Our Southern Illinois Produce CSA Program
Joining our Southern Illinois produce CSA program secures you 12 or 16 weeks of locally grown Southern Illinois produce for as little as $12-$24 a week. Each week you’ll get a “share” of our weekly harvest that is reserved and picked specifically for your family by our family. Your produce share is then available for you to pick up on the farm or in Golconda, IL or you can have it delivered to your home. Want to see a pick up site near you? Become a pickup site host!
Our CSA members enjoy the freshest selection of locally grown, sustainably farmed produce plus we throw in many bonuses as the season progresses (special requests are welcome at signup).
A CSA membership is not just a means for obtaining local food, it’s a journey in eating locally and seasonally. Many people join a CSA to rekindle a relationship with fresh food and to commit to eating better. It’s a mindful commitment for some, a fun challenge or journey for others.
What is a Farm CSA Anyway?
CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and is a popular concept in the local food movement. A CSA is a sustainable farm business model that is mutually beneficial for both consumers and farmers.
- CSA farmers focus on growing crops that their members have reserved in advance of the growing season. Less risk & unknowns for the farmer!
- Members reserve a seasons worth of local, nutritious crops that are grown & harvested specifically for them. Shopping is now simplified!
- Farmers and members enjoy a personal relationship with one another.
- Members gain access to the farm and form a connection to the land/ animals.
In a nutshell “CSAs support both the farmer and the eater. It goes much deeper than a purely monetary transaction. The CSA farmer knows who their customers are, what they like, and how much to grow for them.” Quote taken from this LocalHarvest Article.
Our Golconda, IL Produce CSA Details:
We are looking for a handful of folks who will join us on our farming journey via our Southern Illinois Produce CSA program.
For our farm’s CSA we offer two different share sizes for members to choose from:
– Half share size that feeds 1-2 people and is the equivalent of 1 grocery bag of produce, with 1-2 bags during peak season.
– Full share size that feeds 3-4 people and is the equivalent of 2 grocery bags of produce, with 2- 3 bags during peak season.
Also, we toss in bonus freebie stuff for both share sizes based on overflow crop availability.
To better accommodate budgets and tastes we offer a variety of share sizes and duration choices.
To get started:
- First choose the size of share you want. Full shares feed 3-4 people, Half Shares feed 1-2 people.
- Next choose the duration of your summer share. We offer a 12 or 16 week subscription option.
- Decide if you want to add on 2, 4 or 6 weeks of spring shares to your summer CSA share. If you want early season goodies this option is for you!
- Decide if you’d rather travel to our farm or if you’d like to pay for the convenience of home delivery for your share.
- Fill your member agreement document with all these selections noted and mail it to us.
- Pay for your share ASAP to secure the lowest price.
- Kick back and dream of the spring and summer bounty that awaits your tastebuds!
Our summer CSA season typically begins in July and runs through October. Our spring add on CSA, growing conditions permitting, will start as early as May for our 6 week spring subscribers.
Our CSA members reserve and prepay for their shares in advance of the harvest season to keep prices low by reducing debt and associated costs/ risks for our farm.
FARMING, FOOD AND COMMUNITIES ARE ALL CONNECTED!
The COVID-19 pandemic gave us glimpses of just how important local food is to the security and livelihood of communities. Local farms come to the rescue when the supply chain is disrupted or when you aren’t able to venture outside the community for food. But local farms can’t survive without regular community support.
Allowing us to grow your food provides this much needed support. It not only helps you feed your family but it also invests in our future as farmers, in the future of local food within the community and in your future ability to feed your family by safeguarding the future of local food security here in Southern Illinois.
EACH YEAR WE TURN TO THE COMMUNITY TO FORM A MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL RELATIONSHIP.
WILL YOU JOIN US THIS YEAR?
2024 CSA MEMBERSHIP ENROLLMENT IS NOW UNDERWAY.
Relevant contact information, payment details and pricing is found in our member agreement document. Membership is on a first come first serve basis and spots are very limited so don’t delay.
YOU CAN SECURE SUSTAINABLE, LOCALLY RAISED, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS PRODUCE FOR AS LITTLE AS $12 A WEEK!
Interested folks can access our member agreement and signup form by clicking this link. Or you can pay for your Southern Illinois produce CSA share online here:
Those interested can sign up in one of three ways. You can join via:
- Mail: Print & sign our member agreement then mail membership form & payment to PO BOX 327, Golconda, IL 62938
- Internet: Sign up & pay for your CSA share online here.
- In person: Set up a time to come to the farm to pay via cash, check or money order.
Don’t wait to sign up! Spots go very fast and membership costs will increase after February 1st!
In 2022 our CSA spots sold out!
Due to the food insecurity during the pandemic, we are also accepting folks to our CSA waitlist. If you are interested but still on the fence about signing up, add your info below.
We will reach out to folks on our waitlist in June or July as additional capacity becomes available.
To join our CSA waitlist fill out your information below:
If you have additional questions you can find us on Facebook or you can email or call using the contact details in our membership agreement document. We are honored to have you considering our program and our family welcomes the opportunity to feed your family this season!
A BIT ABOUT OUR FARM HISTORY
We are first generation farmers born and raised in the vast deserts of Arizona. We moved from Arizona to Evansville, Indiana where farmer Nathan worked as a reporter & anchor for the TV news industry.
In 2013 we moved to Southern Illinois with the promise of a mentorship and a “work to own” land agreement. We left careers/support systems in Indiana to follow our dreams of living off the land and owning a farm. We also loved the idea of giving our kids an education in self reliant, farm life. For 3 years we worked as farm hands soaking up as much firsthand knowledge as possible. Our “work to own” land agreement never panned out.
In 2015 we began our commercial farming journey here in Southern Illinois with goat milk soaps and pasture raised eggs. In the beginning we grew food for ourselves and a handful of folks that we personally knew through our CSA. We also sold overflow produce plus our soaps & eggs to our loyal customers at the Golconda, Illinois Farmers Market. At farmers market we have had the pleasure of making friends with so many fellow Pope County, IL residents.
In 2017 we transitioned from farm hands to farm operators while farmer Nathan went back to work. Nathan took on a freelance teaching role at Vienna Correctional Center teaching inmates agriculture skills. Nathan’s program “From Orange to Green” teaches inmates the skills/knowledge to build their own farm business after leaving incarceration.
In 2020 we are adding a high tunnel to our farm operation! With it we will continue sharing the skills we have acquired in agriculture via new education programs right here on the farm. We will grow lots of yummy produce too!
Growing food is something we are very passionate about and we are excited to share it with others, to spark interest in other aspiring beginning farmers.
We are The Ryder Family Farm, a first generation farming family in the heart of The Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois. We are a family operation in the beginning stages of building our diverse farm up from scratch.