The SpokeSman • WedneSday, February 16, 2022 P5
CSAs
Continued from P1
The farmers in turn get up-
front cash that helps cover ex-
penses of soil, fertilizer and
seed for spring and summer
planting before the crop comes
in. Typically, the memberships
are about $500 for 20 weekly
boxes, or a trip to the farm
stand for a supply of fresh pro-
duce.
Making a connection be-
tween the food consumers eat
and a local farmer is not only
good for the environment, but
also helps support local agri-
culture, said Annie Nichols,
High Desert Food & Farm
Alliance agricultural support
manager.
“Consumers remove the
middle man from their food
purchase, which means more
money goes into the farmer’s
pocket rather than distribu-
tors and grocery stores taking a
large portion of the producers
profits,” Nichols said. “You can
also save yourself money.”
Nearly all the money made
from farming stays in a com-
munity, compared to im-
ported foods, where only 28
cents of every dollar stays in
the community, according to a
2017 Economic Impact Assess-
ment of Local Food Producers
in Central Oregon report. In
2017, the most recent year data
are available, farms employed
nearly 30 people and generated
$1.5 million in sales on farm
operations, according to the
economic impact report.
Deschutes County is home
to more than 1,400 farms, ac-
cording to the U.S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture report.
“Purchasing a CSA allows
farmers to understand their
customer demand and plan
their crops accordingly,” Nich-
ols said. “By purchasing a CSA
you are investing in the suc-
cess, or failure, of a farm.”
There’s also the connection
between the land, the farmer
and the consumer who cooks
the vegetables and makes a
meal, said Gregory. For her
that was the big draw.
Each weekly box of vegeta-
bles would send her in search
of new recipes. When she got
an eggplant in her box, she
discovered baba ghanoush, a
Greek eggplant dish. When
vegetable box included kohl-
rabi, a member of the cabbage
family, she discovered how to
Academy
Learn more about
CSA memberships
Continued from P1
The high desert Food and
Farm alliance, in collabora-
tion with the pacific north-
west Community Supported
agriculture Coalition, will
host a Central oregon CSa
Share Fair event 6 to 7 p.m.
Feb. 22 via Zoom. The hour-
long session will be a meet
and greet with local farmers
and ranchers and give po-
tential members a chance
to learn about community
supported agriculture mem-
berships. For more informa-
tion or to rSVp go to https://
www.pnwcsa.org/event-de-
tails/central-oregon-csa-
share-fair.
ryan brennecke/The bulletin
Benji Nagel waters trays of seedlings in his greenhouse in Sisters on Sunday.
add it to salads.
“I got to know the people
who were growing my food,”
Gregory said. “I’m anxiously
awaiting the growing season. I
always get so much more pro-
duce than I can use but then I
changed the way I ate.
“It’s all healthy food and last
three times as long.”
Lauren Rasmussen is one
of the owners at Fibonacci
Farms, which grows flowers
and vegetables on two farms
in Redmond and Bend. She
said participants of community
supported agriculture help pay
the bills and create a relation-
ship with her farms. Typically,
her customers are 35 to 55
years old, want to support local
agriculture and generally are
not bargain shoppers.
“They’re supporting a better
environment,” Rasmussen said.
“People who buy our CSA pro-
duce understand why it’s im-
portant to support us. We only
sell to the community. Small
farms don’t swell outside the
community. We need the com-
munity to support us because
they’re our customers.”
Central Oregon isn’t the eas-
iest area to farm. Weather often
is the big unknown and land is
expensive. During the winter,
it’s hard to gain capital for these
small scale farms that produce
harvest on the backs of labor,
not machinery, Rasmussen
said.
“To have a longer than three
month growing season, you
need frost cloth and green-
houses,” she said. “That costs
a lot of money. It’s hard to be
a farmer in the high desert.
There’s a lot of weather, hail,
frost, wind and drought. “
This year she hopes to grow
her membership for flowers
and vegetables to 100. Last she
the two-year-old farm had 15
members.
Like Rasmussen, Benji Na-
gel, owner of Mahonia Gar-
dens in Sisters, is hoping to
expand his membership. Na-
gel, however, does his mem-
bership a bit differently. Rather
than asking members to come
to the farm for a pre-sorted
box of vegetables, Nagel has a
farm stand and issues credit for
members to select what they
want.
Farm stand community sup-
ported agriculture prices range
from $250 to $750, Nagel said.
“We’re not doing the tradi-
tional farm boxes anymore,”
Nagel said. “Members will
come to our farm stand any-
time and pick any produce.
We’re bringing in eggs, honey,
flowers and berries — items we
don’t grow.”
Nagel said he only brings in
produce from farms he knows
who also are small regional
farmers. Mostly he needs to
supplement his harvests from
his one-acre farm.
“We have been working to
figure out what are our most
popular items and adjusting
our crop plan for the stand,” he
said. “Bringing in other items
allows us to expand our offer-
ings from other small farms.”
e
Reporter: 541-633-2117,
sroig@bendbulletin.com
“The idea that they
could find affordable child
care that’s accessible to
them was really kind of
this factor in relieving that
anxiety that someone can
be a working parent and
can start a family and still
be able to do this in a suc-
cessful and caring way.”
The program started in
RPA classrooms left empty
by the school’s shift to on-
line classes but has moved
across the street into a
building the school now
rents.
In launching Learn &
Play, the academy had the
advantage of already be-
ing in the education busi-
ness. That meant some of
the most intense hurdles
providers face in getting
their child care businesses
up and running, like some
zoning restrictions and re-
quired inspections, were
already taken care of.
State licensing rules also
mean child care centers
operated by schools and lo-
cal governments don’t have
to be certified by the Early
Learning Division. “We
weren’t starting from the
bottom,” Kirk said. “The
infrastructure was already
there.”
Six employee families
have their kids enrolled in
Learn & Play, as do about
18 other Redmond fam-
ilies.
The program’s waitlist
has grown quickly, with
RPA employees advised to
get on the waitlist early if
they plan to have a child.
The farthest out families
have gotten on the list is
around 14 weeks of preg-
nancy, Eberhart said.
The high demand can
be a struggle, but it also
provides opportunities for
the academy’s older stu-
dents. The academy runs
a Career and Technical
Education program in the
daycare, so high school
students interested in early
childhood education as a
career path can work in
for-credit internships or
paid positions, getting nec-
essary certifications and
hands-on experience along
the way.
Reporter: 541-617-7814,
zdemars@bendbulletin.com
e
Calendar
SW deschutes ave., redmond; de-
schuteslibrary.org or 541-312-1050.
Continued from P1
Healing Flow Class Series: Join
a yoga healing flow class from the
comfort of your home; noon-1 p.m.;
$15 drop-in; CmC, online; canyon-
mountaincenter.net or 415-748-
8697.
visitredmondoregon.com or 541-
771-2161.
Oregon WinterFest: The three-
day festival will showcase a pleth-
ora of local food vendors, artisans
and businesses, featuring a di-
verse selection of grub, handmade
goods, local services and plenty
of gear for outdoor adventures;
5-10 p.m.; $20 for adults, $12 for
kids; deschutes County Fair & expo
Center, 3800 SW airport Way, red-
mond; oregonwinterfest.com or
541-548-2711.
SATURDAY 2/19
Oregon WinterFest: The three-day
festival will showcase a plethora
of local food vendors, artisans and
businesses, featuring a diverse se-
lection of grub, handmade goods,
local services and plenty of gear
for outdoor adventures; 11 a.m.-
10 p.m.; $20 for adults, $12 for kids;
deschutes County Fair & expo Cen-
ter, 3800 SW airport Way, redmond;
oregonwinterfest.com or 541-548-
2711.
2022 Kids Hot Cocoa Run: after
being crowned, kids will run from
station to station collecting cocoa
ingredients, and as they cross the
finish line they will get the final
touch — a splash of hot chocolate
and a finisher ribbon; noon; $7; de-
schutes County Fair & expo Center,
3800 SW airport Way, redmond;
bendticket.com or 541-548-2711.
The Substitutes: The local rock
Submitted photo
The Substitutes will perform on Saturday at Faith, Hope and Charity
Vineyards.
band will perform; 5-8 p.m.; $15 on-
line; Faith, hope and Charity Vine-
yards, 70450 nW Lower Valley drive,
Terrebonne; faithhopeandcharit-
yevents.com or 541-526-5075.
SUNDAY 2/20
Sunday Brunch and Karaoke:
Join for brunch and karaoke;
10 a.m.-3 p.m.; free; General duffy’s
Watering hole, 404 SW Forest ave.,
redmond; facebook.com/Gener-
alduffys or 541-527-4345.
Oregon WinterFest: The three-day
festival will showcase a plethora
of local food vendors, artisans and
businesses, featuring a diverse se-
lection of grub, handmade goods,
local services and plenty of gear for
outdoor adventures; 11 a.m.-5 p.m.;
$20 for adults, $12 for kids; de-
schutes County Fair & expo Center,
3800 SW airport Way, redmond;
oregonwinterfest.com or 541-548-
2711.
Love, Loss and What I Wore: Go
see an intimate play of monologues
Ways you
can support
Thelma’s Place:
• Vehicle donations
• Cash donations
• Sponsorships
• Volunteer
CHILD CARE
AN INTERGENERATIONAL PROGRAM
Your support makes a difference!
Redmond: 541-548-3049
Day Respite and Support Groups
www.thelmasplace.org
and ensemble pieces about women,
clothes, and the memories they
provoke — mothers, prom dresses,
buying bras, hating purses and why
we eventually default to wearing
all black, all the time; 4-6 p.m.; $20;
high desert music hall, 818 SW For-
est ave., bend; highdesertmusichall.
com or 541-527-1387.
SOLUTION
Crossword on Page 2
Virtual City Council Meeting:
a regular workshop will be held;
6-8 p.m.; free; redmond City hall,
online; redmondoregon.gov or 541-
923-7710.
Mario Kart Night: enjoy free sam-
ples and race your way to the top to
win brewery Swag from Goodlife
brewing; 6:30-9:30 p.m.; free; Gen-
eral duffy’s Watering hole, 404 SW
Forest ave., redmond; facebook.
com/Generalduffys or 541-527-
4345.
SOLUTION
Sudoku on Page 2
TUESDAY 2/22
Juniper Golf Committee: a reg-
ular meeting will be held; 10 a.m.-
noon; free; redmond City hall,
online; redmondoregon.gov or 541-
923-7710.
Writers Writing — Quiet Writ-
ing Time: enjoy the focus of a quiet
space with the benefit of others’
company; 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.;
free; redmond public Library, 827
Worship Directory
Baptist
Non-Denominational
Highland Baptist Church
Seventh Day Adventist
3100 SW Highland Ave., Redmond
541-548-4161
Barry Campbell, Lead Pastor
945 W. Glacier Ave.,
Redmond, OR
541-923-0301
Sunday Worship Services:
Get great
service &
great rates.
Blended - 8 & 9 am
Contemporary - 10:30 am
(Worship Center)
hbc Español - 10:30 am
Acoustic - 6 pm
(Youth Room)
*9 am & 10:30 am live-streamed on
website: www.hbcredmond.org
Family Night Wednesdays
(January 2 - March 16)
5:30 pm - Dinner in Gym (free)
6 pm - Practical classes for all ages
Joe A Lochner Ins Acy Inc
Joe A Lochner, Agent
www.joelochner.com
Redmond, OR 97756
Bus: 541-548-6023
See website for a list of classes!
How can hbc pray for you?
prayer@hbcredmond.org
Sabbath School 9:30 am
Worship 10:45 am
Roman Catholic
St Thomas Roman Catholic
Church
1720 NW 19th Street
Redmond, Oregon 97756
541-923-3390
Father Todd Unger, Pastor
Mass Schedule:
Weekdays 8:00 am
(Except Wednesdays)
Wednesday 6:00 pm
Saturday Vigil 5:00 pm
First Saturday 8:00 am (English)
Sunday 8:00 am, 10:00 am (English)
12:00 noon (Spanish)
CHECK YOUR AD
On the first day it runs to
make sure it is correct.
Call 541-617-7823 for corrections.
Confessions on Wednesdays
From 5:00 to 5:45 pm and on
Saturdays From 3:00 to 4:30 pm