Valley Flora Member Agreement
This contract outlines the relationship between you, the member, and Valley Flora, the farm. Please read it in its entirety so that you are fully aware of your commitment as a member and our commitment as your farm.
Summary Agreement
By submitting this Member Agreement, I understand that a Harvest Basket (and/or any additional shares of eggs, salad, or tamales) will be reserved for me for the entire season, and I agree to pay the entire member fee according to the payment option that I have selected. I understand that risks and rewards are inherent to farming: that there may be bountiful bumper crops, and that certain crops may fail. I agree to share in those risks and rewards with Valley Flora and other farm members. I understand that it is my responsibility to pick up my share each week, or arrange for another to pick it up, otherwise I allow Valley Flora to donate my share. I understand and agree to Valley Flora's refund and cancellation policy, described in full below.
A. Becoming a Part of Valley Flora
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a relationship between our farm, Valley Flora, and you as our customer. Rather than simply purchasing food, our CSA customers become “members” of our farm who receive a portion of the farm’s harvest, and who have the unique opportunity to purchase "shares" of other local products through us, including eggs, salad mix, and tamales. Our CSA runs for 28 weeks, from June to December. The variety and quantity of produce in the Harvest Basket will vary throughout the season.
B. Our Growing Practices
We farm using exclusively organic production practices, however we are not third-party certified organic. We follow and exceed all of the organic rules and regulations as outlined by the USDA's National Organic Standards. We are deeply committed to ecological farming practices and our passion is growing good food with an eye toward the artful. Our love of land, place, fertile loam, and the next generation inspires us to use cover crops, compost and crop rotations instead of synthetic fertilizers and sprays, and to do most of our work by hand - with the occasional help of a couple of tractors and a draft horse.
The production practices of our partner producers (Candace's Eggs, Juana's Tamales) vary. Candace employs rotational, pastured poultry practices and supplements her hens with a non-organic feed. Juana uses conventional ingredients in her tamales, with the exception of occasional Valley Flora produce. Please contact those producers directly if you have in-depth questions about their production practices.
C. Anticipated Produce for the Season:
The link below outlines some of the produce we hope to deliver and when you may see it in your share. This chart is based on our best estimate, but weather and other events beyond our control will affect actual production.
http://www.valleyflorafarm.com/content/seasonality-calendar
D. Our Mutual Commitments
Each year, we plan for a diverse and plentiful harvest for our members to enjoy from June to December. However, there are risks and rewards inherent to farming. In spite of our best intentions and greatest efforts, a certain crop may fail due to pests, weather, or other elements beyond our control. There also may be a bountiful bumper crop that our members will benefit from – extra tomatoes one year, sweet corn the next! By joining our CSA, you are agreeing to share in the risk of crop failure and in the rewards of bumper crops with us and other members. Our promise to you is to do the very best we can do as farmers.
Valley Flora is a diversified farm, both in what we produce and how we sell it. In addition to our CSA, our farm sells to restaurants, grocery stores, and via our farmstand and u-pick. We balance priority of the Harvest Basket with our other markets. This allows us to select a consistently full and diverse share for our members while hopefully not overwhelming members with any one product at one time. Additionally, there are certain specialty items that are not included in the Harvest Basket, including certain berries and tree fruits that we grow in small quantities. These items may be available for purchase at the farmstand or at local grocery stores.
E. Picking Up Your Share
As a member, you are responsible for picking up your Harvest Basket, eggs, salad, and/or tamales each week. You are responsible for observing our pickup site rules, which are as follows:
1. Bring your own bag to take your produce home in and leave the emptied tote and lid at the site.
2. Pick up your share within the stated timeframe.
3. Only take eggs, salad, and/or tamales if you have paid for those extra share items.
4. Be respectful of our drop site hosts’ property.
5. Follow any additional rules posted for your drop site
http://www.valleyflorafarm.com/content/valley-flora-pick-locations-protocol.
If you cannot pick-up your share, you must arrange for someone else to pick it up for you. You are responsible for explaining the pick-up location and procedures to your substitute. Shares that are not retrieved within 24 hours of the pickup time will be donated to a local food pantry.
If you wish to change your drop site, you must contact us via email (valleyflora@valleyflorafarm.com) with two weeks notice prior to the effective change date.
We take the safety of your food seriously. For your added protection, we encourage you to wash all produce before eating it and and to put frozen and perishable products in the freezer or refrigerator as soon as possible.
F. Member Fees, Cancellation & Refunds
By selling membership in advance of the growing season, CSA reduces the burden of up-front costs for the farmer. Your membership fees provide us with money to purchase seed, fertilizer and equipment before the season starts, to pay for spring labor, and to help stabilize the farm’s overall finances. We appreciate your commitment tremendously. It makes our farm financially sustainable and economically viable.
We understand that from time to time people’s circumstances change and they become unable to fulfill their commitment as a CSA member. This is our refund and cancellation policy:
1. We do not offer refunds on the following items: Abby’s Greens Salad Shares, Candace’s Egg Shares, Juana’s Tamale Shares. If you sign up for one of these shares but cannot fulfill your commitment, we ask that you find someone to take over your share for the remainder of the season. Please notify us if this happens and provide us with your replacement’s email address so that we can include him/her in our weekly communications.
2. We offer limited refunds on Harvest Baskets, described below. We require that you give us four weeks cancellation notice if you plan to end your Harvest Basket membership, in order to give us adequate time to fill your spot with a new member.
a. Refunds for Paid in Full Harvest Baskets: We will pro-rate the cost of your Harvest Basket at $30 per week, through your last week of participation, and refund you the balance. Please note that you must give us four weeks notice and you must pay for those final four weeks, even if you are unable to pick up your produce during those final four weeks.
b. Refunds for Monthly Pay Plan Harvest Baskets: The initial deposit of $225 is non-refundable. If you give notice at the first of the month, you must pay your usual $100 payment for that month and your membership will expire at the end of that month. If you give notice at any other point in the month, we require four weeks cancellation notice. Therefore you will be expected to pay your usual $100 fee for that month, plus (if needed) a pro-rated rate of $30/week to equal 4 weeks cancellation notice.
G. Communicating with Your Farmers
Please contact us at any time with changes to your contact information or questions about your share. The best way to communicate with us is via email. Our email is valleyflora@valleyflorafarm.com. The best time to reach us in person by phone is Wednesdays, from 9 am to 1 pm (541-348-2180). You can also leave a message at this number anytime, although it may take a couple of days to return your call. We will do our best to respond as soon as possible, but please understand that during the summer season we have very limited time in the office.
We will communicate with you primarily by email (sparingly) and via our weekly newlsetter/blog, the Beet Box. When you sign up, you will be added to our email list (unless you opt out - but please don't!). Please read your email from us. We depend on it to communicate important information, for instance any unforeseen changes to your pickup schedule. The Beet Box will give you information about the produce available that week, recipe ideas, or other farm-related news. If you share your Harvest Basket with another person, please be sure we also have their email so we can keep them in the loop.
Although unlikely, Valley Flora may change parts of this agreement related to production and distribution from time to time. We will contact you via email in advance of any changes to this agreement.
By clicking the box below, I agree to all of the terms and conditions described in this member agreement.
