Sundog Farm & Local Harvest CSA

What Sundog Farm & Local Harvest CSA does

Sundog Farm & Local Harvest CSA is a privately held Community Supported Agriculture farm headquartered at 5025 120th St NE in Solon, Iowa, founded in 1996 by Susan Jutz as one of Iowa's first CSAs and transitioned in 2014-2015 to current co-owners Carmen Black and Maja Black. The farm enrolls 150-200 member families per season and distributes weekly fresh vegetable shares across 29 weeks (late April through November) at five pickup locations: the farm itself, North Liberty Community Pantry, Fiddlehead Gardens in Iowa City, Feed Iowa First in Cedar Rapids, and Solon Market St. Members select produce buffet-style from offerings that range from 4-6 items in spring to 10-15 items per week in summer, with fall shares consisting of large biweekly bundles of storage crops.

The product surface spans three season-specific vegetable shares plus a diversified livestock and partner-product portfolio: whole lamb (sold directly to consumers in custom cuts through local meat lockers), pastured eggs acquired from neighboring Salt Fork Farm, pastured broiler chickens acquired from a former employee, dairy goats on rotational grazing, and share add-ons including bread (The Local Crumb), coffee (Wake Up Iowa) and fall apples (Buffalo Ridge Orchard). Technically the farm relies on organic practices, crop rotation, season extension using unheated hoop houses, rotational grazing for sheep, goats, and broilers, and a licensed on-farm processing plant built to freeze and dehydrate vegetables — infrastructure explicitly designed to extend employment year-round rather than to scale volume.

The business model is direct-to-consumer subscription CSA: members pay a $50 deposit to reserve a spot, with full payment due at season start or via installment plans, and bartering arrangements available on request. Marketing runs through the farm website (solonsundogfarm.com), a weekly email newsletter, on-farm events and seasonal potlucks, and word-of-mouth referrals from existing members, with pickup-site hosts extending reach into surrounding towns. The farm is bootstrapped, family-owned, and operates without external equity capital or institutional investment; an unnamed sub-$10k state program grant from Choose Iowa was recorded in March 2026 but represents programmatic support rather than growth financing.

Name

Sundog Farm & Local Harvest CSA

Legal name

Sundog Farm & Local Harvest CSA

Website

https://solonsundogfarm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Sundog Farm & Local Harvest CSA is a privately held, family-owned Community Supported Agriculture farm in Solon, Iowa that delivers 29 weeks of seasonal organic vegetable shares to 150-200 member families each year across five eastern Iowa pickup locations, with add-on shares, pastured eggs, and whole-lamb sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) organic vegetable farming

NAICS

Poultry and Egg Production (1123), Sheep and Goat Farming (1124), Goat Farming (112420), Support Activities for Animal Production (115210)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Farm-to-Consumer Produce Boxes / CSA Delivery (AFAIANAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Farmers’ Markets & Farm Stands (Fresh Food) (CRAHAHAE), Organic & Pasture-Raised Poultry & Egg Production (AFAEADAJ), Layer Hen Egg Production (Table Eggs) (AFAEADAB), Forage Harvesting Services (Hay, Silage, Baleage) (AFACAAAE)

Keywords

• Organic CSA shares
• Pastured livestock products
• Community supported agriculture
• Seasonal vegetable delivery
• Local farm pickup

Headquarters

HQ city

Solon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. CSA Vegetable Shares: Seasonal subscription model where members pay in advance for vegetables. Spring, summer, and fall shares available for 29 weeks total. Members select vegetables buffet-style at pickup locations. A $50 deposit holds a spot, with full payment due at season start or installment plans available.
2. Whole Lamb Sales: Sell lambs as whole animals processed through local meat lockers. Customers receive ground lamb, stew meat, roasts, lamb chops and more. Ordering whole animals is cost-effective compared to retail pricing.
3. Share Add-ons: Weekly add-on shares including bread from The Local Crumb bakery, coffee from Wake Up Iowa, and fall apples from Buffalo Ridge Orchard. Also eggs and access to Thanksgiving turkeys and other seasonal products.
4. Pastured Meat Birds: Raising pastured meat birds acquired from former employee who had been raising chickens on the farm.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sundog Farm & Local Harvest CSA sells seasonal Community Supported Agriculture vegetable shares distributed buffet-style across 29 weeks (spring, summer, fall) to 150-200 member families in eastern Iowa. The farm also sells whole pasture-raised lambs, pastured meat birds, and eggs, and offers optional weekly partner add-ons such as bread, coffee, and fall apples.

Product overview

Sundog Farm & Local Harvest CSA operates as a diversified vegetable and livestock farm offering Community Supported Agriculture shares across three seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall) totaling 29 weeks of fresh produce from late April through November. The core offering consists of seasonal vegetable CSA shares distributed through five pickup locations. The farm has expanded beyond vegetables to offer pastured protein products including lamb (sold as whole animals), pastured meat birds, goat, and eggs from pastured laying hens. Additional share add-ons enable members to purchase locally-roasted coffee, fresh baked bread, and fall apples through partnerships with other local farms and businesses. A Community Fund program provides share access for families experiencing food insecurity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Spring Greens Share Spring CSA share offering 4-6 different vegetables weekly, featuring sweet and crisp greens picked from unheated hoop houses including leaf lettuce, bok choy, and Mizunas.
• Summer Share The classic 16-week CSA experience offering 10-15 different vegetables weekly in shares sized for family recipes.
• Fall Share A 4-delivery share over 8 weeks from late September through Thanksgiving featuring large shares with late summer crops transitioning to storage crops like onions, potatoes, and winter squash.
• Whole Lamb Whole pasture-raised lambs sold directly to consumers, processed at local meat lockers to customer specifications, featuring Dorset, Suffolk, and Île-de-France breed sheep.
• Pastured Eggs Eggs from pastured laying hens raised on Sundog Farm pastures, acquired from neighboring Salt Fork Farm's egg operation.
• Pastured Meat Birds Pastured broiler chickens raised on the farm; the business was originally started by a former employee and later purchased by the farm.
• Bread Share Add-on Weekly bread share in partnership with The Local Crumb bakery in Cedar Rapids, featuring naturally leavened breads made with organic Iowa milled flours.
• Coffee Share Add-on Weekly coffee share in partnership with Wake Up Iowa featuring small-batch roasted coffee from certified organic, fair trade, and biodynamic producers.
• Fall Apple Share Add-on Fall apple share in partnership with Buffalo Ridge Orchard featuring apples from over 5,500 trees on their 80-acre family farm.
• Community Fund Donation program that funds CSA shares for families experiencing food insecurity, with 100% of donations going directly to the cost of a share.

Quantifiable outcome

• 150-200 families served per season
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Local CrumbcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSmall bakery in Cedar Rapids run by head baker Aaron Hall. Provides weekly bread shares for CSA members. Focuses on naturally leavened breads using organic Iowa milled flours.
• Wake Up IowacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCoffee roaster in Iowa City. Provides weekly coffee shares for CSA members. Coffee beans are thoughtfully selected, roasted in small batches, with partnerships with farmers worldwide including certified organic, fair trade, and biodynamic producers.
• Buffalo Ridge OrchardcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFamily orchard started in 2003 by Vern and Mary Zahradnik, now including daughter Emma and partner Marcus. Over 5,500 apple trees. Provides fall apple shares for CSA members.
• North Liberty Community PantryminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHost site for Thursday CSA pickup location at 350 W Penn St, North Liberty. Provides space for food pantry operations and CSA distribution.
• Fiddlehead GardensminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHost site for Thursday CSA pickup location at 1947 Waterfront Dr, Iowa City.
• Feed Iowa FirstminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHost site for Monday CSA pickup location at 1506 10th St, Cedar Rapids.
• Local Nonprofit (Summer Youth Employment)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with a local nonprofit to run a summer youth employment program, addressing the need for supportive youth employment opportunities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Polyface Farm: Pasture-based, direct-to-consumer farm selling whole animals, eggs, and produce through subscription and member arrangements; comparable in on-farm processing, rotational grazing emphasis, and direct-relationship customer model.
• Driftless Organics: Wisconsin-based organic vegetable farm running a multi-season CSA share program with add-on shares (bread, meat, fruit) sourced from local partners, mirroring Sundog's core share-plus-add-on architecture.
• Featherstone Farm: Organic vegetable farm in southeast Minnesota serving the Twin Cities and regional CSA members across 20+ weeks; comparable in CSA share structure, organic certification, and upper-Midwest distribution model.
• Full Belly Farm: Diversified organic farm in California operating a long-running CSA with multiple pickup sites, on-farm events, and a broad mix of vegetables, eggs, meat, and value-added products; a closely analogous multi-product CSA model at a larger scale.

Regional players

• Wild Rose Farm / Iowa CSA peers (e.g., Bluestem Farm, Genuine Faux Farm): Small-to-mid Iowa CSA vegetable farms serving the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City/Des Moines corridor with seasonal share models, directly competing for the same local consumer base.
• Grinnell Heritage Farm: Certified organic vegetable farm in central Iowa running a CSA share program; a close regional peer operating in the same state with a comparable pickup-based distribution model.

Broad incumbents

• Misfits Market: National direct-to-consumer produce and pantry subscription that ships organic and local-sourced food to households; competes for the same local-organic-eating customer that Sundog targets via CSA.
• Imperfect Foods (now Misfits Market): Subscription D2C service for produce and grocery items, including regional sourcing; represents the scaled, technology-enabled alternative to community CSAs for health- and sustainability-driven households.

Others

• Local Line: Farm-to-table e-commerce and CSA management platform used by small farms for subscriptions, payments, and distribution; an adjacent technology peer relevant to how Sundog manages its 150-200 member base.
• Barn2Door: Software platform that powers direct-to-consumer sales, CSA subscriptions, and online ordering for thousands of small farms; an enabling peer whose tools could augment or substitute Sundog's manual signup and pickup operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/localharvestcsa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sundog Farm & Local Harvest CSA