Paradise Orchard

Family run apple orchard in Cache County

The United States Department of Agriculture defines CSA as ”a network or association of indivuals who have pledged to support one or more local farms, with growers and consumers sharing the risks and benefits of food production.” [1] This is most frequently seen as a subscription farm, where a farm or group of farms will sell shares of produce, and as food is harvested it is delivered to shareholders throughout the season.

Produce is more likely to be distributed with independent marketing arrangments, rather than large shippers and processing companies. The independent growers who participate in CSAs are also more likely to farm a greater variety of crops. This variety includes a more complex system of crop rotation, allowing the land to naturally balance and restore the nutrients in it.  High crop variety provides for a stronger ecosystem on the farm and provides opportunity for natural solutions to pests, soil conditions, and other concerns. This reduces the likelihood that a farmer will use chemical inputs such as pesticides or fertilizers.  Because of this, CSA farmers are also more likely to be organic farmers, and to focus on the fresh market. [3]