Laughery Valley* Growers, Inc.
Mission of Laughery Valley Growers, Inc.
To provide naturally grown local vegetables, herbs and fruits to all interested persons living in the Laughery Valley and its Environs.
To provide a collaborative opportunity for farmers and other specialty growers in the Laughery Valley and its Environs to sell their produce and value-added products for a variety of direct market venues.
To use natural and organic methods of growing food crops so as to harvest farm fresh, nutritious food grown on healthy soil thereby protecting the environment, conserving natural resources and fostering a healthy ecosystem.
2008 Board of Directors of Laughery Valley Growers, Inc. include:
John Huffman (vice-president), Sue Keyes, Christopher Merkel, Donna McCool, Mike Swango and Claire Whalen, OSF (president). Shelia Merkel, one of the original organizers, is the business manager for the coop.
See a short biographical sketch for the FarmFreshCSA Growers, who are all members of Laughery Valley Growers, Inc. Their names also appear on the Local Producers page of this website under the various categories listed there.
The Laughery Valley Growers are committed to using ecological friendly practices with minimum or no input of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers and no or genetically modified seeds. Growers use natural mineral fertilizers, compost, cover crops and crop rotation practices to build organic matter in soils to protect plants against insect, weed and disease problems
FARM FRESH CSA
FarmFreshCSA for 2008 is currently accepting subscriptions between March 1 and June 1, 2008. For information about this project including subscriber benefits and agreements, subscriber fee and pick-up site as well as a chart of the seasonal produce expected to be available for the weekly boxes, view 2008 CSA brochure below.
Two new options for 2008 not listed in the 2008 brochure.
These were available first to the 2007 CSA subscribers before March 15th. They are now available to others on a first come first serve basis.
1- Spring share for $140 for 5 weeks starting May 21 through June 18, 2008. A deposit of $20 is required by May 10, 2008. This share would include most of the following: asparagus, beets with greens, broccoli, early cabbage, kale, lettuce, peas, radishes, salad mix, scallions, swiss chard, strawberries and possibly cucumber, green onion, turnips and early zucchini. Some herbs will be available for ordering in June.
2- Smaller size share for the summer/fall season starting June 25 through October 22, 2008. A non-refundable deposit of $60 by May 15, 2008 with a balance of $264 due in full by July 1, 2008 or in two payments of $132 on July 1 and September 1, 2008. Persons choosing this size can expect 5-7 items each week from the seasonal produce listed in the printed brochure. This size would be 3/5ths the size of a full share.
Send your name, address, and telephone number to Shelia Merkel, CSA business manager, along with your deposit or full fee payment by the date indicated above. See brochure for this information. An early sign-up is encouraged since these two new options may be taken prior to the due dates.
For additional information, contact Shelia Merkel, business manager at 812-933-0762 or send an e-mail request to Farmfreshcsa@aol.com.
HISTORY OF THE COOP
In the fall of 2005, a group of farmers in the Laughery Valley* came together to discuss the feasibility of joining forces to develop local markets for their produce. Several of these farmers were (and still are) actively involved in the Food and Growers Association. They agreed to begin their marketing efforts with the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) model. The initial meeting stirred the creativity of the group and soon FarmFreshCSA became a reality with six local growers. They created a produce availability chart with each farmer committed to growing certain produce for 2006. Two other growers joined the group in 2006. By early spring of 2006 they recognized the importance of becoming a farmer-owned trade cooperative and took the necessary steps in that direction with the assistance of Chad Martin of the Indiana Cooperative Development Center and Jason Bartell, a lawyer recommended by ICDC. By the time they packed their first weekly boxes in June, 2006, they had their legal papers and were officially incorporated as an agriculture cooperative with the legal title of Laughery Valley Growers, Inc.
*Why the title? The Laughery Valley comprises the complete watershed of the Laughery Creek with some headwaters in Decatur and Franklin Counties, but most in Ripley County and a central flow through Ripley County. Laughery Creek eventually picks up northflowing streams from Ohio and Switzerland Counties and empties into the Ohio River near French, Indiana, joining the larger Ohio Valley watershed. All farmers in our local area depend upon the waters flowing through the Laughery Creek watershed. Members of this cooperative acknowledge their responsibility to preserve the quality of this natural resource by the ways they choose to grow their produce.
