National Resources for Local Farms
CSA IDEAS LAB
Accelerating thought into action
A regular discussion series focused exclusively on topics of interest to CSA farmers and farmer support providers
PAST EVENTS
Watch recordings of our Past Ideas Lab sessions
Click on a video title to jump to a specific session
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Agritourism: How to Fully Utilize Your Land & Resources 4.11.2023
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Multi-Farm & Cooperative CSA Models 2.28.2023
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Cultivating a Money Mindset 12.15.2022
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Focus on Farm Labor 10.11.2022
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Changes in CSA Consumer Preferences 8.30.2022
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Going Beyond Produce: Meat, Fish, Grain, & Flower CSAs 3.29.2022
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Sure-fire Strategies to Promote CSA 2.2.2021
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Virtual Engagement 10.29.2020
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CSA as a Vehicle for Food Access 9.24.2020
aGRITOURISM: HOW TO FULLY UTILIZE YOUR LAND & RESOURCES 4.11.2023
Agritourism is a way to bring more customer engagement & revenue to your CSA, & there are many ways to approach it. Listen to Fresh of Fresher Together, Nichki of Letterbox Farm, & Devon of Sunlight Gardens share their stories of creative land & resource usage that they take on in addition to running their farm. Going beyond just CSA member events, agritourism programs open up additional ways for people to visit your farm, have fun, & draw in more interaction from your greater community.
Multi-farm & cooperative csa models 2.28.2023
Learn about how two multi-farm CSA operations got to where they are today in this engaging discussion. Speakers Ashley C. Smith from Black Soil KY in Kentucky & Charrisha Hillery from the Fresno Farm Box in California will share their experiences & guide our conversation on what cooperative, aggregated, multi-farm CSA programs can look like. Check out the resources shared in the video description!
Cultivating a money mindset 12.15.2022
Annie Salafsky, founder & former co-owner of Helsing Junction Farms CSA for nearly three decades, shares her experience & expertise around building a financially successful CSA business. In this engaging conversation, Annie speaks directly to challenges faced, while giving sound advice on how to make CSA work for you.
FOCUS ON FARM LABOR 10.11.2022
Hear from two experts on farm labor: Sarah Janes Ugoretz, of FairShare CSA Coalition, & Liz Henderson, of NOFA & URGENCI. Learn about farmers' labor challenges, bringing farm employee perspectives into the picture, & more.
CHANGES IN CSA CONSUMER PREFERENCES 8.30.2022
UC-Davis professor Ryan Galt chats about changes in CSA consumer preferences. Learn about the changing landscape of consumer choices, external factors driving differences in CSA sales, & how CSA member preferences & buying patterns have evolved over time.
Dive into Ryan's research: "The (un)making of “CSA people”: Member retention and the customization paradox in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in California."
digital promotion & engagement for csa farmers 6.29.2022
Hear from two experts in the world of online selling and promotion for farmers, and learn more about engaging with your customers in the digital space. Speakers Nina Galle, head of content at Local Line, and Kendall Ballantine, farmer and business owner at Marketing for Farmers, share tips and best practices for reaching, engaging with, and selling to CSA customers in digital spaces.
going beyond produce: meat, fish, grain, & flower csas 3.29.2022
Hear a variety of CSA providers share about their successes in non-produce markets. Learn about meat shares at Skyview Acres, Citizen Salmon Alaska's CSF (Community Supported Fishery), flower bouquet subscriptions from Marilla Field & Flora, and Meadowlark Organic's grain shares.
setting up for success: CSA week 2.1.2022
Join the CSA Innovation Network in a brainstorming session as we explore tips and tricks for using CSA Week to drive signups, increase member engagement, and celebrate the CSA movement across the country!
ENGAGING EMPLOYER ORGANIZATIONS IN CSA 10.14.2021
The KY Farm Share Coalition, FairShare CSA Coalition, Hearty Roots Community Farm, and researchers discuss experiences facilitating different types of workplace CSA programs. In particular, this webinar will identify successful strategies and potential pitfalls when engaging employers.
Moving from Food Access to Food Justice 8.19.2021
Join the Network’s Equity & Access Working Group as we explore the history of the CSA model in the United States, consider today's challenges to advancing equity in CSA, and identify future opportunities to build a more equitable food system.
Retaining CSA Members During & After the Pandemic 3.23.2021
In this Ideas Lab Webinar, you will get to see a short video screening and facilitated discussion on CSA member retention. We'll use our collective learned experiences from the past year to share strategies to maintain long-time CSA membership.
Strategies to promote CSA 2.2.2021
In this webinar, Corinna Bench, Founder of MyDigitalFarmer.com and Tricia Phelps, CEO of Taste the Local Difference will guide you through best strategies to build an online presence, hook your audience, and help them sign up for your CSA.
Farmer to Farmer ECOMMERCE exchange 11.17.2020
This webinar will take a deep dive into some of the most popular software platforms for farm-specific sales, based on 2020 national farmer-survey findings. Our featured speaker is Claire Strader, Organic Vegetable Educator of Dane County Extension & FairShare CSA Coalition. Claire will present on general eCommerce platforms as well as farm-specific software for CSA and direct sales!
VIRTUAL ENGAGEMENT 10.29.2020
This webinar focuses on how CSA farmers and farmer support organizations are producing new & engaging virtual experiences and learning a lot in the process. Come learn as we discuss the most successful, challenging, and innovative aspects of virtual CSA fairs, farmer field days, fundraising events and farmer-led CSA member events! Speakers include Katie Harvey, Elizabeth Corio, Briana Alfaro, and Lauren Rudersdorf.
CSA as a Vehicle for Food Access 9.24.2020
This webinar explores the basic principles of food access and features CSA farmers and support organizations that have developed best practices to connect the CSA model to a broader, more inclusive audience. Speakers include Garrett Ziegler from Michigan State University Extension & West Michigan Growers Group, Mike Edwardson of Plainsong Farm (MI), Liv Froehlich from FairShare CSA Coalition (WI), and Linda Davies of Winter Green Farm (OR).
IMPLEMENTING INCREDIBLE EARLY BIRD SIGN-UPS 8.26.2020
Join Corinna Bench of MyDigitalFarmer.com and Tessa DeMaster of Willowhaven Farm to learn best practices around how to build a strong early bird CSA sign-up campaign. Corinna will share her inspiring story and include recommendations on how to set up a marketing campaign that will get current CSA customers to make a financial commitment to the farm far in advance.