By Hannah Ridge, CSA Day Coordinator

This coming February 26 marks the second annual CSA Signup Day, an international, virtual event that celebrates Community Supported Agriculture and invites people to participate by signing up for a CSA with a local farm.

VIEW CSAs IN THE MONADNOCK REGION

A CSA is a direct-to-consumer business model for farmers, whereby people invest in a farm in exchange for a share of the harvest. This model has been crucial to the success of small farmers and the local food movement, but it’s also been advantageous for CSA members, the families and individuals that commit to a farmer for an entire season.

“Once a week, I get the majority of my family’s food delivered close to my home,” says Pittsburgh resident and long-time CSA member Mike Cuccaro. “I initially joined a CSA because I was curious, but I’ve continued with my CSA for eight years because I’ve eaten healthier.”

In addition to eating a more nutritious diet, Mike says that with a CSA, “the vegetables and eggs are fresher and taste better, and it’s convenient and cost-effective.”

Anyone can participate in CSA Day by signing up for a CSA on February 26th. For those looking for a farm to join, there is a CSA Directory on csasignupday.com, where they can find CSAs in their area and see what CSA Day promotions are being offered. A lot of CSAs have a wide distribution network, so prospective CSA members browsing the CSA Directory should take a look at farms in neighboring cities. The directory is just one of the many additions to this year’s celebration of CSA Day.

The inaugural CSA Signup Day was held on Saturday February 28, 2015 by Small Farm Central, a Pittsburgh-based technology company that provides web services to direct-marketing farms, once they identified that date as the most popular day of the year for CSA signups.

Participating farmers can look forward to a greater support base, and consumers can enjoy the varied promotions offered to people who sign up on this day. The CSA Day celebration also includes shareable graphics, a CSA Member Starter Pack, and a video contest with a $1000 prize.

About Small Farm Central:

Small Farm Central serves the technology needs of small business farmers, including websites, ecommerce, CSA member management and marketing tools. Since 2006, Small Farm Central has worked with over 1,000 farms across the U.S. and Canada. For more information, please visit: www.smallfarmcentral.com.
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