Farmer Profiles

"Ellen Polishuk"
Potomac Vegetable Farms, Vienna, Virgina

"New CSA farmers need to be accomplished farmers... CSA entails making a promise to your members and knowing that you can deliver on it."

A picture of a basil leaf.

The Farming Operation:  Ellen Polishuk and Hiu and Hana Newcomb produce organic vegetables, herbs, flowers, and small fruits on two farms in Virginia, one in Vienna and one in Purcellville. Together, both operations cover 180 acres. Potomac Vegetable Farms sells its produce from a well-established roadside stand located on the Vienna farm, and also through five area farmers' markets, and a CSA. The two farms have a total of three full-time farmers, and many seasonal employees.

CSA Marketing: Potomac Vegetable Farms has been running a CSA since 2000, and markets to the Washington, D.C., metro area. The CSA portion of the farm makes up approximately 10-15 percent of the entire farm sales. In 2001, the CSA sold approximately 150 full shares in the program, each costing $360 for a 22-week season lasting from June through October. The share is made up primarily of vegetables, with flowers, herbs, and eggs offered at an extra cost. The CSA has delivery sites in Washington, D.C., and northern Virginia, as well as pick up on the farm. Ellen and the Newcombs write a weekly newsletter for the members and hold an open house on each farm annually.

Views on CSA: Ellen tells us that she thinks the CSA model is great-"definitely a winner, especially for small operations." For Potomac Vegetable Farms, the CSA model fits into its marketing mix by providing money early in the season for the entire season's expenses, and augmenting the farmers' market picking schedule.

Key Challenges: Ellen notes three main challenges in terms of CSA farming. The first is the fact that the farmers feel a heavy responsibility in fulfilling the contract between the farmer and shareholder in CSA farming. For example, she says that when they take their produce to the farmers' markets, they bring along the kinds of produce available that day. Whereas in a CSA system, the farmer makes a promise to the customer, so tries to provide the produce that the customer expects. Another difficulty for the farm is providing adequate early-season crops to fill the CSA share bag. Finally, the farmers must work hard to keep their customers interested in the farm's activities and to vary the produce in the share.

Words of Advice for New CSA Farmers: Ellen says, "New CSA farmers need to be accomplished farmers. It's not a good idea for new growers to start a CSA, because CSA entails making a promise to your members and knowing that you can deliver on it. CSA farmers should be friendly and have a desire to interact with the customer, at a minimum through a farm newsletter."

Contact: Ellen Polishuk, Potomac Vegetable Farms; 9627 Leesburg Pike Vienna, VA; phone 540-882-3885; e-mail epolishuk@juno.com website: http://www.potomacvegetablefarms.com/.

Profiles of Community Supported Agriculture