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". 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.