What and Why CSA?
A CSA (which stands for Community Supported Agriculture) is a model that helps farmers share the rewards and distribute risks when there are unexpected increases or decreases in supply, and to manage our herd as per known demand. In sharing some of the farmers' risk, a CSA helps connect eaters more closely to the farm and knowledge of food production.
We love working with a community of CSA members who truly know our farm and share our ethics. By deepening eaters’ understanding of food production, especially animals raised for meat, we figure we can have a bigger impact as you share that knowledge with others. We all know that ‘knowledge is power’ and the connections inherent in CSAs hopefully mean we’ll see positive changes in Australia’s food systems – one day everyone will have genuine options to eat ethically produced food!
CSA was developed in Japan in the 1970s, and is based on the Principles of Teikei.
Principles of Teikei
Principle of mutual assistance
Principle of accepting the produce
Principle of mutual concession in the price decision
Principle of deepening friendly relationships
Principle of self-distribution
Principle of democratic management
Principle of learning among each group
Principle of maintaining the appropriate group scale
Principle of steady development
Check out some other wonderful CSA farms near us!
Share Options
Our share options are designed to help you know just how many animals your household eats in a year as part of our commitment to growing awareness about what a sustainable amount of meat in your diet actually looks like. In keeping with that commitment, we offer a Small ethical pork share (¾ pig per annum), a Large ethical pork share (1 ½ pigs per annum), a Small mixed ethical pork and beef share (¾ pig & ¼ steer per annum), a Medium mixed ethical pork and beef share (5/6 pig & 3/8 steer per annum), and a Large mixed ethical pork and beef share (1 ½ pig / 2/5 steer per annum). We propose that the smaller shares are suitable for households of 2 or 3 people per month, while the larger shares are best for households of 4 or more, or shared between two households.
The options are all offered on a minimum 12-month subscription, payable monthly, bi-annually in advance, or annually in advance, with discounts for the bi-annual or annual payments. Should you be away for an extended time, there is the option to suspend your share until your return – we just need a month’s notice. While we are happy to negotiate where you need to cancel your subscription early due to personal circumstances, there will typically be a charge equivalent to one month of your membership should you cancel before your subscription is up.
All shares will be delivered monthly as 3, 5, 6, 8, and 10kg box drops respectively to your nominated hub on the final Thursday of every month. Monthly payments are due on the Monday prior to each delivery. Each box will include the usual variety of cuts based on availability, and we endeavour to meet requests for particular exclusions and extras where possible.
Each box typically includes a range of cuts (all cryovac'd, which can be refrigerated for up to three weeks for pork, and two weeks for beef before you need to freeze it) which may include our farmstead black ham, loin or streaky bacon, cutlets, seasonal sausages, American-style ribs, and/or a small roast or two (shoulder/loin/belly) in the bigger boxes. Boxes change regularly depending on availability and seasonal cuts.
The mix of your kilos may vary based on availability (for example, we may be low on pork one month, which would be made up with more beef). Where vegetable CSA farms are vulnerable to the vagaries of weather, meat CSA farms carry the risk of low fertility leading to smaller litters, or carcass sizes varying month to month.
The CSA pricing model incorporates delivery to nominated hubs – only special orders outside of our CSA will continue to incur a separate delivery fee.
PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL SHARES ARE FULLY SUBSCRIBED. The waiting list for those applying for Melbourne is now around 20 years, and around one year for the regional list. If you wish to go on a waiting list, please fill out the form below. We'll send occasional updates, and let you know when your share becomes available. We’ll also direct you to other local CSAs like Pig & Earth Farm, Abundance Farm, Glenaleece Farm, and Catherine Farm!
If you have any questions, please email us on jonaifarms@gmail.com
If you're on the waiting list but still really keen to ensure you only source ethically-raised pork right now (hurray, you!), check out Open Food Network and the listing on FlavourCrusader of other wonderful small-scale, genuine ethical farms for pork, poultry, dairy and all your sustainable shopping needs! We always say that farms don't need to scale, we need to multiply, and the growing number of small farms providing ecologically sound, ethical meat, dairy, fruit and veg need your support.
And remember the Slow Meat mantra - eat better meat, less!