Explore Farms & Local Agriculture

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Local Farms Sustain Families, Prosper All & Build Communities

The idea of knowing exactly where your food is coming from and how it is produced is at the heart of the CSA movement.

Middle Tennessee is fully engaged in this nationwide movement and that means local farm fresh foods and goods are available to us right in our own area.

The way many CSA farms work is unlike large consumer farms that sell produce to middlemen, CSAs rely on members to buy a “share” before anything is planted. In return, they receive fresh, organic food—typically enough to feed a family of four—on a near weekly basis. Most vegetable shares are between $500 and $700.

For those who want to be completely hands-on, some CSA farms offer volunteer programs, where members can work on the farm in return for discounted or free shares.

There are also great farm to table options with the “Pick Your Own” farms and Farmer’s Markets in our areas as well as growing your food! With all the recalls and over abundance of processed foods many want to get “back to the land” as much as feasible for them.

Seeking out and supporting locally grown foods and products is an excellent way to take more control of what you and your family eat. Supporting any of the local farm options mentioned here is just plain smart!

Did you Know?

In the last days of 2010, after months of wrangling, the Food Safety Modernization Act passed both houses of Congress and President Obama is expected to sign this sweeping new legislation. The Food Safety Modernization Act grants the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) almost unlimited power to regulate the food supply across the nation!

This new law has the potential to bankrupt many small farmers across the nation. With major portions of the Food Safety Modernization Act shaped by agri-biz lobbyists, burdensome new regulations could squeeze out small farmers. That’s because the Food Safety Modernization Act gives the FDA broad new powers to dictate to farmers how they must grow produce. New regulations will control every aspect of farm production. Almost nothing is left to a farmer’s discretion – not soil composition, water use, what chemicals are permitted or even required, harvesting techniques, packing processes, production temperatures, and more.

If small farmers vanish because they cannot meet the FDA demands, we will no longer have access to fresh, local, and organic produce. We believe corporate profits are threatened by local food movements and this could very well be a blatant attempt by big agri-business to quash the local and organic food movement.

That’s why it is our STRONG belief buying local and supporting local businesses is the way America will get back on the road to prosperity. We the people have the rights and power to determine the direction of our economy. Many of the corporations and big business in America are now “global” companies and do not have the average American’s well being in mind which is why using our spending power to support local business and  locally produced goods is a choice we should all wholeheartedly get behind because everyone (Not big business) benefits from it. It’s how our country prospered and grew at one time!

In order to help you EASILY find local sources and stay abreast of farm and food news, local events, local produce and goods…we will constantly be listing all the resources we can find and updating  this section on a regular bases. Please note, your tips, feedback and questions are always welcomed!

Here’s to healthy eating and free enterprise!!