CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture; what it means is the subscribers pay upfront for their produce, thereby guaranteeing themselves a share of the harvest and providing the farmer with the money needed for seeds, labour, tillage, amendments, irrigation and so on. This makes it possible for the farmer to grow for their community without going deep into debt every spring. This also allows for the whole community, farmer and food lover, to share in the risks and benefits of the harvest. If it is a difficult growing season there may be less variety or abundance, yet if things go well the subscribers benefit accordingly.

The CSA alternative is a locally-based economic model, and it has many benefits other than giving the farmer seed money before the season starts. When the farmer can grow without fear of bankruptcy of crippling debt they are able to do a better job and produce more high quality food. CSA’s give farmer’s job security, regardless of variables like weather, which the farmer has no control over. Also, because the farmer is selling directly to the customer, there is no grocery store or wholesaler taking a cut. This doesn’t mean food in a CSA is cheaper than the local grocery store, but it does mean the food from your local CSA is fresher and produced in a more ethical, sustainable way that takes things like fair wages for good work and the a healthy ecosystem into account.

To sum it up, a CSA is a food distribution system that enables food lovers to support local agriculture, give farmers job security, take care of the environment and guarantee themselves a share of fresh, healthy local produce at a fair price.

It is cheaper to grow a head of lettuce on a 500 acre mono-crop lettuce farm in California with poorly paid migrant workers, massive capital infrastructure and harvesting equipment than on our little farm here in Pemberton. We plant, weed and harvest mostly everything by hand, we pay fair wages, and we use farming practices that make the ecosystem healthier and more diverse. Yet that head of lettuce you get in your CSA, which was harvested fresh for you and grown without negative environmental impact, is about the same cost as the one that is 3 weeks old from California. The one from California is still labeled Organic, but it is grown on a big factory farm and the social and environmental impacts of factory farming are all too apparent. So by the time you work in the costs of transport, refrigeration, wholesalers, grocery stores, not to mention the environmental externalities incurred by factory farms, our head of lettuce is about the same price as theirs. But ours is fresher, tastier and healthier for you and the ecosystem. That’s because of the wonderful CSA model and the fact that we eliminate all the middle men and sell our produce close to home so it doesn’t travel so far.

There are some things we can’t grow as cheap as Mexico or California or even the Okanagan. Things like peppers and tomatoes that love heat often need a greenhouse to do well in Pemberton, so those cost more and that is the fair price of eating locally. Every week we make sure that our CSA customers are getting a fair value in their box, we make a list and assign a fair market value to each item and make sure it adds up to more than what you are paying. Signing up for Ice Cap’s CSA means you are supporting local agriculture, giving farmers job security, taking care of the environment and getting a good value.

We send a newsletter out every week letting you know whats happening on the farm, what to expect in your box and recipes or cooking ideas for the seasonal produce. We also offer CSA members extras such as weekly egg shares, farm-made unpasteurized Sauerkraut, pickling cucumber packs, floral bouquets and more.

Cost:

$800 for the full season up front

$410/installment if paid in two parts, April & August

Duration:

20 weeks of harvest boxes:

Full Season: June 19th- October 30th

Payment:

If you pay for the full season in advance, payment is $800 for the 20 weeks. Payment due upon signing up. Space is limited.

If you wish to pay in two instalments , payment of $410 is due right away to reserve your spot and payment of $410 due by August 1st.

Payment can be made online through our Farm Shop with credit, PayPal, Interac e-transfer, or cheque made payable to Ice Cap Organics sent to 770 Green Rd, Pemberton, BC, V0N 2L2