Farm Fresh Produce - Organic Practices - Stewardship of the Land
Updated April 4, 2007
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Experience the difference with Annie's Acres
Buying food at the supermarkets most often means being left in the dark about its origin or quality. As the supermarkets become larger, their suppliers increasingly become "mega farms" or large conglomerate agri-businesses. Large operations of this nature are not able to produce foods without "pushing" agriculture to its limits by chemical and artificial means. The end result is most often food of compromised quality and safety. There is also an unbelievable amount of waste through spoilage in transit and storage. Most supermarkets experience waste of up to 40% of the produce they get off the trucks.
There is a better way!
Community Supported Agriculture is an approach to farming that creates a unique teamwork between the consumer and the farmer. It is a relationship of mutual trust and support. The consumer agrees to help support the farm economically with the payment of an annual fee. The farmer agrees to provide the best possible quality products and deliver them conveniently to the customer.
By participating in a CSA, you can be confident about the quality and integrity of the food on your table. You will be working with us to support the local economy and a way of life that fosters stewardship of the land and respects God's creation. With a CSA. . . . . . everyone wins!
How does Annie's Acres CSA Work?
Our CSA is based on "shares". One share is the amount of product that a family of four would normally consume in one week. (about one grocery bag) If a family chooses the "one share" plan, they would receive that amount of produce every week starting the last week of May and continuing through the last week of October (24 weeks). You can chose one share or a half share. Members can choose how they want to receive a "half share". You can either get a full share box every other week, or half a box every week. CSA members fill out a survey early each year in which they select from the list of available produce and show other preferences. This survey is then used as a guide when their share boxes are filled. Items (in season) above and beyond the normal share can be ordered at any time for delivery with your share. In addition to produce, members could receive items such as; honey, eggs, flowers, granola, homemade hand soap, beeswax candles, and a variety of other items as they are available.
Share boxes are picked up at drop off points in various communities at a designated time each week. They can also be picked up at the farm or for a small fee can be delivered to your door. We are still working out some of these details and will have more information and updates on drop-off points in upcoming weeks.
A newsletter will be included in all share boxes that contains news and helpful information including food preparation ideas. It will also serve as a sounding board for CSA and Sustainable Farming related topics.
So what is a "Share Box"
The "Share Box" is a waxed cardboard box that measures 11" x 15" x 6". This is approximately 1/2 bushel. It will be packed according to the preferences that you provided on your membership application form and on the Spring Survey Sheet that you received with your membership packet. There is a plastic pouch on the box that will contain your weekly newsletter, a post card you can use to contact us, and a packing card that travels with the box. Boxes are reused but are retired when they are no longer serviceable.
Our Farming Practices!
Many terms are used to describe how food is produced. We follow organic practices here at Annie's Acres. We can't sell our produce as "organic" however as we have not gone through the lengthily and expensive certification process for our farm. We are not certain how important this actual certification is to you but are considering whether or not to head in that direction. Our "Spring Survey" has a question on it that addresses this topic. Certifying organic means more accountability but it does come with a price tag as well. We need to know if you are willing or wanting to pay more for "organic" produce. Some of our specific farming practices are:
When we sell you a "share" in what we are doing, we become accountable to you and want to be totally open about how we do business. Please let us know how we are doing and if our practices are on target.
What kind of produce can I expect to find in my "Share Box"?
Peas, Beans, Rutabagas, Beets, Okra, Brussels sprouts, Lettuce, Spinach, Radishes, Carrots, Tomatoes, Egg plant, Onions, Peppers, Cauliflower, Herbs, Fresh Spices, Summer and Winter squash, Dill, Chives, Parsley, Pumpkins, Watermelon, Rhubarb, Potatoes, Sweet Corn, Kohlrabi, Cucumbers, Horseradish, Red and Green Cabbage, Broccoli, Asparagus, and other items as available.
Other food item you can get at a slight additional cost are, Honey, Honey candy, Honey straws, Granola, and Eggs. You can either call, email us, or use the order card in the plastic pouch on your returned share box to order these additional items. None food items such as flowers, gourds, Indian corn, beeswax candles and homemade hand soaps are ordered in the same manner. A more complete listing of produce and other items will be included on this web site and also in the printed newsletter as they become available. Honey items can be seen on the Ranum's 1887 Brand home page(click on link below).
What is the cost to become a member?
We have tried to keep membership as simple but yet as flexible as possible. We also committed to bringing you the best value for this type of product. The following options are available for the 2007 year:
How do I become a member?
It's easy, just fill out a membership application form (click on link below to download pdf version of form) and mail it with a check(s) to us at the address below. You will then receive a membership packet that will tell you more about our CSA project. The packet will have survey form in it that will provide choices for you to customize your share box. It will also supply us with other needed information about you that will help us serve you better. All information we collect from you is kept absolutely private and is used only for the purposes of this CSA. Return the form to:
Annie's Acres
13040 Fort Defiance Rd.
Darlington, WI 53530
To download a pdf copy of an application form to become a member of Annie's Acres, click on the link below. You will need to have a copy of Acrobat Reader installed on you computer. You may also call or write for an application packet and we will mail it to you.
News From the Farm, April 2, 2007
Snow?!
It would seem that winter is not finished with us! Several days of lows in the 20's and even down to the 10's are predicted for this week. Though this weather is not exactly what we would choose, it is to be expected for this time of year in Wisconsin. Some tasks have been temporarily put on hold for this week. We have waited with the stretching of the film on the greenhouse and moving of plants into it. The rototiller still sits idle, as the ground is still far to wet to work. Both the seeds and the planters (us) are ready and waiting for the warm sunshine and the smell of fresh turned dirt!
Seed potato has been purchased. Two varieties will be planted this year. Yukon Golds and Norland Reds. More green bunching onions are also ready to plant.
This weeks update will be a bit on the brief side as tasks abound this time of year. Mark's current task is to nurse our old Chev 4x4 truck back to health. Like its owner, it is showing some age with 225,000 miles on it and needs a. front driveshaft overhaul. Lot's of fun! More news later.
Warm wishes!
Annie, Mark, Teresa, and Vannesa
The Choice Is Ours! (March 26, 2007)
More time is now being spent with the bees as they too are stirring with this wonderfully warm weather. The beekeeping industry has been in the news frequently as of late with beekeepers across the nation experiencing huge loses in their bee-yards. Our Lafayette county beekeepers are also seeing tremendous loses of up to 40 percent of their bees. Industry leaders are at a loss to completely explain what is going on and this segment of farming is taking an alarming financial hit. We have experienced this devastation first hand last year with a loss of 220 of our 277 hives of bees (80 percent). Most of the loses we experienced were due to the "mite" problem that is in the news and our decision not to use what we felt were dangerous chemicals to treat the bees. I bring this up as this topic is a good example of how the food supply is so effected by this type of problem.
Almost all farmers use chemicals to some degree. Some farming practices like Sustainable Agriculture or Organic Farming use alternatives to bathing crops in harsh herbicides, pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and in the case of animals, antibiotics and growth hormones. The beekeeping industry is no different. Whenever chemicals of any nature are used in farming, there is always the danger of residues showing up in the product. However lively hoods have been on the line and hard decisions have been made by some beekeepers to use chemicals such as organic phosphate insecticides in the hive (the word organic doesn't always mean something good). The results have been dismal. Some researchers are saying beekeepers have poisoned and contaminated the hive equipment to the point that the bees can no longer survive in them. The story is complex but the bottom line is that economic incentives and in the case of beekeeping, economic crisis end up driving decisions in the food industry instead of what is best for the consumer's health.
This is only part of the equation though. Farming in the United States is highly regulated. There are safeguards in place that if adhered to, reduce the risks to consumers. The problem though is that a very high percentage of the food on our tables is not from the US! We invite trouble onto our tables willingly for the sake of cheap food. The average consumption of honey is about one pound per person per year. This represents in excess of 200 million pounds of honey per year consumed by Americans. 260 million pounds of honey were brought into the United States from China last year! Honey from China has a history of being tainted with antibiotics and other chemicals. It has also been cut with corn syrup and thousands of barrels have been brought in that are only 49 percent honey. By doing that, import duties are not paid as it is labeled "bakers blend" and not honey. It is then relabeled as honey and ends up on the supermarket shelves. The worst of it is that in many cases, it has been falsely labeled as "product of US". Add to the health risks the fact that this honey has been dumped on the market at sometimes less than 30 cents a pound! This is almost one-third the cost of production of US honey! How is the conscientious honey producer to compete with that?
The story is the same in so many other areas of agriculture. An informed consumer that is committed to quality and integrity of product can make all the difference in the world. As it has been said so many times before, we cast a vote every time we purchase something. The way we spend our money dictates what system we will support. There is so much more at stake than our food budget. That is in part why we are so encouraged by the concept of Community Supported Agriculture and are becoming involved in it. This is why we feel that it is so very important that our food dollars are used in a way that will support and allow local agriculture to flourish. Good food can be produced using no harmful chemicals. It is harder and more expensive to do but it can and is being done. My question is, are we willing to pay the price for good food, or will we instead pay the price of diminished health, contaminated ground water, and ruined land? The choice is ours. Let our votes be counted!
Mark Ranum
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More information to come!
Please visit this sight occasionally as we will be updating it every week. (once a month during produce season)