MERIDIAN, Idaho — Buying produce directly from a local farm means more than getting fresh fruits and vegetables — it can help that farm survive a difficult year.
For 26 years, Wendy and Steve Smith have run Spyglass Gardens in Meridian. But this growing season has tested them in ways they have never experienced.
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"This has probably been the toughest year we've ever experienced here on the farm," Wendy Smith said.
The Smiths said it started with a winter that barely felt like winter at all.
"Which didn't kill a lot of the insect population that normally it does. It didn't kill a lot of the weeds that normally it does," Steve Smith said.
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Then came an early spring, followed by a late freeze.
"Which took out almost all of our fruit trees, about 90%," Steve Smith said.
Extreme heat has further changed what the farm can harvest. That means fewer peaches, no sweet corn, and different boxes for the families enrolled in their Community Supported Agriculture program.
CSA members buy a share of the farm before the growing season and receive whatever the farm is able to harvest. In a year like this, that advance support has been critical.
"We're very blessed about how well they're taking the difference in their bounty," Wendy Smith said.
The memberships cover the basics — seeds, supplies, utilities, and labor.
"The actual membership really only pays for what it costs to run the farm," Wendy Smith said.
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The farm typically relies on extra produce sales to help turn a profit.
"Our bulk sales is actually kind of some of the profit, and we will not have very much bulk this year," Wendy Smith said.
Bethany Hawkins has been part of Spyglass Gardens since she was a teenager. She said supporting a CSA is about more than what ends up in a weekly box.
"Just because there was a year that was a little hard, it still is important to continue every year even if it goes on a smaller scale,” Hawkins said. “I feel like farming is an incredibly important part of Idaho.”
Hawkins said buying local helps keep family farms going and gives people a closer connection to the food they put on their table.
"Support your farms as much as possible because it's very important and you help support a small family who is just maybe trying to get by," Hawkins said.
The Smiths said their CSA sold out this year, and they are extremely grateful for the community support.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
