Community Supported Agriculture growing Agreements make consumers shareholders

NEWPORT – A howling wind rattled the old dairy barn Thursday, but Ryan Parker was deep in a spring mood anyway.

He was kneeling on the cement floor, a pile of soil and a bucket of water in front of him. Mixing as carefully as if he were creating a special cake, Parker used a garden trowel to churn the soil and water. When he was satisfied that all was blended correctly, he packed a handheld contraption with soil and then used the plunger on its top to push out little blocks of compacted soil.

Parker put a tiny seed in each block – corn, lettuce, kale, tomatoes, herbs – to be transplanted later this spring from his greenhouse to his fields.

“It is really hard to hold back at this time of year,” Parker admitted Thursday, as he prepared and yearned for the growing season.

Parker is launching his first year of Community Supported Agriculture, a farm-share concept that benefits consumers and farmers.

Today, there are more than 80 CSAs in Maine, which is more than the entire country had 10 years ago. In 2003, Maine only had 23 CSAs.

The CSA model has roots that reach back 30 years to Japan and a group of women concerned about the increase in food imports and the corresponding decrease in the farming population.

The arrangement, called “teikei” in Japanese, translates to “putting the farmer’s face on the food.”

The concept is simple: farmers and consumers enter into an agreement and become, in essence, a community. Individuals pledge their support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or spiritually, the community’s farm.

Typically, members of the farm pledge to buy shares of the farm in advance of the season. The farmer then not only has an idea of how much he should grow, but also has startup capital for seeds and equipment.

Throughout the growing season, the shareholders receive the farm’s bounty: a natural, local source of food.

Parker has provided produce to restaurants in the past, but this year wanted to expand as a CSA farm.

“I love the idea of a CSA,” he said this week. “I like the community aspect as well. I will run mine as close to a business as possible, but I’m still looking forward to having a relationship with my customers.”

For Parker, who has a music degree from the University of Maine, operating a CSA is a social philosophy.

“It is ridiculous how far food travels and is handled by as many people as it is before it reaches Maine consumers,” he said. “Local should mean within the community.”

With recent food scares such as tainted spinach and lettuce, consumers are seeking the safety and purity local food can provide, he said.

“We think the best approach to buying food is one that sticks to the adage ‘Know thy grower,'” Parker said. “We want to build a relationship with the consumers and chefs that buy our crops. We believe farming should consist of a mutual trust between the grower and the consumer.”

The public’s need for pure food is translating into more farmers’ markets, more farm stands and a lot more CSAs.

“The growing awareness of the value of buying local foods has certainly contributed to this increase in farms offering CSA opportunities,” Jane Aiudi of the Maine Department of Agriculture’s Marketing Division said Friday. “People are once again feeling connected to where their food is produced. Each farm’s CSA program is tailored to their specific market, crops and customers. They range from pick-your-own opportunities to home deliveries, and some even encourage shareholders to come work on the farm. This allows consumers to choose a CSA that fits their needs and lifestyle.”

Parker, who raises vegetables at both Newport on leased property and at his home in Winterport, intends to grow everything from early lettuce to fall ornamental corn and squash. He said CSA customers and farmers must be flexible and be willing to experiment with various types of produce.

Parker can be reached at 356-6577 or at parkerproduce@

hotmail.com.

For more information about CSAs in other areas of Maine, a search by county is available online at GetrealMaine.com.