In the world of small-scale farming, the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) model has long been the gold standard for sustainability. Neighbors buy a "share" of the harvest before the seeds are even in the ground, providing farms with the upfront capital you need to grow. 

Our new Farm Shares feature reimagines this model for producers, allowing your community to invest in you today so you can keep the local agricultural economy moving tomorrow.

Farm Shares: What They Are and Why They Matter

A traditional farm share often delivers a mystery box of whatever is in harvest, but your members have unique tastes. 

By using Farm Shares, you give your community the best of both worlds: the immediate financial support you need to keep your farm running in the off-season, and the flexibility for your members to "shop their share" at their own pace, choosing exactly what they love when the time is right.

You’re inviting your customers to be true stakeholders in your success. The Rooted system tracks every balance automatically, so you can stop playing accountant and note-taker and get back to farming. 

How Does this Help You?

This shift does more than just help your cash flow; it protects your mental bandwidth. 

But don’t just take our word for it!  We worked with fourth generation farmer, Susanna Thornton, of Thornfield Farm and the Blue Ridge Farmers Collective to create a sustainable model that can work overtime for your farm.

“The CSA model is an invaluable tool for farmers. It brings in critical early-season cash flow, allowing us to pay our team, buy our seeds, and invest in all of the expensive infrastructure required to run a farm. But the traditional "box" model wasn't sustainable for us. We hated the guilt that we – and our customers – felt from unwanted items (I see you, Swiss Chard!), and the pressure to fill boxes week in and week out without clear choice from our customers weighed on us—there was just too much waste all around. 

A flexible, completely customizable “store-credit” style Farm Share model lets us tap into that early-season capital, but removes the guilt and pressure that we and our community felt with the old model. 

Our customers LOVE the new model. We receive consistent positive feedback and have over 90% retention year over year with a running waitlist. We really view this as a much more sustainable path forward – not only for our farm and community, but for the industry as a whole."

- Susanna Thornton, Thornfield Farm; Blue Ridge Farmers Collective

(check out our Farmer Feature on Susanna here!)

By offering these shares, you are building a resilient ecosystem where growth is rooted in connection. Log into your account today to activate your Farm Shares, and invite your community to grow alongside you.

Need Help Getting Set up?

Already selling on Rooted and want help setting up farm shares?

Join our Tuesday Zoom Q&A sessions held every week at 12pm EST. Click the 'Join Zoom' button from your dashboard

You can also reach our team at help@rootedfarmers.com.