FRESH

• Our produce is picked when fully ripened by the sun giving it a larger percentage of nutrients absorbed from the sun and soil.

• Our produce is picked within 24 hours of being distributed, giving members the freshest produce possible.  

ORGANIC

• Produce is “beyond organic”. The majority of organically approved chemicals will never be used on our farm because of our concern for the health of the community and the local environment.

LIVING SOIL

• We are committed to not tilling our soil and doing everything we can to build the life and health of the soil which dramatically improves the ability of plants to absorb nutrients and minerals. 

VARIETY

• Receiving a bag of seasonal produce each week helps members include a wider variety of fresh vegetables in their diet, which helps prevent against being deficient in certain vitamins and minerals.  

FUEL

• We currently put almost 10 kcal of fossil fuel energy into our food system for every 1 kcal of energy we get as food. 

• Transporting food over long distances also generates greater quantities of carbon dioxide emissions. 

• In order to transport food long distances, much of it is picked while still unripe and then gassed to “ripen” it after transport, or it is highly processed in factories using preservatives, irradiation, and other means to keep it stable for transport and sale.

• When you participate in a local food system like our CSA, you are reducing fossil fuel consumption, pollution, and waste.

• Source: CUESA

ORGANIC

• Pesticide, herbicide, and fungicide runoff is polluting soil, water, and air. When you support our CSA, you are advocating for cleaner soil, water, and air for the ecology, and for future generations.

Source: NCBI

BIODIVERSITY​

• Instead of using practices that decrease wildlife and insect populations like conventional agriculture, we have dedicated 1/5 of our growing area as “wild beds” and surrounded the perimeter of our farm with a wild hedgerow. Within this space we are growing native grasses, flowers, shrubs, and trees to attract birds and beneficial insects and give habitat to wildlife. 

• Rather than growing our vegetables in the same bed every year, we rotate crops and grow different types of plants together to help decrease pests. This also helps cover the soil contributing to better water retention. When you grow a nitrogen-fixing plant with a plant that requires nitrogen, they help support each other; also, plants with deeper tap roots can mine those minerals up and share them with shorter-rooted plants.

SOIL 

• Why do we not till the soil?  A fistful of soil can contain up to 100 million beneficial bacteria, up to 5000 insects, worms, etc. Tilling the soil decreases 33% of the organic matter in the soil each time you till. It removes carbon from the soil and releases it into the environment. It fractures the soil and causes erosion and less water holding capacity contributing to more water used and wasted. Source: NRCS

BEAUTIFICATION

• Countless people walking by have thanked us for turning a barren piece of land into a productive farm covered with wildflowers and flowering shrubs and trees. One Emerson neighbor said it was one of the only places she could walk to with her kids to feel like they could experience being in nature. 

CONNECTION

• One of the reasons we love having our farm next to a public school and neighborhood is the opportunity for so many people to see how produce is planted, cared for, and harvested.

• We send weekly emails and have a Facebook group to help members feel connected to our farmer and fellow members of the Emerson community. 

SUSTAINABILITY

• When people contribute to our CSA it is helping support us in our journey of improving the quality of our produce and it helps us expand and grow a greater quantity of produce for our community in a sustainable way.