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Sunday, April 13, 2014

Find a Farmers Market/CSA Near You

Are you wanting to join a CSA for fresh weekly produce but not sure if there is a farm close to you that provides a CSA program?
Some of our  CSA shares from 2013 season and Indiana corn and Fall Squash from 2013

Being a CSA member is a great way to get locally grown produce that is fresh and provides members a wide variety of produce to enjoy. It shows support to your local farmer and local economy. CSAs or Community Supported Agriculture programs and farmers markets are on the rise throughout the United States as the population is striving to eat healthier and gain more knowledge about where their food comes from and how it is grown.
A great tool to find farmers markets or produce farms near you are some of the search engines geared towards farms. One being Local Harvest. Here you can search for farms and farmers markets that are local to you. You can also search for a certain product you are looking for, rather it be beef, produce, honey, eggs, and the list goes on. Or you can search for farms, CSAs, or farmers markets by location. With this technology, farms can list their products for a small fee every year and gain advertisement for their farm. Farms can list their CSA information and websites. Farmers markets can be listed with details about the market such as times and vendors. It is a great tool for consumers to find what they are looking for that is local. 
The mobile version of Local Harvest

With consumers so interested in where their food comes from and how it is grown, this provides key examples for farmers to show them using social media. Another great tool for consumers to take advantage of.
With this technology the consumer can see close to first hand the ways that farmers produce their crop. Facebook, Instagram, twitter, websites and blogs all provide ways that the consumer can get a inside view at farm happenings and production. Many farms use one or several forms of these to help advertise and share their product. Find the local farm you buy from on these social media sites and follow them. Farmers post about their daily production. For example, I posted on my Instagram and Facebook page about cutting potatoes today getting them ready to plant. Consumers can use these sites to follow their favorite farms and farms they support. Farms that take advantage of these social media sites like putting the information and photos out there also.
 Facebook and Instagram post today


This post is part of a 3 part series. Part one is here. Check back tomorrow for a little overview of our farm in part 3.

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