Cooperative CSA Program Being Launched

CHARTER MEMBERSHIP INCLUDES SIX FARMS
 

SLO FARMER'S CO-OP
 

A French word terroir describes the unique combination of earth, climate, soil and farming practices that affects the flavor of a grape and ultimately the fine wine that is produced from it.

Similarly, those who have experienced the indisputable taste difference of eggs, honey, meats, fruits, and vegetables produced locally by the Sustainable, Local, Organic (SLO) Farmer’s Co-op understand the flavorful consequence of food grown or raised organically or with common sustainability standards of care.

Made up of a group of six unique area farms, the emerging SLO Farmer’s Co-op has a common goal to bring high quality, fresh food to a growing customer base in northeast Wisconsin. In May, the SLO Co-op will launch a Custom Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program that will offer vegetables, fruits, meat, micro greens, eggs and honey to individuals and families through a partnership commitment.

Currently, the group is working on software that will show their “store” as a single entity to ensure uniformity in presentation, pricing and marketing of a variety of products available through this combined pool of local producers.

“Customers will be incentivized to buy into the program up front, and pricing of the Custom CSA will be based on tiers. The greater the commitment, the greater the bonus. There will also be an opportunity for new customers to put their toe in the water, to get more comfortable with the process and with a food-share program in general,” said Ron Schweigert, owner of Flying Tractor Farm and one of the founding members of the SLO Farmer’s Co-op.

Individually, each farm has their own following of clients and sells year-round to individuals at markets, to businesses, or as part of wholesale CSAs. Some raise beef cattle and pigs, others specialize in poultry and eggs, and still others grow vegetables, fruits, nuts, micro-greens or produce honey. Member farms are geographically located within a 17-county footprint outlined by the Co-op’s bylaws and include the Flying Tractor Farm, Full Circle Community Farm, Golden Bear Farm, Groche Organic Farms, Viola’s Kitchen Garden and Kellner’s Back Acre Garden.

Members collaborate rather than compete to keep prices fair for both farmers and customers, and the Co-op creates a regional entity for the promotion of locally grown, quality, organic or sustainable foods that meet specific quality standards.

"The Co-op presents a value chain where customers can buy fresh quality food at fair prices while contributing to sustainability and supporting local small or mid-size farms and allowing farmers to make a fair living."
–Valerie Dantoin, NWTC

The SLO focuses on four pillars of sustainability: sustainable incomes, in sustainable communities, using sustainable production practices for sustainable health. Set standards include but are not limited to quality food production without hormones, products grown and harvested without synthetic fertilizers or herbicides and pesticides, and with a commitment to sustainability of fresh water resources, open spaces and other natural surroundings.

“The Co-op presents a value chain where customers can buy fresh quality food at fair prices while contributing to sustainability and supporting local small or mid-size farms and allowing farmers to make a fair living,” said Valerie Dantoin, president of the SLO Co-op and an instructor at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, where she heads the Sustainable Food and Agriculture System Program.

“Our goal is to have 130 Custom CSA customers or families who want to be part of this food value chain, partnering with the farmer, taking an interest in the production of their food, or even helping to work the land if they want to,” she said.

According to Dantoin, there is a clear consumer trend towards a local, organic movement in Northeast Wisconsin including less meat and more vegetables and fruits. It isn’t to the level experienced in Madison or Milwaukee yet, but consumers are looking to eat healthier, more sustainable food with “fewer miles on it.”

In 2018, the Co-op introduced a retail meat-share program that offers monthly mixed boxes of beef, pork and chicken or stand-alone orders of single meat. The boxes are the best economic deal for customers since the farmer decides what goes into the box within certain pre-defined parameters. The new Custom CSA will give the consumer a free hand to choose more specifically what they want on an individually cut basis as well as add the vegetable, fruit and other product choices.

“If a client is expecting family for a visit one week and wishes to add onto the amount of food for that time frame, they will have the flexibility to do that,” Schweigert said. “If they wish to select specific types of meats or vegetables within their orders, there is flexibility to do this, too.”

Online customer orders received by the SLO Co-op Thursday through Sunday will be scheduled for pickup or delivery the following week at specific locations. With farms located in Manitowoc, Little Suamico, Pulaski, Denmark, Door County and Green Bay, each of the members will have a role in the distribution of fresh products.

“Producers in the Co-op are all guided by the same principles and work together as well as learn from each other,” Dantoin said. Schweigert regularly invites people to his home and Flying Tractor Farm to see how his chickens live and are fed and to view his many sustainable land practices. Customers and interested visitors walk away with a better understanding of where their food comes from.

“Through education, member adherence to quality standards and direct marketing exposure, our meat share program and wholesale CSA business continues to grow. The collective online presence of the new Custom CSA will allow for the pooling of resources and further customization of orders,” Schweigert said. “Our goal is to have such a demand and customer base that we are looking for additional farmers to join the SLO to fulfill orders.”

For more information about the SLO Farmer’s Co-op, go to www.slofarmersco-op.com.