CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. 607 is our area code. CSA is a system by which members of a community become shareholders of a local farm to share its risks and rewards by investing in the operation in the spring before there is product to buy, and then enjoying the bounty (or lack thereof) of the farm the remainder of the season.
The 607 CSA is a multi-farm CSA based in the Northern Catskills of New York State. We offer abundant and diverse veggie shares sourced from our four collaborating vegetable farms, plus season-long add-ons of pastured meat, eggs, dairy, and other items from 40+ neighboring farms and food businesses. In effect, we are a whole-diet CSA.
Each share purchased is an investment in our farm season and our farming community. In stark contrast to money spent at chain grocery stores, your share purchases do double-duty by kickstarting our farming season and, at the same time, contributing to our region's deep economy.
The BIG IDEA is simple: Working together and with your help, we small farms can provide enough food to meet the demand and standards of our communities. Together we are participating in a collaborative economy. If you'd like to chat more about how this all works, or how we spend your money, please don't hesitate to get in touch. We are dedicated to transparency.
What Is Food Sovereignty?
Food Sovereignty is, “the people’s and communities’ fundamental right to determine their food and agricultural policies. It is the right to access and control of their means of production. It is the right to safe, culturally appropriate foods and sustainable food production.” (Nyéléni Global Forum, 2007)
Fostering a team based on just relationships and a community based on just land stewardship, The 607 CSA helps small-scale local farms get their good, nutritious food to all the people, and helps all the people get good, nutritious food from the farms, creating an inclusive, equitable value chain.
As part of this work, the 607 CSA supports land access organizing, helping farmers gain access to the land and resources they need to feed our communities. We connect retiring farmers with aspiring farmers, collaborate with farmland conservation trusts, and develop new local strategies to secure fertile ground for agroecological agriculture, environmental stewardship, and food sovereignty. Our land access work centers BIPOC voices and leadership. We focus on equity so that new farmers, BIPOC farmers, and farmers with less access to capital (i.e. no generational wealth) can have a chance at gaining stable land tenure. We do this to begin (to begin) to address the 100 years of self-recognized systemically racist USDA policy that has led to 98% of farmland in the US being owned by white people.
(If you have a question, you may find the answer HERE. And if you’re interested in organizing a new pick-up location, there is some info HERE. If you are a farmer or producer and you are interested in working with us, please fill out THIS FORM.)
The 607 CSA Crew
Tianna Kennedy
Tianna is co-owner-operator of Star Route Farm (along with Walter Riesen and Amanda Wong) and owner-operator of the 607 CSA. She’s lived a myriad of past lives in Tucson, Arizona; the Bay Area; Nottingham, England; and Brooklyn, New York, but has been farming in and rattling around the Catskills for over a decade now and it seems to be her home.
Amy Helfand
Amy Helfand is a visual artist and convener. She met The 607 CSA when she worked in Delaware County at The West Kortright Centre. She now picks up her CSA share at The Record Shop in Red Hook, Brooklyn and is so grateful to maintain her upstate connections—especially by working with The 607 CSA.
Annie Myers
Annie and her team get your shares to the city for you each week.
Kalan Joslin
“My name is Kalan and I grow vegetables and people.”
Mara Blesoff
Mara comes to The 607 CSA from a winding road of other work including nonprofits, liquor sales, and food retail. They are drawn to the work of supporting those who work sustainably and respectfully with the Earth, and getting healthy food to anyone who wants it.
Cheryl Maxfield
After nearly a decade of living in Los Angeles, Cheryl has returned to the East Coast. She works in all aspects of Food and Beverage, from restaurant management to running her own bakery, and is excited to manage wholesale for the CSA. She’s spent the last 7 years running the restaurant at Chateau Marmont, and has many, many stories to tell…but sadly signed an NDA. In her free time you can find her performing sketch comedy and improv, creating comedic content for online platforms, and experimenting with new baking ideas.
James Mulry
James has been working with Catskill farms in secret for nearly a decade. He’s just coming out about it now. (He’s also been a 607 CSA member since the beginning!)
Note from a long-time member:
Supporting this kind of small scale farming is a sustainable way to take care of ourselves and our planet.
Be an activist through your food choices!
Also, on the mom/dad front - my boys LOVE these veggies because they are so fresh that they are full of flavor. The carrots are sweet, the greens are rich. I've had great luck using these veggies at the introduction to food for my babies and keeping my toddler eating the rainbow! We often say, "Tianna and her farmer friends grew this! Let's not waste it." And there's a lot of power in that... Also, you can bring your kids to see the farm! :-)
For more information visit our FAQ.
* e-mail us if you'd rather do an installment option, or send a check, or have questions!
