September 16, 2016
 Kacie Luckett had to quit her job as a home health care provider to work full-time on her farm and manage her 400-member CSA operation.
400 Member CSA Started With a 2-Acre Backyard Garden
For a few years Kacie Luckett was told there was no way she could compete against large farms at a Farmers Market when she only had 2-acres of growing space.
And they were right.
“It wasn’t going too well and I wasn’t making a profit,” said Kacie, owner of Luckett Farms in East Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She tried to get into the Red Stick Farmers Market in Baton Rouge — the largest Farmers Market in the area. “But they wouldn’t let me in because I had no experience and didn’t have a big enough garden or variety of produce,” said Kacie.
So she turned her sights elsewhere.
After a brief conversation with her sister-in-law, she decided to take a different route and use the two acres of land in her backyard to start a Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA. CSAs allow individuals to purchase shares of the harvest produced by a farm.
But if she couldn’t sell at the Farmers Market, what made her think she could sell her produce at a CSA? That’s what the naysayers said. Read more.
Partner Today With the Farm Service Agency
FSA’s Office of Program Education and Stakeholder Engagement (formerly Outreach and Education) connects with agricultural organizations to help farmers and ranchers around the country start, expand and grow their operation.
Our mission is to educate an ever-growing and diverse customer base of farmers and ranchers, stakeholder organizations, and the public on FSA programs and services, with the objective of increasing program participation by current and potential producers, including those in underserved communities.
Your help in accomplishing this mission is important. We want to develop a relationship with our partners and provide the program support that aligns with the organization’s mission or an individual’s need. Learn more and sign-up to partner with FSA.
Announcements and Upcoming Events
- The solicitation period for individuals to be considered for membership on the Council for Native American Farming and Ranching has been extended through Sept. 22, 2016. Candidates who wish to be considered, must submit an AD-755 application form and resume to the Secretary of Agriculture by the Sept. 22 deadline. Learn more or download AD-755.
- Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship Grants Program is accepting applications from institutions that confer a graduate degree in one of seven specific agricultural areas. The awards are intended to support traineeship programs that engage outstanding students to pursue and complete their degrees in USDA mission areas. Deadline is Oct. 11, 2016. Learn more.
- Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program is accepting applications from 1862, 1890 and 1994 Land-Grant Institutions, Hispanic Serving Institutions and others organizations, for an undergraduate scholarship grant program designed to increase the multicultural diversity of the food and agricultural scientific and professional workforce. Deadline to apply is Sept. 22, 2016. Learn more.
- The Pacific Northwest Regional Native Youth in Food & Agriculture Summit – held Oct.13-16 at the University of Nevada-Reno – will bring Native youth ages 15-24 together for a one-of-a-kind learning experience about the issues they will face as the next generation of food and agriculture leaders in the Pacific Northwest region. This program is open to both enrolled Tribal youth and Tribal descendants. Applications are due Sept.10, 2016. Apply here.
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North Carolina Small Farm Association 