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Q: What is a CSA?
A: CSA
stands for “Community Supported Agriculture”. While there are many
different definitions, here are some that best represent what we are
trying to do that we’ve “borrowed” from other places:
From
<www.sustainableag.net/glossary_a-d.htm>:
A nationwide movement linking local consumers and farmers into
communities. Typical CSA's consist of a group of consumer shareholders
that pay a sum in advance in exchange for a regular selection (weekly,
biweekly) of in-season crops produced by a farm.
From
<http://www.liveearthfarm.com/> :
CSA creates a
direct relationship between you and our farm – a partnership, if you will.
In essence, it is a mutually beneficial arrangement, where in exchange for
your commitment to buy a share in our farm's harvest, we commit to grow
exceptionally high quality vegetables and herbs, and deliver a bountiful
portion of it to you every week of the subscription term. Become a member
of our CSA program and every week throughout the subscription term you
will receive a share of fresh, naturally grown, in-season produce and
herbs.
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Q: How do I know if joining a CSA is right for me? I don't want to
pay all that money and then be disappointed.
A: It is a
fact that the CSA model is not for everybody. Now that we've been doing
this for a while, our experience has been that most of our customers
really like the CSA concept, but it is not for everybody.
With
respect to the Food CSA, you probably ARE a good candidate if, in addition
to desiring natural, locally grown, farm-fresh food, you possess one or
more of the following characteristics:
- you and
your family have the time to cook and like cooking and preparing meals
or dishes from scratch;
- you and your family like to cook and are willing to experiment with
new ingredients and recipes;
- you are okay with occasionally getting something in your
box of which you aren't particularly fond (see
this FAQ answer);
- your schedule permits you to regularly make the drop-off time and
location.
You are
probably NOT a good Food CSA candidate if:
- there
are more than one or two vegetables and/or herbs that you and your
family do not like;
- you and your family like fresh food but do not have the time to
prepare it;
- you and your family do not like "surprises", i.e., to experiment with
foods you have not ever eaten;
- you are not willing to be creative when your box contains something you do
not like (again,
see
this FAQ answer);
- you know in advance that your schedule is such that you cannot
regularly make the drop-off time and location.
Whether
the CSA model is or is not right for you, we encourage you to come meet
us and buy off the truck!
With
respect to the Flower CSA, you are probably a good candidate if fresh,
pretty flowers bring you and your family joy and you like regularly
having them around! You might be surprised at the calming, uplifting
power of a colorful, fragrant bouquet!
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Q: How much does it cost?
A: See
Table 1 below for an example of an eight week food CSA term. For
the most up to date price and term information, please see that CSA's
subscription form.
|
Type of Subscription |
Total Cost |
Frequency of package delivery |
|
Full Share |
$80 ($10/package for 8
total packages) |
Weekly |
|
Full Egg Share |
$28 ($3.50/dozen for 8
total dozen) |
Weekly |
Table 1. Subscription Pricing
You may
mix and match any of the share options. For instance, if your family eats
a lot of produce, you can buy two Full Shares for
$80+$80=$160 total. In that example, you will get two, identical
boxes of food every
week to meet your veggie needs. Or you can buy a veggie share and
an egg share, which would provide you a package of produce and a dozen
eggs each week. All of the eggs we sell are all true free range, all
natural, farm fresh eggs.
Additionally, Bee Charmer Raw Honey and extra cartons of eggs will be
available for purchase at the drop location each week. See
Table 2 below for pricing:
|
Item |
Price |
Quantity |
|
Bee Charmer Raw Honey |
$3.50 |
8 oz. net weight |
|
Bee Charmer Raw Honey |
$7.00 |
16 oz. net weight |
|
Farm Fresh Eggs : |
$4 |
dozen |
Table 2. Honey & Egg Pricing
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Q: How long does a
subscription last?
A:
Click here to see answer to #2 above.
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Q: How often do I get
my CSA share?
A: You
will receive your share weekly. We may occasionally be closed for Holidays or weather
events, but we'll announce that as needed.
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Q: What will be in my
CSA share?
A: The
contents of your Food or Flower CSA share will vary by season, by time of the year,
and by what Mother Nature is doing at the time. Our crops are all
naturally grown. We don't use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. We grow
using only organic &
sustainable methods. And we never use genetically modified seed. We
believe in growing crops in season because they are better quality, taste
better, look prettier, last longer and allow us to properly tend the environment in a
sustainable fashion.
We plan
our crops based primarily on what you tell us you like.
This is part of what owning a subscription share means. Your input is
balanced with what will grow well in our area.
The
volume of food you receive for a food share will vary weekly in accordance with the season,
but you can expect to receive 4 to 6 different types of vegetables and
herbs each week. The volume will be higher in the prime part of the
season when the plants are better established than, for instance, in the
beginning of the season when the plants are just beginning to produce. We
will offer larger weekly volume subscription shares for future
subscription terms as we gain CSA experience.
Your
flower CSA share will consist of a seasonally changing bouquet of
beautiful flowers. The value of your bouquet will be at least 10% more
than your weekly subscription cost.
We are
always trying to grow new & interesting crops, and sometimes we will have
crop failures, a fact of life with farming. We will, however, do our best
to grow the freshest, naturally grown crops possible as outlined in our
seasonal plan.
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Q:
What if
I do not like everything that is in my share?
A:
Even though our crop plan is based largely on what you tell us you want,
since we all have different tastes, no doubt you will get something at one
time or another for which you do not care. We cannot do substitutions
ahead of time. However, we will bring extras to the delivery points each
week as availability permits. You will have the opportunity to swap with
us or with each other for something you like better, on a first-come,
first-served basis. Barring that, if you cannot find a friend, neighbor,
or charitable organization who can use it, give it back to us and we will
donate it to
Rockwall Helping Hands.
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Q:
What if I want
extra of something in my package?
A: We
will bring as much extra produce and bouquets to sell to the drop spot as possible.
Occasionally we will bring additional produce to the drop for you to
choose from as an “extra bonus” to your share if you want it. This will
be available at no extra charge to our subscribers.
For
example, you might receive a bunch of radishes in your package. During
the weeks when the radishes are producing heavily, we will bring extra
bunches and give you the option of taking a certain amount of extra
radishes at no extra charge.
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Q:
Does
Barking Cat Farm produce all of the CSA products?
A:
Most of the CSA food crops & all of the flower crops are grown at Barking Cat Farm. When we find other
local growers that produce a premium product and are committed to being
good stewards of the land as we are, you bet we will use their products
whenever it makes sense. There are not that many of us in the area and
naturally grown food is in high demand. We want you to have the opportunity to
support them as we do. We will clearly delineate when something comes
from another grower or producer, and we will give you as much information
about them as we can so that you can feel good about their products and so
that you can buy directly from them if you so desire.
Please see our
Friends page for more information about our cooperating producers.
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Q:
When and where do I
receive my package?
A: The CSA drop is in Rockwall in the Rockwall County
Extension Office parking lot on Friday afternoons. The drop-off
starts at 2:00 PM. We start selling off the truck at 2:00 PM as well.
There is no longer a CSA only sale time. We recommend arriving closer to 2
PM if you want to buy additional produce or eggs off the truck. Please call us if you are running late so that we don't
sell your CSA share off the truck.
To get to the drop-off location, you have two options.
First, you can take FM549 North from I-30. Immediately after you cross the
railroad tracks is a sign pointing to the left for the airport. Turn left
on Airport Road. Proceed about 1.5 miles down that road, passing the
airport, until you reach the Extension Office. It is on the left (south) &
just before a small community garden. Note there are two 90-degree twists
in the road with other roads off of them; stay on the main road. Coming
from downtown Rockwall, you can take Washington eastward towards Harry
Myers Park. Continue down Washington (which turns into various other roads
including Aluminum Plant and Airport Road). Pass Harry Myers Park. The
office will be about 1 mile from downtown Rockwall on the right. It's easy
to find. Click
here for a map as well. The office address is 1350 East Washington and
is at the Soroptimist House. It is a one-story red brick building with a
parking lot in the front. The parking spaces are directional, so the
easiest way to park is to pull in to the eastmost entrance, the one
furthest away from downtown Rockwall. Also, sometimes parking spaces can
be a bit scarce depending on customer volume and the speed with which
Laurie checks them out, so please continue to be respectful of your fellow
customers when parking.
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Q:
I cannot be at the Friday afternoon Rockwall CSA drop-off to buy from
you or to pick up my CSA box or bouquet. Is there some other time or
place I can come pick up my stuff and/or buy your products?
A: We will likely offer other drop-off locations and times
as we grow, but right now we have just the one drop-off on Friday
afternoon. Sorry, we cannot make exceptions because we simply do not have
enough available storage or labor.
As discussed on our About Us
page, we do not have farm visits or the ability to sell products at the
Rockwall County farm location. We are expanding onto larger
acreage in Hunt County. Our goal is to allow farm tours and visits on
that acreage as soon as we are able.
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Q:
What if I need to miss a week?
A: If
you know in advance you are going to be unable to pick up your share a
certain week, for instance you are out of town that week, please let us
know that via
email or phone no later than Tuesday at 5:00 PM on the
week so we can plan our harvest accordingly and minimize waste.
In such cases, you have 3 options. You can arrange for somebody else to
pick up your share, you can ask us to donate it to
Rockwall Helping Hands, or you can ask for a credit on your
account.
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Q:
What if I don’t
show up to pick up my share?
A:
Since our crops are highly perishable, we cannot hold your share after the
drop off. If you miss picking up your share during the scheduled drop
time, we cannot credit your account or replace your missed share. We
may sell your share off the truck after 2:50 PM. Otherwise, we
will donate any shares that are not picked up to
Rockwall Helping Hands so the share does not go to waste.
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Q:
Can I cancel my
subscription later?
A: We
hope that you will find our products and the whole CSA experience to be so
enjoyable that you will not want to cancel. And if you find yourself
unhappy with the CSA for any reason, we respectfully ask that you call or
email us and give us the chance to address your concerns before you
make your final decision. However, if in the end you still wish to cancel
your subscription, we will refund the remainder of your unused share. In
this case, please notify us no later than Tuesday at 5:00 PM on the
week you wish to cancel in order for the refund to cover that
week. Otherwise, you will receive credit for the remainder of the term
beginning the next week.
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Q: How do I
subscribe?
The CSAs
are full at this time. For now, we are no longer accepting waiting list
applications. If you have previously turned in a waiting list form and
received an acknowlegement from us, you are on the waiting list. Please
keep your email address up to date with us since we will notify you via
email when it is your turn to join to the CSA. As CSA shares become
available, we will be contacting people on the waiting list in the order
in which we received their completed wait list form. You are under
no obligation to join at that time.
We are
focused on expanding our production in a sustainable manner as quickly
as we can without compromising quality. Until then, we encourage you to click
here to sign up for the email list in order to receive CSA and general
farm news. As we learn of new farms or CSA's in the area, we'll announce
them in our weekly update. You can unsubscribe from the
mailing list at any time, and we do not share any of your information with
anybody else.
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Q:
When my
subscription expires, how do I renew it?
A:
Prior to the end of the current subscription term, we will publish
specifics for the next CSA term to our CSA subscribers. Current
subscribers will be given first option to renew their subscription for the
next term. Then people on the
waiting list will be contacted and given the opportunity to
subscribe. More below on this. If there are available shares after that,
they will be offered to everybody else on the email list.
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Q:
The
CSA I'm interested in is full. How do I get on the waiting list?
A: Please see this previous
answer.
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Q:
How long is the waiting list & how long will I have to wait to join the
CSA?
A: The waiting list for the Food CSA is very long. We appreciate your support, enthusiasm and patience. We
are growing as quickly as we can without sacrificing sustainability and
the quality of the food we grow.
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Q:
When will you offer CSA
shares again?
Our Food CSA operates nearly year round. As we are able, we
add shares when a new term starts. Please see
above for
more information.
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Q:
I don’t live in or near Rockwall. Will you deliver to my area?
A: Due
to our current size and production volume, we will not be able to do
additional drops other than the Rockwall drop. However, as we
continue to grow, we will be adding drop locations.
In
order to keep current with the status of the farm, please
join our mailing list for news and announcements. That sign-up form
asks for your city as well as your preferred CSA drop off location.
Please be sure to complete these fields when you join the mailing list.
This is very important information that will help us decide on the
location of future
drop-off points. You can unsubscribe from the mailing list at any time, and we do
not share any of your information with anybody else.
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Q:
Why did Barking
Cat Farm use a CSA model, why can't I just order what I want?
A:
Because we are a small farm with few employees, we are always exploring
ways to work more efficiently so that we can better serve our customers.
This is largely a trial-and-error approach. A
pre-order/cut-to-order approach seemed reasonable when we started selling
our produce, but in practice it involved a lot of overhead and
administrative effort. The CSA approach allows us to spend less
time and effort on administrative tedium and more effort planning and
growing the best quality, freshest food and flowers you can get!
As we
continue to grow, we will look at better ways to serve you. We may
eventually even think the pre-order method is worth revisiting. And
we always welcome your thoughts, suggestions, and feedback.
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Q:
May I still buy
flowers, produce, honey, & eggs
without subscribing to the CSA?
A: Yes, we will bring extra flowers, produce, eggs,
and honey to the CSA drops to sell, first come first served. But we
are not able to take pre-orders.
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Q:
I keep hear you talk about sustainability. What does that mean?
A: As
with the term CSA itself, this term means many different things to many
people. There is no universal definition, but
here is a good legal one. Our basic definition is to reduce the need
to bring in outside materials to the farm while taking care of the
environment (soil, air, water, creatures). We do this in a lot of ways.
Examples include good soil management (cover cropping, green manures, no
or low till), natural pest control (integrated pest management such as the
use of bats and beneficial insects and our fingers to control the pest
population, targeted organic pesticides only when necessary), and good
water management (drip irrigation, use of rain water). Our goal is a
lofty 100% sustainability, and we are working to achieve that.
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Q:
Why don’t you
grow my favorite veggie or flower or herb?
A: As
mentioned
above, we listen to you when making crop decisions. We
periodically conduct surveys to gauge interest in various crops that do well here. In the meantime,
if you have a suggestion, we want to hear it. Please
email us and let us know your thoughts.
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Didn't answer your question? Please drop
us a line at
info@barkingcatfarm.com
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