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From farm to table.

Article Excerpt
Byline: Lewis Taylor The Register-Guard

Some people get to know their local grocer. Mary Cox got to know her farmer.

Once a week, from June to November, Cox picks up a box of prepaid fresh veggies, fruits, and flowers from a local farm. In four years of buying direct from the farm, she says she's discovered new foods, improved her health and learned a thing or two about the hard work that goes into farming.

"There's a lot of different things I like about (it)," Cox said. "The food itself is only one piece. The fact that it's local, and I'm supporting my community, I'm supporting farming and with the farming they do, they are treading lightly."

It's called community supported agriculture, and it's been around for decades, but the idea only continues to grow in popularity as more consumers such as Cox discover the benefits. John Pitney, associate pastor at United Methodist Church and a CSA subscriber, sees the phenomenon as part of an overall movement toward supporting local agriculture.

"One of the easiest ways for people to really make a difference is to invest in local farms, and the easiest way to do that is to invest in CSAs," Pitney said.

Pitney's passion for locally grown produce led him to help organize an annual expo at his church to bring farmers offering CSAs together with consumers. The event, dubbed That's My Farmer, happens on Tuesday.

In their purest form, CSAs involve buying a share of a farm by paying up front before the start of the season. This gives farmers seed money and lessens...