Community Supported Agriculture Program
Luther College offers a CSA Reimbursement Program for faculty and staff who are working 0.75 FTE or greater. You are eligible for a 50 percent reimbursement (up to a maximum of $100) on Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares. Employees should make arrangements with a CSA producer as early as possible, so farmers can make plans to grow the right amount. Participants in Luther's CSA program are encouraged to submit an application form by April 18.
What’s a CSA?
For over 25 years, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has been a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. Consumers pay an up-front cost, and in exchange receive weekly or biweekly boxes of produce for the entire summer and fall growing seasons. Some CSAs even offer market shares where customers can pay up front and draw down an account at the local farmer’s market. CSAs come in all shapes and sizes to accommodate the diverse needs of consumers.
The basic idea is that a farmer offers a certain number of “shares” to the public. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a “membership” or a “subscription”) and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce on a regular basis throughout the growing season.
This arrangement creates several rewards for both the farmer and the consumer.
Advantages for Farmers
- Get to spend time marketing the food early in the year, before their 16 hour days in the field begin
- Receive payment early in the season, which helps with the farm’s cash flow
- Have an opportunity to get to know the people who eat the food they grow
Advantages for Consumers
- Eat fresh food, with all the flavor and vitamin benefits
- Get exposed to new vegetables and new ways of cooking
- Usually get to visit the farm at least once a season
- Develop a relationship with the farmer who grows their food and learn more about how food is grown
How to Participate in Luther’s CSA Reimbursement Program?
All faculty and staff wishing to participate in the CSA reimbursement program are encouraged to complete the registration form by April 18. Before completing the form, please purchase your preferred CSA share (options available below).
No need to submit a payment voucher or receipts. Reimbursements will be paid with your paycheck in the fall, so long as the producer has been paid in full. Employees must be at least 0.75 FTE, and must continue to be a Luther employee until at least the time when reimbursement is made at the end of October. As it is considered a benefit of employment, the CSA reimbursement will be taxed.
In addition to the vegetables, another benefit of this program is providing educational and food preparation events. Information about activities will be sent by email to participants.
This program is co-sponsored by the Health Care Fund, Wellness Program and Center for Sustainable Communities.
CSA Options
Beginning farmers Ethan and Carly Zierke started Sweet Season Farm in the fall of 2021 with a mission to preserve Iowa’s rich topsoil while contributing to a resilient local food system. Our farm is located just a few miles south of Decorah in Calmar, Iowa.
We produce nutritious food using regenerative practices that improve the health of the land we work. We use natural fertilizers, plant cover crops, and use tons of compost each season. Certified organic. Please contact Carly at carly@sweetseasonfarmiowa.com with any questions.
Sweet Season Farm Market Share
If you want to fully customize your weekly veggies, our Market Share is the program for you!
Pay $100 or more by May 3, you’ll receive an extra 10% to your balance as a thank-you for supporting us early in the season. You can use your credit at our stand at the Decorah Farmers Market to purchase veggies of your choice.Â
How it works
Shopping is easy. Pick your veggies at the Decorah Farmers Market on Saturdays only, and we’ll swipe your Market Share card—no need to bring anything!
Check your balance anytime. Ask us at the market, or email carly@sweetseasonfarmiowa.com.
Use it by December. Your credit expires at the end of the season, so pick an amount you’ll use!
Patchwork Green Farm is a ridge-top garden overlooking the beautiful Canoe Creek valley several miles north of Decorah, Iowa. We raise daughters, soil fertility, hopes for a sustainable future and truckloads of very tasty vegetables.
2025 CSA Options
For the 2025 growing season, Patchwork Green Farm will be offering two CSA plans – a Summer CSA and a Fall CSA.  You can sign up for one of the plans or both – whichever fits your schedule the best.  Details about share size can be found on our patchworkgreen.com website.
Summer CSA Plan
- Half Share: $100 (includes delivery)
- Full Share: $175 (includes delivery)
Fall CSA Plan
Patchwork Green Farm is offering a 9-week fall CSA program, from September 3 – October 29. We are a Certified Organic farm and follow careful food safety guidelines.
- Half share: $225 (includes delivery)
- Full share: $450 (includes delivery)
Shares will include a wide variety of summer and fall produce, fresh herbs and occasional cut flowers. Look forward to basil, beans, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cilantro, cucumbers, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce heads and mix, onions, parsley, sweet and hot peppers, potatoes, radishes, summer and winter squash, slicing and cherry tomatoes and more!
Delivery
The CSA price has a delivery fee built-in. We’ll deliver your weekly bag of produce to your residence in Decorah and nearby neighborhoods. We may also set up a drop-off/pickup site in Decorah for folks who live farther from town. We’ll drop your produce off at your residence between 3 and 6 p.m. on Wednesdays. Please communicate with us via email about logistics at your residence (we would ideally be able to load your produce right into a cooler that you leave on a front porch/steps) and if there is a Wednesday when you would not like to receive a share. We also have an online site that allows you to purchase a wide variety of additional produce to be delivered with your share. If you are not comfortable purchasing a share with a credit card (with Stripe, a national e-commerce payment system), let us know and we’ll work out an alternative payment. We’ll continue to share information about farm happenings, crops, and recipes in our weekly email newsletter. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @patchworkgreen.
Email Erik at eriksessions@gmail.com for more info or to
Humble Hands Harvest is a worker-owned, diversified, organic farm run by Hannah Breckbill and Emily Fagan along with several employees. We’re entering our ninth season raising organic vegetables and grass-fed lamb on 22 acres, and are establishing nut and fruit orchards to hold the soil and provide food for this community in the long term. We’re grateful to have rooted ourselves in this place and look forward to decades of resilience ahead. A key piece of resilience is a connected community, and the relationship we build with members is the reason we love to offer a CSA program.
A CSA share is a sampling of our best produce of the week, the first choices from the field before we send the rest to the farmers market. New this year, we are offering self-scheduled shares (10 weeks of your choosing, $300) so that you can arrange your CSA pick-ups around your vacations!
Market Share
If a CSA share isn’t right for you, you can purchase a market share, which gives you a declining balance on HHH produce and meat at farmers market. Your investment of $100-$300 in the farm at the beginning of the season gives you a 10% extra credit at our farmers market stand ($110-$330) that you can use whenever and however you like, all season long (May through December).
Email Hannah and Emily at humblehandsharvest@gmail.com for more info and to sign up.
Food Education Events
As part of this program all participating households may participate in food education events and education offered periodically during the season. These food events are intended to bring people from different parts of campus together in community to learn a new skill while enjoying tasty season foods.
FAQs
Eating more vegetables is proven to improve health and Luther wants to encourage faculty and staff in their wellness goals.
This program builds community, on campus and off:
- Brings faculty and staff together over unique food experiences
- Connects faculty and staff to local producers and the local community
This program is open to all current Luther College faculty and staff who are working .75 FTE or greater. To receive your benefit, you must continue to be employed at Luther at the time when reimbursements are added to paychecks in the fall.
Faculty and staff are responsible for paying the farm of their choice in full and completing the CSA Program Registration form as soon as they can in the spring. Faculty and staff will be eligible for reimbursement via payroll. Reimbursements will be paid in employee paychecks in October, November or December. Reimbursements are taxable.
You can find a friend to pick it up for you that week. The friend can either use the vegetables or save them for you until your return.
Some CSAs offer the option of donating your box to the food pantry that week. Food Pantry customers are always happy to receive fresh produce.
You are more than welcome to split your CSA share with someone else if you are worried about not being able to use all the produce yourself. It will be up to you to figure out how to make that sharing happen. If you are sharing with another member of the Luther faculty/staff, only one of you is eligible for reimbursement. If you are sharing with non-Luther employees, keep in mind that the financial benefit is meant to benefit Luther employees and make sure to structure your split with that in mind.
Yes, you may sign up for full or half shares from as many farms as you wish. Your reimbursement maximum remains $100, however.
If you have any other questions, please contact sustainability@luther.edu.