Jan. 8 workshop covers CSAs

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension offers an all-day workshop on Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Jan. 8, 2026, in St. Joseph. The session is one of three preconference workshops before the Jan. 9 kickoff of the Great Plains Growers Conference.

“Community Supported Agriculture is one of the most effective ways for small farms to connect directly with their communities while ensuring stable income, yet many beginning farmers lack practical training on how to design and manage a CSA that works,” says conference organizer Justin Keay, an MU Extension field horticulturist.

The CSA Farmers School Intensive, modeled after the popular CSA schools held at the Great Plains Growers Conference in 2009 and 2010, offers a full day of farmer-led, hands-on learning on how to plan, execute, evaluate and sustain a CSA program, says Keay.

Curtis Millsap of Millsap Farms and Chloe Diegel of Robinette Farms in Nebraska will teach the workshop. Millsap will also present the Great Plains Growers Conference’s keynote address on Jan. 9.

“The CSA subscription model allows farms to sell a ‘share’ of their harvest to customers, and in return farms provide customers with a weekly box of produce throughout the growing season. CSAs can allow farmers to scale up their direct-to-consumer sales without spending every Saturday at the farmers market. CSAs help farmers build strong relationships with community members,” Keay says.

By the end of the day, participants will have a draft plan for starting or improving their CSA and key tools for planning, budgeting and managing CSA logistics,” he says. Attendees will learn proven strategies from experienced CSA operators and build peer and mentor connections for continued support.

“This intensive workshop will give farmers the clarity, tools and community they need to launch and sustain successful CSA programs,” Keay adds.

Details and registration. For questions, contact Keay at 573-324-5463 or justin.keay@missouri.edu.