The short version
A CSA (community-supported agriculture) is a pre-paid seasonal subscription to a single farm or a small cooperative. You pay up front for a season (typically 16 to 26 weeks), and you receive a weekly box of whatever the farm harvested. The "share" is literally a share of the season's risk and abundance.
Farm delivery is a broader category that includes CSAs and also à-la-carte ordering, recurring weekly boxes you can pause, single-product subscriptions (a milk route, an egg subscription), and one-time orders. Many farms now offer all of these on the same site.
Side-by-side
| Dimension | CSA share | Farm delivery (broader) |
|---|---|---|
| Commitment | Pre-paid season (16 to 26 weeks) | One-time, recurring, or subscription |
| Box contents | Whatever was harvested that week | What you ordered |
| Skip a week | Often no, sometimes yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Pay up front for the season | Pay per order or pay per delivery |
| Risk sharing | You share the season risk with the farm | No risk sharing; pay for what you get |
| Variety | Whatever is in season; surprise box | What you chose |
| Best for | Cooks who like seasonal challenge | Targeted buys (raw milk, pastured beef, eggs) |
When a CSA is the right choice
- You like a weekly seasonal surprise and you cook from what is in the box.
- You want to support a single farm through a full season.
- You eat a lot of vegetables and want them at peak freshness.
- You can use everything (or share with a neighbor).
When standalone farm delivery is the right choice
- You want a specific product (raw milk, grass-fed beef, pastured eggs) and not a full produce box.
- You travel often and need to pause delivery without losing the season.
- You already shop at a farmers market and just want delivery for one or two staple items.
- You want to try a farm before committing to a season.
Many farms offer both
The line is blurring. A modern multi-farm CSA might run a base produce share, plus add-on à-la-carte ordering for meat, dairy, eggs, and pantry goods. A standalone dairy might run a recurring weekly milk route plus open occasional CSA-style "extras boxes". If you are searching for beef CSA near me, buy local lamb near me, or buy pasture raised pork near me, start with local meat farms and then confirm whether the farm sells a recurring share or one-time cuts. The directory does not force you to pick a category; you can filter by both.
Find CSAs and farm-direct delivery near you
Live map. Filter by CSA, Local delivery, or both.
Pricing benchmarks
A vegetable CSA share typically costs $25 to $50 per week, paid up front for the season. A dairy "milk route" subscription typically costs $20 to $50 per week (a half-gallon of milk plus eggs and a small extra). Pastured-meat boxes typically run $100 to $200 per quarter for a recurring sampler. Single-item à-la-carte tends to be 10 to 20 percent more per unit than a CSA share buys you, because you are not committing to the season.