If you are growing or producing food products in the Bitterroot and want to expand your customer base, you might want to contact the Loyal to Local Community Agricultural Cooperative and join in a cooperative effort at marketing and distributing your products. If you like eating good, wholesome, locally grown, locally produced food, then you might want to sign up with the Loyal to Local Bitterroot co-op as well and become a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) “subscriber.”
The cooperative is a unique partnership between local farms and food producers to package and deliver their products to local customers in a pay-up-front arrangement known as Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Subscribers to the program buy a share of the harvest up front, before the growing season begins, and then receive a weekly bounty of fresh foods all season long. The season runs for 20 weeks, from May 22 to October 2, 2018.
A traditional CSA model generally has one farm growing all of the food subscribers find in their box. However, the co-op is unique in that it uses a multi-farm program model that allows for many farmers and producers from the Bitterroot Valley to offer their products to subscribers, This year they have 14 local producers participating in the CSA, including House of Ferments, Piney Mountain Herbals, Tucker Family Farm, Missoula Grain and Vegetable Company, Jacobs Garlic Farm, Myriah Farms, Deer Haven Farm, Homestead Organics Farm, Mill Creek Farm, Alpenstueble, Moose Springs Farm, Backroads Cider, Great Bear Native Plants, Wildwood Brewing and Sapphire Apiaries. All of the businesses are located in the Hamilton, Corvallis, Victor and Stevensville areas.
By cooperating, these businesses are able to offer boxes of food to “subscribers” on a weekly basis containing the customer’s selection from any of the participating producers. Now in its fourth season, Loyal to Local Bitterroot has offered a wide selection of fruits and vegetables, meats, cheeses, grains, fermented foods and beverages, bread and flowers. But this year, with an increase in the number of producers, shares also include eggs, honey, beer, cider, herbal remedies/elixirs, native plant starter packs and herb starter packs.
According to Erin Belmont, a board member and secretary for Loyal to Local Bitterroot, subscribers pick up their boxes at one of three locations in the valley, Homestead Organics Farm in Hamilton, Wildwood Brewery in Stevensville, or Lolo Peak Brewery in Lolo. If you pick it up at Homestead Organics you get to experience the farm, farm stand, farmers, and the beautiful surrounding landscape. The farm includes self-serve eggs, House of Ferments krauts and kombucha, and a petting zoo for kids.
Belmont said that the shares were affordable with prices below farmers market and organic grocery stores. She said additionally, they offer the option for people to pay in two installments if paying for the total share up front is prohibitive.
But it is important for people to sign up ahead of time for CSA shares, she said, because it’s important for the farmers to get some of the money up-front. The funds received ahead of the season allow farms to operate in the months that no income is generated through sales and enable farms to buy seeds and equipment.
“Being a small organic farm is challenging, so the CSA model allows the business of growing food to be much more sustainable,” said Belmont. “It helps build and support a resilient local food system, keeps economic resources in our community, and preserves precious agricultural land for future use.”
Belmont said that the Loyal to Local Bitterroot cooperative also offers wholesale purchasing options for businesses, institutions, and individuals who wish to buy in large quantities. They are currently developing an online platform where customers can login to view their list of available products that is updated weekly by the co-op’s producers. In the meantime, Amy Hutton, the market & sales coordinator, is the one to contact at 544-7074 or amy@loyaltolocalbitterroot.com.
Belmont noted that February 28 is national CSA Sign-up Day and urged interested people to sign up. Loyal to Local Bitterroot is sponsoring a product sample presentation at Lolo Peak Brewery on March 1, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Loyal to Local Bitterroot will start taking sign-ups for the coming season on February 25. See more at http://loyaltolocalbitterroot.coop.