Prepared by UConn Extension –2016 – page 1 2016 Price Study of Community Supported Agriculture Operations in CT By Jiff Martin, UConn Extension & Anne Page, UConn Extension Summer Intern 2016 For more info about the study, contact [email protected]Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is an arrangement whereby customers pay growers in advance of the growing season for a guaranteed share of the season’s harvest. Price Study Background: Our research goal is to monitor prices that farm businesses are charging for a standard summer vegetable full share and to report our findings to producers. This is the fifth year we have collected CSA pricing data. We rely heavily on the price of CSA memberships (or shares) as advertised by farms and producer associations on websites and through social media. We compared prices of full CSA shares, typically offered for 16-20 weeks from July to October, that featured vegetables, herbs, and sometimes flowers or small fruit. We did not attempt to compare the contents of CSA shares, nor did we evaluate pricing for add-on items such as flower shares, fruit shares, meat shares, egg shares, etc. In response to producer inquiries, this year we also compared pricing for CSAs that advertised as USDA Certified Organic or had taken the CT NOFA Pledge. Below is a summary of our findings, as well as a full list of the CSAs that were included in the study. We found pricing data for 110 farm businesses offering CSAs in 2016. We identified 17 farm businesses as USDA Certified Organic 1 , and another 32 were identified as having taken the CT NOFA Farmer’s Pledge 2 but were not certified organic. RESULTS § Average weekly price of 2016 Summer Vegetable CSA = $31.06 § Max price = $50.00; Min price = $15.00 § Average weekly price for USDA Certified Organic only = $32.37 § Average weekly price for USDA Certified Organic & CT NOFA Pledge = $31.94 1 For more information: https://apps.ams.usda.gov/integrity 2 The Farmer’s Pledge™, a program for CT NOFA members, is a commitment to farming, marketing and farm management in accordance with sound ecological and economic principles. It is separate and distinct from “Certified Organic.” For more info: https://www.ctnofa.org/farmerspledge.html
Transcript
PreparedbyUConnExtension–2016–page 1
2016 Price Study of Community Supported Agriculture Operations in CT By Jiff Martin, UConn Extension & Anne Page, UConn Extension Summer Intern 2016 For more info about the study, contact [email protected]
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is an arrangement whereby customers pay growers in advance of the growing season for a guaranteed share of the season’s harvest.
Price Study Background: Our research goal is to monitor prices that farm businesses are charging for a standard summer vegetable full share and to report our findings to producers. This is the fifth year we have collected CSA pricing data. We rely heavily on the price of CSA memberships (or shares) as advertised by farms and producer associations on websites and through social media. We compared prices of full CSA shares, typically offered for 16-20 weeks from July to October, that featured vegetables, herbs, and sometimes flowers or small fruit. We did not attempt to compare the contents of CSA shares, nor did we evaluate pricing for add-on items such as flower shares, fruit shares, meat shares, egg shares, etc. In response to producer inquiries, this year we also compared pricing for CSAs that advertised as USDA Certified Organic or had taken the CT NOFA Pledge. Below is a summary of our findings, as well as a full list of the CSAs that were included in the study.
We found pricing data for 110 farm businesses offering CSAs in 2016. We identified 17 farm businesses as USDA Certified Organic1, and another 32 were identified as having taken the CT NOFA Farmer’s Pledge2 but were not certified organic.
RESULTS
§ Average weekly price of 2016 Summer Vegetable CSA = $31.06
§ Max price = $50.00; Min price = $15.00
§ Average weekly price for USDA Certified Organic only = $32.37
§ Average weekly price for USDA Certified Organic & CT NOFA Pledge = $31.94
1 For more information: https://apps.ams.usda.gov/integrity
2 The Farmer’s Pledge™, a program for CT NOFA members, is a commitment to farming, marketing and farm management in accordance with sound ecological and economic principles. It is separate and distinct from “Certified Organic.” For more info: https://www.ctnofa.org/farmerspledge.html
PreparedbyUConnExtension–2016–page 2
65 83 92 89 1100
20
40
60
80
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120
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
$28/share
$30/share$30/share$31/share
$31/share
StandardSummerVegetableCSAPricinginCT
Year
Num
berofCSAs
PreparedbyUConnExtension–2016–page 3
FULL LIST Weekly Pricing data for 2016 Summer CSA Full Shares in Connecticut:
Fairfield County COST/WK County Average: $32.02
Back 40 Farm $38.00 Washington, CT Summer full share: 20 weeks, $760
The Crooked Carrot $25.00 Middlebury, CT Summer full share: 20 weeks, $500
New London County County Average: $34.47
Brown Paper Bag Harry's Farm $36.67 North Franklin, CT Summer full share: 15 weeks, $550
Capital CSA C/O Sweet Acre Farm $30.00 Lebanon, CT Summer full share: 20 weeks, $600 FRESH New London $27.50 New London, CT Summer full share: 20 weeks, $550
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Full Heart Farm $31.25 Ledyard, CT Summer full share: 24 weeks, $750 Hunts Brook Farm $36.11 Quaker Hill, CT Summer full share: 18 weeks, $650 Provider Farm $27.39 Salem, CT Summer full share: 23 weeks, $630 Studio Farm Products $45.83 Voluntown, CT Summer full share: 12 weeks, $550 Upper Pond Farm $40.00 Old Lyme, CT Summer full share: 20 weeks, $800 West Green Farm $34.38 Lebanon, CT Summer full share: 16 weeks, $550 Tolland County County Average: $31.47 Cloverleigh Farm $39.06 Storrs, CT Summer full share: 16 weeks, $625 Cobblestone Farm $28.89 Mansfield Center, CT Summer full share: 18 weeks, $520 Down to Earth CSA $38.75 Stafford, CT Summer full share: 20 weeks, $775 Fox Meadow Farm $30.00 Storrs, CT Summer full share: 15 weeks, $450 Garden of Eat'n CSA $30.00 Ellington, CT Summer full share: 15 weeks, $450 Root Down Farm $28.57 Coventry, CT Summer full share: 21 weeks, $600
Shundahai Farm $31.50 Mansfield, CT Summer full share: 20 weeks, $630 Willow Valley Farm $25.00 Willington, CT Summer full share: 20 weeks, $500 Windham County County Average: $30.52 Abington Grown $15.00 Abington, CT Summer full share: 20 weeks, $300 Blueberry Hill Organic Farm $45.00 Danielson, CT Summer full share: 15 weeks, $675 Devon Point Farm $41.39 Woodstock, CT Summer full share: 18 weeks, $745 Fiddlehead Farmstead $25.00 Pomfret Center, CT Summer full share: 12 weeks, $300 Good Bug Gardens $30.00 Sterling, CT Summer full share: 20 weeks, $600 KD Crop Farms $20.00 Chaplin, CT Summer full share: 28 weeks, $560 Raspberry Knoll Farm $25.00 North Windham, CT Summer full share: 16 weeks, $400 Russo’s Roots $27.27 Canterbury, CT Summer full share: 22 weeks, $600
