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.

Summary Agreement

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 am willing to commit now to purchasing a share of the harvest for the entire season. I understand that it is my responsibility to pay for my share in accordance with the payment plan I choose. I also understand that it is my responsibility to pick up my share within the stated timeframe, 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 below.

A. Becoming a Part of Our Farm

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a relationship between our farm, Valley Flora, 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 for the season.

Our main CSA runs for 28 weeks, from June to December. Our winter CSA is 10 deliveries on an every-other week schedule, starting in January and ending in May. As a member, you are responsible for showing up at your pickup site each week to pick up your Harvest Basket and/or Abby’s Greens. 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.

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, pests, and other events will affect actual production.

http://www.valleyflorafarm.com/content/seasonality-calendar

D. Our Shared Commitments

1. Sharing in the Risk of Crop Failure

We promise to do our best to provide you with a bountiful, seasonal share each week. The quantity of produce, however, may vary from week-to-week due to extreme weather, insects, or other production factors beyond our control and despite our best farming 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 protocol is as follows:

If crops fail, we compensate for the failed crops by filling your share with other crops grown on the farm that are ready for harvest at that time and/or later in the season.

2. Sharing in the Reward of Crop Surplus

In addition to our CSA, our farm sells to restaurants, grocery stores, and via our farmstand. Our CSA receives priority. After filling our CSA share with the week’s harvest first, the remainder is sold to our other markets. We have learned that members can be as dissatisfied and overwhelmed by too much produce as they are dissatisfied and underwhelmed by too little. For this reason, we try not to overload you with too much of any one thing at one time.

E. Picking Up Shares

You are responsible for picking up your share each week from your pickup site. You are responsible for observing our pickup site rules, which are as follows:

• Bring your own bag to take your produce home in and leave the emptied tote and lid at the site.
• Pick up your share within the stated timeframe.
• Only take salad if you have paid for a salad share.
• Be respectful of our drop site hosts’ property.
• 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 the stated timeframe will be donated to a local food pantry.

If you wish to change your pickup 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, wash all produce before eating it and put frozen and perishable products in the freezer or refrigerator as soon as possible.

F. Member Fees & 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:

We do not offer refunds on Abby’s Greens Salad Shares. If you sign up for salad 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.

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. We charge a $50 cancellation fee on all cancelled Harvest Baskets.

Refunds for Paid in Full Harvest Baskets: We will pro-rate the cost of your Harvest Basket through your last week of participation and refund you the balance minus the $50 cancellation fee. 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.

Refunds for Monthly Pay Plan Harvest Baskets: The initial deposit is non-refundable and we charge a $50 cancellation fee. 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) the pro-rated cost of the additional weeks to equal 4 weeks cancellation notice.

G. Late Payments, Late Fees and Harvest Basket Suspension/Termination

Members who opt for the monthly pay plan are expected to pay their $100 monthly fee by the 1st of each month, June through November. Late payments received after the 15th of the month will incur a $25 late fee. If a member has not paid and has not communicated about payment by the 15th of the month, the Harvest Basket will be suspended until payment is received. Any Harvest Basket member who is more than 3 weeks overdue on monthly payments will be removed from the CSA and their membership will be terminated for the season.

H. Communicating with Us

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 we spend most of our time in the field growing your food and not in the office.

We will communicate with you primarily by email. When you sign up, you will be added to our email list (unless you opt out - please don't!). Please read your email from us. We depend on being able to communicate important information such as necessary changes to your pickup schedule. Every week from June through December, we will email you our newsletter, the Beet Box, giving 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.