.
How do I post to CSA-L?
To post a message to the whole list, send it to CSA-L . In order to post to CSA-L, you must be subscribed to the list and send the message from the account name that you are subscribed on. In other words, If you have several e-mail accounts or aliases, you need to send e-mail from the account you subscribed from.
Who subscribes to CSA-L?
Over 300 farmers, CSA members, researchers, students, and other interested parties from USDA and NGOs around the world subscribe to the list.
Where can I find the archives of postings to CSA-L?
Current archives are at: https://mail.prairienet.org/pipermail/csa-l/
Archives prior to 10 July 2004 are being relocated and should be available shortly.
How can I find a CSA where I live?
See USDA's Alternative Farming information center at http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/csa/
Also see the Robyn Van En Center at http://www.csacenter.org/statesfr.htm
and
http://www.localharvest.org
What are some useful national and regional CSA organizations?
CSA OF NORTH AMERICA (CSANA), founded by Robyn Van En, will be one of the lead organizations in the Northeast. http://www.umass.edu./umext/CSA
CSA WEST. CSA West was founded to expand the CSA movement by offering regional information to farmers, prospective and current CSA members, the media, student/interns, and related non-profit organizations. CSA projects are very much the product of a grassroots movement, where farmers and other CSA organizers swap information among themselves. We strive to expand this exchange of new ideas, tried-and-true practices, and helpful tips on running CSAs among new, old, and potential participants in the western United States. csawest@caff.org. 916-756-8518, extension 27; fax: 916-756-7857 US mail: CAFF, PO Box 363, Davis, CA 95617. http://www.caff.org/caff/programs/
What are some good books, videos, and other resources about CSA?
Several resources are available from Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas. http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/csa.html
FARMS OF TOMORROW REVISITED: COMMUNITY SUPPORTED FARMS, FARM SUPPORTED COMMUNITIES, by Trauger Groh and Steven McFadden. Published in 1998. A very comprehensive book on CSA.
GROWING FOR MARKET is a monthly subscription newsletter that has articles by and about CSA farmers. Good ideas and honest discussion abound. See http://www.growingformarket.com/ for more info.
Also, see USDA's Alternative Farming information center at http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/csa/ for several online resources.
How do I get CSA-L in digest format?
The CSA-L
list may be obtained in digest format. If you choose to receive CSA-L
in digest format you will the list messages in blocks of 30kB.
To receive CSA-L in digest format, use the form here: https://mail.prairienet.org/mailman/options/csa-l
You may also use this form to cancel your digest subscription and return to receiving individual list messages.