If a traditional CSA model is what works best for you and your family, we totally understand, and we’re so sorry we can’t provide that for you this season.

Check out these other local CSA Farms to see if they might work for you.

What about the newsletter?

We will still be sending out newsletters to all of our credit-holders, and to anyone who makes a purchase on the store that week.

How much credit should I buy?

We recommend anywhere from $100 to $300. Because we will be producing less food this season, we don’t want any of you to have more credit than you can spend. You can add additional credit at any time should you need it. You can purchase credits here!

How long will I have to place an order?

Ordering on GrownBy will open up on Friday PM, and go through most of Monday.

How Much Will Shares Cost on the Store?

Shares will vary in price depending on the quantity and variety of veggies in each bag, but the average will probably be between $30 and $50.

What if you sell out before I’m able to purchase?

This could definitely happen at different points throughout the season. We can’t guarantee items for everyone. We’ll let credit-holders know before anyone else when the store is open, so you will hopefully have first dibs. And we will try to keep outreach focused on folks who have been members with us in the past.

Do I have to order specific veggies, or will it just be a share?

We will be selling “shares”, similar to what we’ve grown in the past; we’ll be planning on 6 to 12 items per bag for a fixed price that will change weekly. If we have extras of certain things, we will sell those as add-ons. For example, we may sell a pound of eggplant that you can purchase in addition to your harvest share.

If any other questions pop up, call or text Kristen at 385-229-6440, or send us an email at farmer@bugcsa.com.

2023 Season Changes

Many of you have asked for more details around the changes we’re making in 2023, so we’ve done our best to do that here.

We love the traditional CSA model that has been the heart of BUG farms for so long. Departing from it for a season was not an easy decision. Here are the main reasons why we chose to move to a week-to-week CSA.

Why the changes?

Our family needs a season with more built in flexibility. We love the traditional CSA model, but it is very rigid and demanding, and this season we need a model that can be a little more fluid for our personal lives.

We desperately need to rest some of our growing spaces for a season. Larger farms with more space can rotate cash crops with cover crops from year to year, but we haven’t had that luxury. Taking care of the soil we depend on for food is one of the only ways that we can ensure good harvests in the future.
With a smaller land base this year, we do not have the capacity to run the CSA as we have in the past. There isn’t enough growing space to sustain all of our members, and how we could we choose which families to continue providing food for, and which ones to cut?
Wages have increased by 70% since we first started managing BUG Farms. In order for us to sustain this business and pay a slightly higher wage (it’s still not a living wage), we need to charge a very, very high price for full-season CSA shares. We feel that this would make the CSA less accessible to many people, and we felt the week-to-week option could provide more spending flexibility for those with limited incomes or financial challenges.
Inflation and a potential recession on the horizon makes it difficult to price shares months in advance as we have done in the past.
we want produce from BUG farms to be more accessible to a wider group of people

What about all of the add-ons? Will you still have those on the store?

Eggs: Clifford Family Farms is no longer able to provide a consistent supply of eggs to Bug anymore. When they have extra, we may be able to stock some on the store, but we can’t guarantee that.

Bread: Phillip is no longer baking at Bread Riot, and has sold his business, and it looks like the new folks baking are willing to provide bread again this season!

Mushrooms: We will carry mushrooms on the store most weeks.

Fruit: We will have local fruit available on the store weekly when it is in season.

We are also going to try to bring other local products available for purchase week-to-week. Perhaps flowers, local grass-fed beef, sweet corn, and winter squash.