Most citizens of El Paso County have never heard of community-supported agriculture. There are too few sustainable farming operations in this arid, cold, wind-swept and hail-strewn region. It takes a brave soul to coax tender plants out of the ground in a harsh environment. However, community-supported agriculture is making its appearance in the region. Pueblo is home to one, and there are numerous growers in the Fremont County area. Arise & Shine Acres is a new community-supported agriculture operation in the Falcon and Colorado Springs area.What is community-supported agricultureCommunity-supported agriculture is a farm that typically sells shares and produce. Customers may pay an annual subscription fee and receive a weekly share of the produce grown and harvested by the farm at no extra cost. Other community-supported agriculture farms reduce the cost of the share if the customer helps with the farm duties, i.e. planting, cultivating, harvesting, etc. Others have no membership fees and require their customers to pay only for what they order on a weekly basis. This way, the customers who do not like zucchini, for example, do not pay for or receive it in their weekly order. Customers normally have input into what is grown on the farm. A community-supported farm belongs to the customers, and the farmer is the manager of the customers’ farm.Why support community-supported agriculture?The farms are locally run. Nearly 100 percent of the money spent with a local producer stays in the local economy. Food grown locally does not have to be shipped and stored in warehouses for long periods; therefore, the food is typically fresh, oftentimes harvested the day it is received. The food received from local natural and organic farmers and ranchers not only tastes better, but also is better for you – a fact that has been tested and proven in the research labs.Local farms are usually small, family-run operations. Local farmers live and work in the community. Supporting local farming and ranching is a way for consumers to regain control of their food supply while enjoying nutritious food.
