CANTON -- GardenShare’s CSA Bonus Bucks program is now accepting applications for the 2016 season. This program helps low to middle-income households to purchase a CSA share at a reduced price if they feel the original cost to be outside their budget.

Community Supported Agriculture or CSA uses a pay-forward model that allows the consumer and farmer to share in the bounty if a harvest is plentiful, and to bear the deficit together if a season is unfruitful. This provides a financial security net for the grower. Some farmers provide shares during the summer alone, and others offer multiple and even full-year shares.

The need to pay for the entire season's produce up front can be cost prohibitive for some households. This year, GardenShare's CSA Bonus Bucks will pay up to half of the cost, depending on a household's income and the size of CSA share chosen.

CSA Bonus Bucks is an income-eligible program. A household of one person can have an annual income up to $41,000 and apply for assistance. For two people, the upper income limit is $49,000 and for a three-person household it's $56,000.

Farms participating in the program in 2016 include:

· Birdsfoot Farm, Canton (additional pick up location in Potsdam)

· Fuller's Farm, Canton (additional pick up locations in Potsdam)

· Kent Family Growers, Lisbon (additional pick up locations in Canton, Madrid, and Potsdam)

· littleGrasse Foodworks, Canton

· Whitten Family Farm, Winthrop (additional pick up locations in Massena and Potsdam)

Full details on income eligibility and local farms taking part in the program can be found at http://gardenshare.org/content/csa-bonus-bucks.

The application can be downloaded from the website or requested through mail by calling GardenShare at 261-8054. Now’s the time to sign up for a summer CSA share, so the farmers can make their plans for a bountiful growing season.