Thanks to everyone who attended Regina EcoLiving's recent potluck on CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)! It was a very successful and interesting event with over 70 participants!

Keith is an organic farmer and is also interested in biodynamic farming. Mark Lane (who also farms in SK) then gave us a very informative talk about why we need to start to consider buying food grown locally. He introduced us to some of the problems with the conventional food system where the average item is transported over 2000 km before it reaches our stores, but he also gave us ideas on how to go about buying more local products.

 

Daryl Hepting (professor in computer Science at the UofR) then introduced us to SK Local Food Directory, which is a website where one can search for local producers. E-mail him at .food@uregina.ca or call him at 306-585-5210 to find out more about the directory.

The SK CSA Project will start at Keith Neu's farm in Hudson Bay. We hope that this will be a pilot project that inspires farmers in all corners of SK to start a CSA so that most people in SK will have access to a nearby CSA.

The CSA means that members invest in the farm at the beginning of each spring, i.e. each member informs the farm what type of products he/she is interested in and quantity/month. Members then sign a contract with the farm. Members pay per month, but since the farm needs security 12 dated cheques need to be sent in with the contract.

Keith has said that he would like about 50 members (families as well as one or two person-households) during this first year. Keith will deliver the products twice a month during the growing season and then once a month during the winter. This means that we need two to three drop off stations in Regina where Keith can drop the boxes off when he arrives in Regina and members can pick them up. Keith will provide a fridge/freezer for the drop off volunteers.

We think that Regina (depending on how many members that sign up) will need a drop off station in the down town area and probably one in the south end and perhaps one in the north end). Regina EcoLiving would therefore like to know who signs up for the CSA and who will volunteer as a drop off station. Regina EcoLiving will also form a network among members so that we can organize information sessions and other forms of support for members and those who would like to become members.

 

The deadline for signing on with Keith's CSA is May 1st. If you have questions you can e-mail Keith at: or you can e-mail us at  and we will try to answer the questions that you may have.

 

We hope to see a long list of participants for this exciting project! We think that it has a great potential of becoming something fantastic for Saskatchewan!

 

Regina Ecoliving Inc.