Registration is now open for the 2018 season of the University of Kentucky’s Community Supported Agriculture Project. All UK faculty, staff and students are eligible to enroll in the program, which provides a weekly share of fresh vegetables from May through October from the U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified organic unit of the Horticulture Research Farm in Lexington.

Community Supported Agriculture, also known as CSA, is a subscription-based program where consumers buy “shares” in a farm’s output. Members benefit from receiving fresh, local and affordable produce from growers they know and trust. The UK Department of Horticulture in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment operates the UK CSA as an educational and outreach project that forms an integral part of the sustainable agriculture undergraduate degree program. Financial proceeds from the sale of shares cover production costs, as well as student educational activities.

A CSA model brings consumers and farmers closer together. Shareholders not only share in the bounty of the farm, but also the potential risks, such as drought or insect infestations. Benefits to being a CSA member include food abundance, access, diversity, freshness, and nutrition. In addition, members in the UK CSA have access to you-pick, farm events and educational resources.

For less than $30 per week, UK faculty, staff and students who become members will receive a weekly assortment of freshly harvested produce from May 24 through Oct. 18. Share costs are $650 for faculty and staff prior to April 1, $660 throughout April, and $670 after April 30. The student cost is $584 before April 1, $594 in the month of April and $604 after April 30.

The produce in the shares will vary according to the time of year, but based on a typical growing season, shareholders can expect to find such items as spring salad mix, radishes, spinach, kohlrabi, turnips, broccoli, cucumbers, basil, corn, melons, onions, squash, potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower and tomatoes, among others.

The number of shares is limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. When registering, participants can choose to pick up their weekly shares on Thursdays either from 4 to 6 p.m. EDT in the orange parking lot of the E.S. Good Barn on campus or from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the UK Horticulture Research Farm, 4321 Emmert Farm Lane.

For more information on the CSA program email uk.csa@uky.edu or go online to https://sustainableag.ca.uky.edu/csa. To register online, go to https://www3.ca.uky.edu/sustainable-ag/csa/new.php. If paying by check, make payable to UK CSA and mail to CSA Manager, N318 Ag Sciences Bldg., Lexington, KY 40546.