Workshops For CSA Operators to Highlight Membership Agreements and Labor Issues

Image Credit: Photo by Edwin Remsberg

February 3, 2015

Community Supported Farm (CSA) operators or those thinking about starting a CSA are invited to attend a workshop focused on drafting better membership agreements and addressing common labor issues. The workshops are free but registration is required. They will be held:

Feb. 26, from 9:30 a.m to 2 p.m., at the Frederick County University of Maryland Extension Office, 330 Montevue Lane in Frederick. Lunch will be provided. To register, call the office at (301) 600-1594 or register online at https://umecsaworkshop.eventbrite.com.

March 3, from 9:30 a.m to 2 p.m., at the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA), 50 Harry S Truman Parkway in Annapolis. Lunch will be provided. To register, contact MDA Marketing at (410) 841-5770 or register online at http://mdacsaworkshop.eventbrite.com

“This initiative is designed to help our CSA farmers develop strong risk management tools,” said Mark Powell, MDA Chief of Marketing. “We want operators and consumers to have successful relationships.”

The workshops are sponsored by MDA, the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics (AREC), the Agriculture Law Education Initiative (ALEI), the Maryland Farm Bureau, and Mid- Atlantic Farm Credit with funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Marketing Service grant.

The workshop will focus on common issues with CSA membership agreements used in Maryland, an overview of a model CSA contract developed for Maryland CSAs, and a look at labor issues faced by CSA operators in the state.

“Currently, we get a lot of questions on labor issues when it comes to CSA operators and other diversified operations in Maryland,” said Paul Goeringer, Extension Legal Specialist with the University of Maryland Ag and Resource Economics Department at the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. “These workshops will provide a good opportunity to answer questions on CSA
membership agreements and labor issues impacting CSA operators.”

The University of Maryland is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Equal Access Programs