Rainshadow Organics CSA makes summer vegetables, meat available

SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Rainshadow Organics, a full-diet farm in Central Oregon, has 20-week Summer Vegetable and/or Meat CSAs available. As a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) member, you can choose the size and payment plan that works for you.

SNAP benefits are accepted and can be paired with Double Up Food Bucks and additional HDFFA funding to make CSAs even more affordable. All are invited to join the Rainshadow Organics CSA and share in the local, nutrient dense bounty! 

The farmers at Rainshadow Organics feel a responsibility, a duty, towards the land and the community. 3rd generation Central Oregon farmer and Rainshadow Organics owner Sarahlee Lawrence feels she has “a duty to the land to steward it and to the plants and animals on the farm to give them the best life possible as they produce food for us. But, most importantly for me, I have a duty to deliver the land’s abundance to the Central Oregon community.” 

Since Rainshadow’s beginning in 2010, food access–connecting community to land and fresh produce–has been foundational. “We believe all people deserve nutrient dense, local, organic food,” says Lawrence and each year Rainshadow Organics donates to Neighbor Impact (in 2021 to the tune of 6,000 pounds of produce) and other food pantries, hosts annual gleaning events, offers work trades for CSAs, and provides opportunities for youth groups and therapy programs to get outside and learn about where their food comes from. 

This year Rainshadow Organics is excited to expand opportunities for food access in Central Oregon by partnering with Pacific Northwest CSA Coalition (PNWCSA) and High Desert Food and Farm Alliance (HDFFA) to offer their CSAs at a reduced price through Double Up Food Bucks and HDFFA private funding. This partnership allows Rainshadow Organics to offer CSAs at a beyond affordable price. If you are interested in Rainshadow Organics CSA and have SNAP, please check out their SNAP and CSA page (www.rainshadoworganics.com/communitysupportedagriculture/snapandcsa/).

What is a CSA? Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) connects community members to their local farm in a mutually supportive relationship. In a CSA you become a member of a farm in exchange for recurrent shares of our seasonal harvest. Members and farmers each share in the risk and reward inherent in agriculture. “Think of a shareholder in a large company, but instead of getting stock payouts, you get fresh vegetables and Rainshadow raised beef, pork, and chickens,” explains Lawrence. 

Rainshadow Organics offers large or small weekly market-style vegetable CSAs filled with freshly harvested certified organic produce, and a bi-weekly meat CSA featuring different cuts from their cows & pigs, whole chickens, and always ground beef. Rainshadow Organics cows are exclusively grass fed, their pigs get a mix of whole grain triticale, organic veggies, pasture, and alfalfa, and their chickens are pastured, graze their cover crops, and are fed local grain. “All of the feed we use is locally raised, chemical free, mostly organic, and absolutely never GMO. We know local meat is hard to find but we are here to provide you with the diversity of beef, chicken, and pork you want,” says Lawrence. 

But CSA membership is more than the vegetables and meat in a share. Membership includes a weekly newsletter with farm news, recipes, and food storage & preservation tips; CSA member appreciation days; and a direct relationship with the people who grow your food. For Lawrence, the best part is that “members truly become part of our family. Seeing you weekly helps us develop stronger roots in the Central Oregon community and allows our presence to reach so many more people.” She feels strongly that members add value to the farm through shared desires to eat locally and enjoy certified organic, chemical free food. 

Why join a Rainshadow Organics summer CSA?

• They are the only Certified Organic vegetable farm in Central Oregon with a CSA. Rainshadow is committed to their organic roots and want to provide you with Certified Organic ingredients – vegetables & grains for your wellness and peace of mind. 
• Rainshadow believes that humans play a role in the system of our natural environment, and they take responsibility for giving back to the land that feeds us. Rainshadow Organics focuses on soil fertility through cover crops, soil testing, on farm nutrient sourcing, and soil conservation practices. They rotate crops each year to protect soil nutrients, reduce erosion, and increase organic matter.
• Food grown at Rainshadow Organics, will only travel about 30 miles to reach you. On average, food at a traditional grocery store is estimated to travel 1,500 miles to reach your plate. The fewer miles your groceries travel, the less carbon footprint, and the less worry you have in your kitchen. 
• Shopping locally supports the Central Oregon economy. A 2017 study conducted in Central Oregon found that when a dollar was spent on a local food item, $0.76 remained in our local economy. Comparatively, each dollar spent on food from outside the region resulted in only $0.28 remaining in the local economy. Keeping these dollars in the local economy fuels jobs and profit, but it also helps to make our community more resilient to external economic forces.

“At the core of Rainshadow,” says Lawrence “is the understanding that the health and integrity of land and soil are the key ingredients that enable us to produce nutrient-dense foods to nourish our bodies and community.” Rainshadow Organics embodies these values and knows their CSA members do too. “We truly believe that when you become a member of our CSA program, your promise to us will benefit our farm, the Central Oregon economy, and your wellness. This becomes a win-win-win for our community allowing Central Oregon to thrive,” says Lawrence.

Bio: Rainshadow Organics is located fifteen miles Northeast of Sisters, Oregon where we have farmed and gardened for over forty years. We are a full-diet farm with dozens of varieties of certified organic vegetables, herbs, flowers, and grains on 80 acres. This includes whole wheat berries and fresh, stone-ground flour. We also offer pasture-raised, non-GMO, and chemical-free chicken, beef, and pork. You can find all our produce and meats plus value added seasonal goods for sale in our Farm Store, 11-3 year round, 71290 Holmes Rd. All of the crops we grow are distributed within 50 miles of the farm through well established year round CSA programs, local restaurants and grocery stores, and farmers markets. Our Kitchen hosts farm-to-table brunches and dinner and various private events.