Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
At the Blandford Farm, we offer Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) – a relationship between community members who prefer locally-grown food and the farmers that grow it. CSA members support and invest in our farm by purchasing a “share” of the harvest that they can pick up weekly. Learn more about our 2025 CSA options and view samples of what might come in your weekly share below!
Prefer a physical CSA registration form? Download one to print here, or pick one up from the Mary Jane Dockeray Visitor Center on your next visit (Monday-Saturday from 9am-5pm). If you have questions or would like to know more about the Blandford Farm, please contact Liz, our Farm Manager, at liz@blandfordnaturecenter.org or 616-735-6240 ext. 125.
Alternative CSA Share Pick-up Options
One question we frequently get is what your options are if you miss a CSA share pick up day. If you know in advance that you will be out of town for your CSA, there are a few options:
1.) You can have someone else pick up your share on your behalf. They would just need to know your name, share size, and pick up location.
2.) You can forgo your share for a week, and we will either donate it to the Food Recovery Program, or sell its components at the Fulton Street Market, depending on when your pick up is and the items in that week’s share.
3.) You can receive the weekly value of your share in market credit, to be used at our farmers market stall any time during the duration of your share.
4.) You can arrange an alternate pick up if you let me know in advance. I would need to know by the Monday of the week of the requested change in order to accommodate the request. If you let me know the day of the pick up, or after your pick up has passed, I cannot accommodate the request.
We have very specific harvesting and packing numbers we operate from, based on the chosen CSA pick up in your registrations. If you decide you want to change your pick up and do not give us advanced notice, we will not have enough shares packed to accommodate that. We have a small crew that manages a lot of details and logistics on a daily and weekly basis in order to keep production going smoothly on the farm. In the past, when I have tried to accommodate last minute alternate pick up requests, I’ve noticed that harvest and packing details get lost in the shuffle if my team and I don’t have a clear plan going into the week. This has made the advance notice a necessary step so that we can provide the best possible pick up experience. Please use this option sparingly, as logistics get intense very quickly when we try to accommodate multiple requests of this nature at the same time.
Paying a Remaining Balance
If you pay for your share online, you will automatically be directed to several payment plan options through our system.
If you pay for your share with a physical sign up form, you are able to pay for your share by check, card, or cash. These payments can be accepted at the visitor center, farm, or farmers market. If you are mailing a check to pay for your share, please email the farm manager at liz@blandfordnaturecenter.org, so she is aware to keep an eye out for your payment. Additionally, please feel free to email Liz with any other payment questions you may have.
Compost Drop-off for Wormies
Blandford is a drop off location for Wormies’ community composting service. Registrations will be through Wormies’ website. This service costs $14/month. Wormies will provide folks with a bucket if they need one. They can opt to receive a share of the finished compost. To signup click the link below!
With 2.5 acres of land, our farm has been growing over 200 different varieties of vegetables since 2010. We are Certified Naturally Grown (CNG), a part of Slow Food of West Michigan (SFWM), Cropping System Certified through the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP), and a Michigan On-Farm Produce Safety (MOFPS) certified farm, which means we grow all our produce using environmentally friendly, healthy practices. We don’t use herbicides or pesticides, and believe the health of the soil directly impacts the quality of produce grown. We monitor soil health through annual soil tests, and use the results to determine which amendments we add to the soil to ensure a healthy crop and nutrient dense food.
