When Bob and Leda Muth started their business in Gloucester County eight years ago, there weren't many farmers like them.
They set up a community-supported-agriculture (CSA) enterprise in Williamstown that sold memberships to people interested in getting fresh produce every week.
Today, more than 400 members each spend $250 to $639 - depending on their plan - to pick up supplies of vegetables and fruits over 16 weeks. Hundreds of others are on a waiting list to join.
Across the region, a growing number of CSA farms, many of them certified organic, are taking root as consumers look for locally grown produce at prices that are often less than those in the supermarkets.
The Muth Family Farm is one of 81 subscription operations in New Jersey, where consumers pay up front and share the risks.
At least 379 community-supported-agriculture farms operate in Pennsylvania, along with 19 in Delaware, according to the first CSA statistics in the most recent U.S. Census of Agriculture, in 2007. Nationwide, 12,549 farms reported that they marketed their produce through CSAs.
"It was a struggle eight years ago," said Bob Muth, 53, of Pitman. "We were ahead of the curve. A lot of people weren't into organic produce then. The organic movement was just catching on."
Consumers became more conscious of their health and security after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, Muth said. "Our food system in the country was seen as an easy target of terrorists," he said. "People want to know where their food comes from. What's put on it? Is it safe and secure?"
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Area's Community-Supported Farms Taking Root
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By Edward Colimore
Philadelphia Inquirer, July 27, 2009
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