Barr Farms CSA Member Agreement and Guide Based on draft document at FarmCommons.org by A. Bryan Endres, Megan Galey, and Rachel Armstrong. Revised & adapted by Rae Strobel & Adam Barr, December 2014 Introduction 1 1 2 A. Becoming a Part of Our Farm 2 B. Our Growing Practices 2 2 3 3 B. Sharing in the Reward of Crop Surplus 4 Member Agreement for 2015 Section 1. Introducing Our CSA Farm C. The Products We Expect for 2015 Section 2. Our Shared Commitments A. Sharing in the Risk of Crop Failure Section 3. Picking Up Shares 4 4 B. Location Changes & Vacation Holds 5 C. Food Safety A. Weekly Pick-­‐up Procedure 5 5 Section 5. Communicating with Us 6 Section 4. Member Fees Introduction Welcome to Barr Farms CSA! Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is an agreement between a farmer & farm member to share in the bounty and risk of the farm. We love having a relationship with our members, and growing high quality food for our friends. Please review the information on our website to determine whether a CSA is right for you! Member Agreement for 2015 We, the farm, wish to provide you with fresh, local, organic, seasonal food and you, the member, wish to receive a portion of our harvest. This agreement outlines our shared commitments to that relationship. Section 1. Introducing Our CSA Farm A. Becoming a Part of Our Farm Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a relationship between our farm and you as our customer. Rather than simply purchasing food, our customers become “members” of our farm who receive a portion of the farm’s harvest. Our CSA runs for 22 weeks, from mid-­‐May to the end of October, typically. Members are responsible for showing up at the drop-­‐off site each week to pick up your share of freshly harvested produce. Full share members will receive a box of vegetables, herbs & occasional fruit equivalent to about $25 worth of produce (about two grocery bags), typically enough for a family of 3-­‐4 to do side dishes for a week. A half share will receive a box of vegetables, herbs & occasional fruit equivalent to about $12.50 worth of produce (about one grocery bag), typically enough for a family of 1-­‐2 to do side dishes for a week. Detailed information regarding pick-­‐up is discussed below in Section 3. Variety and quantity may vary as described below in Section 2. B. Our Growing Practices The produce we grow is USDA Certified Organic by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. Certified organic produce is grown WITHOUT using specific conventional pesticides, fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge, bioengineering, or ionizing radiation. In addition, we view the farm as a whole system, and work to rotate crops & fields, keep fertility on the farm, create habitat for beneficial insects & bacteria, and generally take care of & continually improve the soil & the land-­‐ our home. * Note: The veggies are certified organic, but the eggs & meat are not. The cows are
raised on 100% grass throughout their life. We are looking into organic certification
for the beef in the next few years. All the animals are pasture-raised (meaning they
are out in the pasture fields, on grass or in the woods and in the sunshine), & are NOT
given hormones, steroids or antibiotics. They also get nutritious probiotics & minerals
in their feed. The chickens & pigs do, however, also eat conventional corn & soybeans
that are not organic; therefore the pork, chicken & eggs are not organic. We currently
purchase feed from our neighboring farms to support our local community. We have
been looking into getting non-GMO corn & soybeans. We have not yet been able to find
a reasonably close & affordable source, but we’re working on it for the future, possibly
in 2015. For more information about organic production & our farming practices, please ask. We’d be happy to tell you more. C. The Products We Expect for 2015 The chart below outlines some of the vegetables we hope to deliver and when you may see them in your share. This chart is based on our best estimate, but of course weather, pests, and other events will affect actual production. Spring (May-­‐June) Summer (July-­‐Aug) Fall (Sept-­‐Oct) kale, collards, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, broccoli, bok choi, kohlrabi, onions, lettuce, arugula, turnips, radishes, peas, carrots, beet greens, swiss chard, oregano, sage summer squash, zucchini, heirloom tomatoes, eggplant, sweet peppers, hot peppers, watermelon, beets, okra, cucumber, green beans, onions, garlic, a little bit of sweet corn, potatoes, cilantro butternut squash, acorn squash, heirloom winter squash & pumpkins, sweet potatoes, kale, collards, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, kohlrabi, cauliflower, arugula, radishes, carrots, celery, swiss chard, parsley, ginger Section 2. Our Shared Commitments A. Sharing in the Risk of Crop Failure We promise to do our best to provide you with a bountiful share each week. The quantity of produce, however, may vary from week-­‐to-­‐week or month-­‐to-­‐month due to extreme weather, insects, or other production factors despite our best efforts. By joining our CSA, you are agreeing to share the risk of crop failure with us and other members. In the unlikely event of a crop failure, our procedure is as follows: If only a small portion of crops fail, we will try to compensate for the failed crops by filling your share with other crops grown on the farm that are ready for harvest at that time. On rare occasion we may cover for a crop loss by trading with another local farmer who grows organically. For example, in 2013 & 2014, we had a potato crop failure, so we traded for potatoes from a local farmer-­‐friend who grows organically to add to our CSA boxes for two weeks. For another example, in 2010, there was a widespread drought in this region. Our boxes that year were smaller than we had hoped or anticipated, and we were only able to deliver 19 weeks of produce that season. We try to minimize the risks of crop failure by following good farming practices. We have invested in irrigation systems, including a new pond & a solar water pump in 2010; we grow a wide variety of crops; we rotate crops & fields; & maintain biodiversity. B. Sharing in the Reward of Crop Surplus In addition to our CSA, our farm sells to farmers markets, restaurants, local grocery stores, Fresh Stops and some wholesale markets. Our CSA receives top priority among these markets. After filling our CSA share with the week’s harvest first, the remainder is sold to our other markets. Occasionally, you might see products on the market table that are not in your CSA box. This might happen when we have a limited harvest of a certain crop one week. More often, you might also find items in your CSA box that are not sold to other markets, since the CSA-­‐ our community-­‐ gets top priority. Section 3. Picking Up Shares A. Weekly Pick-­up Procedure You are responsible for picking up your share each week from your drop site. Starting in 2015, we will do CSA pick-­‐ups market-­‐style, instead of pre-­‐packing individual boxes. The CSA harvest will be on a separate table at market, and members will be able to assemble their own share by selecting from boxes labeled with the quantity for each week’s share. For example, the kale box might say, “take 2 bunches of Kale for a full share & 1 bunch for a half share,” & the tomato try might say, “select 4 lbs tomatoes for a full share & 2 lbs tomatoes for a half share,” etc. *Note: Brandenburg & Corydon members may operate on a different system. GE Employees will operate on a different system. See below for details. You are responsible for observing our drop site guidelines, which are as follows: VEGGIE CSA 1. Bring your own bags to assemble your share each week. We will also have boxes or bags available for you to use if needed. If you borrow a box, please return last week’s box every week. 2. Pick up your share within the timeframe stated. 3. We love interacting with members each week to show the bounty of the harvest and see if you have any questions about specific items. If you don’t have time, just let us know! If you ask, we can help you assemble your share quickly. Also, please understand that since most of our drop sites are at farmer’s markets, we might occasionally be busy with other customers when you arrive, and we’ll help you as soon as possible. 4. Each week, be sure to check off your name, indicating that you received your share. EGG CSA 1. Bring your own cartons, and select your eggs from the case. 2. Pick up your share within the timeframe stated. 3. Each week, be sure to check off your name, indicating that you received your eggs. GE Appliance Park Members We will pre-­‐pack boxes for GE Appliance Park Members (pre-­‐pack boxes not available at any other pickup). For 2015, only the veggie full share will be available. Pick up will be on Tuesdays from 1:30-­‐3:30 at location on site at GE Appliance Park. Please return your veggie box each week to the site. If you forget to return your box, please bring bags to transfer your produce. The boxes are expensive, so please take care of it and return it each week. Currently, we are not able to offer meat or eggs for this location, but we encourage you to come see us at the Douglass Loop market on Saturdays for these items. If the GE drop off location grows in future years, we may be able to fully staff the location and offer these products in the future. B. Location Changes & Vacation Holds If you cannot pick-­‐up your share, please arrange for someone else to pick it up for you. You can use this as an opportunity to share your bounty with a friend, or introduce the CSA to someone who is interested. You are responsible for explaining the pick-­‐up location and procedures to your substitute. Shares that are not retrieved within the pick-­‐up time will be donated in a way that the farm decides for that week. You can use your account on Member Assembler to schedule vacation holds, change your drop site for a week or more, and much more. If you wish to change your drop site, or if you will be on vacation, you must let us know at least one week ahead of time. You can also email us to let us know of these changes, as long as you let us know at least one week in advance. C. Food Safety We take the safety of your food seriously, and are conscious of food safety practices. We follow Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) standards in the field and during post-­‐harvest handling. Everyone that handles your produce has had GAP training. We have separate equipment, tools, boots & gloves for working with the livestock and the produce. We will also be developing a food safety guidebook specifically for Barr Farms within the next year or so. We ask that you consider food safety to be your responsibility, too. Always wash all produce before eating. Put refrigerated items in the refrigerator and frozen products in the freezer as soon as possible. Section 4. Member Fees By selling memberships 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 and equipment before the season starts, and we appreciate your commitment. We offer full shares and half shares, described above in Section 1 A. We also offer the option to sign up for a partial season instead of the full season. We offer a Spring membership (mid-­‐May through June), a Summer membership (July & August) & a Fall membership (September & October). The cost is higher to sign up for a partial season, but we offer this flexibility for families who are moving, who travel a lot, or who want to participate but not for the entire farm season. Even though we offer this flexibility, we encourage members to sign up for the full season CSA, as it is the best way to support our farm, and it is most cost-­‐effective for you! You can choose to pay the entire cost of your CSA membership upfront, or you can pay in installments. We prefer at least half of the entire payment upfront, and the remainder before the first delivery. Complete payment must be received before the first delivery. Full Season Full Share: $525 Full Season Half Share: $262.50 Spring Season Full Share (6 weeks): $155 Spring Season Half Share (6 weeks): $77.50 Summer Season Full Share (8 weeks): $210 Summer Season Half Share (8 weeks): $105 Fall Season Full Share (8 weeks): $210 Fall Season Half Share (8 weeks): $105 The Full Season membership is $50 less expensive overall than signing up for each season individually. Our returned check policy it that the member will be responsible for all fees incurred, in addition to ensuring that your membership fee is paid in full. Membership fees are 100% refundable until the first delivery. After the first delivery, fees are 25% refundable within the first four weeks. After the first four weeks of your membership, fees are not refundable. Section 5. Communicating with Us The best way to communicate with us is via email. Our email is [email protected] and the best times to reach us are in the early morning or late evening. We will do our best to respond as soon as possible, but please understand that we spend most of our time in the field growing your food and not at our desk. Please contact us with any news of the following: changes to your postal or email address, changes to your drop-­‐site location (or just update your account on member assembler), problems with your drop-­‐site, or dissatisfaction with your share. We will communicate with you by email. When you sign up, you will be added to our distribution list. Please read your email from us. We depend on being able to communicate important information such as necessary changes to your distribution schedule or information about farm events. We also intend to communicate via a Farm Newsletter, with info about crops in the field, what is likely to be in the box, recipes & more. We, the farm, reserve the right to 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. Thank You!!