Abbe Hills Farm, in rural Mount Vernon, is among the Community Supported Agriculture farms listed in Iowa’s 2015 directory. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
If you’re in the Iowa City area, you still have a chance to meet local farmers who operate Community Supported Agriculture farms during a CSA Fair this Thursday, Feb. 26, at the University of Iowa College of Public Health Building.
Find more information about that event here and in the meantime, the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture has released the updated directory of Iowa CSA Farms for the 2015 growing season.
Members of CSAs pay an annual fee to the farmer to receive weekly shares of a farm’s fresh produce during the growing season. The farmers, in return, have a guaranteed source of income.
Iowa saw the number of CSAs grow from 50 in 2006 to more than 90 in 2012.
The updated directory lists 85 CSA farms, so there likely are a handful missing or some may no longer exist. I found it interesting that the Dubuque area doesn’t have any CSA farms listed, but most regions of the state offer at least one.
Click on the link to find the directory, which is searchable by county and provides contact information, as well as products each farm offers. Some, for example, have meat, honey, eggs, baked goods or herbs, in addition to fresh fruits and vegetables.
Read here for more about Iowa’s CSAs.
And, as Susan mentioned in her comment, here is a link to Small Frye Farm: www.smallfryefarm.com
Dear Homegrown Iowa: I have submitted listings for my CSAs in Johnson and Scott Counties. Please get me in the system! Thank you. Susan Frye, Iowa City and Maysville.
Thank you, Susan. I hope the state can get that into the directory soon! Feel free to leave your contact information here, so people know where to reach you.