Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
Purchase
What is CSA?
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a relationship between our farm and you as our customer. Rather than simply purchasing food, our customers become “members” of this CSA farm who receive a portion of the farm’s harvest.
Our CSA runs for 18 weeks from June to October. Members are responsible for showing up at the barn at the very end of Sanborn Road, Loudon, NH each week to pick up your share of freshly harvested produce. You will receive ¼ bushel (equivalent to ½ of a brown paper grocery bag) of vegetables each week.
Growing Practices
Sanborn Mills Farm is committed to growing high quality food without the use of nonorganic products. By using polyculture practices the Farm is able grow multiple crops in one area, allowing them to complement each other producing greater diversity of products. This also makes them more resilient to weather, pests, and promotes soil fertility. Incorporating livestock, crop rotation, companion plants, and cover crops to our gardens and fields helps us to achieve our goal of producing naturally grown food.
Shared Commitments
Sharing in the Risk of Crop Failure
Our polyculture practices help to make our crops more resilient to weather, pests, and promotes soil fertility thus reducing, but not eliminating the risk of crop failure.
We promise to do our best to provide you with a bountiful share each week. The quantity of produce, however, may vary from week-to-week or month-to-month due to extreme weather, insects, or other production factors despite our best efforts. By joining our CSA, you agree to share the risk of crop failure with us and other members.
In the unlikely event of a crop failure, our procedure is as follows:
If only a small portion of crops fail, we compensate for the failed crops by filling your share with other crops grown on the farm that are ready for harvest at that time. If a large portion of crops fail, we may not be able to deliver any product in some weeks.
Sharing in the Reward of Crop Surplus
In addition to our CSA, our farm sells to farmers markets, and wholesale distributors. Although production is not segregated, our CSA receives priority. After filling our CSA share with the weeks harvest first, the remainder is sold to our other markets.
Drop Site Rules
- A produce bin will be provided for you by Sanborn Mills Farm. On your first pick-up you will be given a bin, which will be full of your vegetables. The next week you will return this bin to the drop site and pick up a fresh (new) bin that will contain your vegetable for that week. You must return last week’s bin each week.
- Pick up your share within the timeframe stated. Although we deliver high-quality produce to the site, it will decline quickly if not picked up in time.
- Follow additional rules and signs posted at your drop site regarding parking/use of certain entrances/bins.
If you cannot pick up your share, you must arrange for someone else to pick it up for you. You are responsible for explaining the pick-up location and procedures to your substitute. Shares that are not retrieved within the pick-up time will be donated to a charity or the Loudon food pantry. We do not allow for changes in pick-up days or weeks. For instance, we will not grant a request to move your scheduled Wednesday pick up time to any other day.
We take the safety of your food seriously. We meet all state food handling requirements. For your added protection, wash all produce before eating.
