According to Brett Grohsgall, owner and farmer of
Even’ Star Organic Farm,,48322 Far Cry Road in Lexington Park, it was not until the farm switched the Community Supported Agriculture that they were able to reach profitability.
On his certified organic farm, Grohsgal grows all manner of vegetables, but his passion is winter greens. Over the first eight or more years, Even’ Star provided greens, herbs and vegetables to restaurants, universities and grocery stores at wholesale. The effort, while rewarding, failed to make the effort profitable.
“When we made the switch to retail, the profits started to roll in,” said Grohsgal. “At wholesale, sometimes the crops would cost more to grow and deliver to market than we could charge.”
Grohsgal stated that the summer vegetables paid the overhead for the farm, his farm workers and forepersons. But the real money maker is sweet potatoes. “We have some of the best soil conditions and we grow beautiful, flavorful sweet potatoes which are in high demand.”
The Community Supported Agriculture program is where individuals or families subscribe to a particular farm. They pay a certain amount to the farm in advance and wait for regular deliveries, never knowing exactly what goodies they will get from week to week.
According to Jenny (name withheld by request) a CSA subscriber, “We don’t care what we get each week. We know it will be delicious and absolutely fresh.” She went on to state that she and her family enjoy the care and effort put into growing their herbs, greens, and vegetables and they frequently wait for their delivery to decided the menu for the coming week.
Grohsgal stated that his subscribers definitely have to purchase other vegetables than those delivered. “For $25 a week they receive quite a variety all year long.” He indicated that at that price, they can afford to add other varieties to their menu from other sources.
His organic farm also includes fresh farm eggs, jams and preserves as part of the delivery. All the delivered products are fresh and in-season.
To subscribe to the CSA program, people need only to call Grohsgal at 301- 866-1412. More information may be found on the Community Supported Agriculture program by visiting www.somarylandsogood.com as well.