An excellent illustration of a CSA farm, or community supported agriculture, is Confluence Farm, on County Road 38. Mary Vozar and Paul Bohmann have worked for five years to grow spring greens and other certified naturally grown food.
They offer a CSA program for their food, encouraging folks to sign up for a box of vegetables for two months, either in the spring or the fall. The spring CSA is from April 14 through June 2 and the fall program is September through December. After the June share is over, however, they continue to have greens and other food that they offer by the week to customers.
The certified naturally grown food is a grassroots alternative to organic, and all our customers love the food we grow, Vozar said.
All their food is organic, but they have chosen not to be recognized by the government as organic.
They had 12 members of their CSA this past spring, and eight members the fall before that.
This year has been challenging, Bohmann said.
The smaller amount of snow and the wetter, colder May has made growing difficult at times.
The farm, so named because the confluence of Mud Creek and the Mancos River is on their property, is worked solely by Vozar and Bohmann. It covers about 27 acres, but only two are being cultivated.
Were not set up for interns or any other kind of help right now, Bohmann said. And thats fine ... Weve chosen to stay small, and our customers really appreciate that.
Vozar and Bohmann both have part time jobs away from the farm, so staying small is best for them. Vozar has been growing food for more than 30 years, so she knows a lot about the ins and outs of it. Bohmann keeps things going on the farm, making them work the way they should.
Ninety-five percent of what we do is done by hand, Bohmann said. The only machine we own is a tiller.
They are also receiving a greenhouse, thanks to the National Resources Conservation Service. They already use frost covers and low tunnels to keep their plants from freezing and getting eaten by insects. The valley where they are located is generally 4 to 6 degrees colder than the rest of the area, because of a cold sink, Bohmann said.
The two grow many greens that are popular with their customers, such as spinach, baby beets and greens, leaf lettuce, Chinese cabbage, bok choy, Asian greens and assorted herbs. They have a whole large field full of potatoes and many rows of garlic, planted last November, which they plan to use for seed garlic.
Bohmann and Vozar have a great set up for the customers who come out and pick up their veggies each week. All the customer has to do is grab the box that has already been sorted with their choice of food. Vozar and Bohmann also offer baked goods, cheeses, jams, jellies and Marys special bread.
Theyve tried the farmers markets, but found that theyre not a good way for them to get their produce out to people.
With a CSA, we know how much to harvest each week, and we can plan a lot better, Vozar said. More people are looking for fresh food but are not always willing to go to a farmers market to get it. We like to think we fill that niche.
We try to focus on the beginning and the end of the season, and its worked well for us, Bohmann said. Its all about sustainability and how fast youre willing to get there.
Bohmann and Vozar can be reached at confluencefarm@yahoo.com.