Seed to Table launches new pricing structure, opportunities for produce shares

(Update: Adding video)

SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Seed to Table said Friday they are excited to announce the launch of their 2022 produce share. With sign-ups opening on Jan. 20, this season will feature a longer-than-ever availability of fresh veggies, sliding-scale payment options and SNAP/EBT payment options. 

Seed to Table’s produce share is based on a model called Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA. This concept was created in the 1960s by Booker T. Whatley, a Black horticulturist, agricultural professor, and advocate for farming practices that help sustain and rebuild the land.

In a Seed to Table produce share, individuals or families pay in advance or monthly for a season of fresh, local vegetables. Each week the bounty of fresh veggies is laid out market-style at the Seed to Table farm stand. Produce share members browse and choose what they want to take home.  A small produce share receives between 6-8 items and a large share receives between 9-11 items each week. 

The first pick-up for the produce share is on May 4, 2022, and runs through October 19. With the incorporation of a spring greens variety, this is nearly an entire month longer than previous years! Pick-ups happen at Seed to Table Farm in Sisters on Wednesdays from 3-5:45pm or at the Sisters Farmers Market on Sundays from 11 a.m-1:30 p.m. If transportation is a barrier, Seed to Table can arrange to deliver your share to locations within 20 miles of Sisters.

These past few years, Seed to Table has been learning from fellow farmers and advocates across the country about methods to increase access to fresh produce. “The board and staff are grateful for the opportunity to build on models from other farms to implement a new sliding scale payment system intended to better serve the variety of needs of our community members,” says Founder and Executive Director, Audrey Tehan. 

With this sliding-scale model, members get to choose a payment level that works best for them. The first option starts at $20 a week and moves to the Market Value and finally to a Pay It Forward Share.

Moving to a sliding-scale payment model supports Seed to Table’s vision where people of all races, religions, ages, sexual orientations, genders, abilities, geographies, and socioeconomic statuses have access to fresh produce and farm-based education. In addition, the scale provides opportunities for produce share members to play a more active role in increasing equitable access to fresh produce and being able to advance sustainable agriculture in Sisters. 

Sign-ups begin on Jan. 20, 2022, on Seed to Table’s website. For more information, please visit www.seedtotableoregon.org/why-choose-a-produce-share .

Seed to Table is a 501-C-3 Non-profit (EIN 82-3795618) To make a tax deductible donation to Seed to Table please visit their website https://www.seedtotableoregon.org/donate-today or send a check to Seed to Table PO Box 1812 Sisters, Oregon 97759

For further information, contact Seed to Table Executive Director, Audrey Tehan: audrey@seedtotablesisters.org