Stoneledge Farm CSA Member Guide and Membership Agreement

CSA MEMBERSHIP

Stoneledge Farm has been growing organic vegetables for Community Supported Agriculture since 1996. Stoneledge Farm family and staff are experienced farmers committed to produce and deliver bountiful CSA shares. Stoneledge Farm will act in good faith to provide the freshest produce for the CSA harvest season but farming by its' nature has inherent benefits of an abundant harvest and also risk. As a member of the CSA program you are agreeing that these benefits and risks are included in CSA membership. CSA is a commitment between the farm and the members for an entire growing season. Stoneledge Farm will work to mitigate risk , but cannot reimburse, refund, or otherwise compensate for crop failures or low yields. CSA is a true partnership between the CSA community and the farm. The local CSA is organized, coordinated and run by members volunteering their time. Many CSA locations have a volunteer commitment requirement for their membership. As a CSA member you are agreeing to fulfill your volunteer commitment if required by your CSA site.

VEGETABLE SHARE

The Vegetable Share is the base mandatory share for CSA membership. The Vegetables and Herbs are Certified Organic. The farm delivers boxed shares to the CSA location. There are two sized Vegetable Shares: Full Vegetable Share and Small Vegetable Share, both delivered for 22 weeks June-October/ November. Shares will be pre-boxed and delivered to the CSA locations.

Full Vegetable Share: Our main CSA Vegetable Share. The weekly Full Vegetable Share is perfect for a family or for a smaller household that enjoys vegetables. For smaller households, many members utilize all of the Full Share by freezing or preserving so the share lasts into the winter. The Full Vegetable Share consists of 8-12 different Certified Organic vegetables many weeks including an herb that is harvested according to their season.

Small Vegetable Share: A smaller share amount for 1-2 member household, 4-6 items per week, 22 week deliveries.

There are a limited number of Small Vegetable Shares available. If you feel that a Full Vegetable Share is too much, a share partner can be added to the Vegetable Share. Splitting the payment and produce will be the responsibility of the members. The farm delivers pre-boxed shares and can not split shares for members.

Two CSA Locations, Chelsea CSA and West Village CSA offer Discount Shares for income-verified members. Members interested in a Discount Share should contact the site coordinator at that CSA site for more information. In addition, Chelsea CSA and West Village CSA offer a Sponsor Share. The Sponsor Share is at a higher price and helps to offset the discounted price for the Discount Shares, enabling all members of the community to become CSA members.

FRUIT SHARE

The Fruit Share is an optional share that can be added to the Vegetable Share. The Fruit Share starts the fifth week of Vegetable Share deliveries for 18 weeks in total. The Fruit Share is from neighboring farms and orchards and is conventionally, locally grown fruit.

MUSHROOM SHARE

The Mushroom Share is an optional share that can be added to the Vegetable Share. The Mushroom Share will be delivered for the entire CSA season, 22 weeks. The Mushrooms are from a neighboring Mushroom Farm, Bulich Mushroom Farm. There are 5 different varieties of mushrooms that will be delivered over the season, one variety per week. The Mushrooms are local and naturally grown but are not Certified Organic.

COFFEE SHARE

Coffee Shares is an optional share that can be added to the Vegetable Share. Coffee Shares will be delivered once a month, two pounds of coffee per delivery, 6 deliveries over the season, 12 pounds total over the season. The coffee is Certified Organic, Fair Trade, Kosher and roasted locally.

CSA MARKETPLACE

During the CSA season, additional products are available on a weekly order basis for all CSA members from the CSA Marketplace. Members log into their accounts and place orders from the CSA Marketplace at the online store. Order deadline is Friday 12PM for delivery. Orders received after the deadline will be delivered the following week. The order will be delivered with the weekly CSA shares. It is the members responsibility to pick up their Marketplace Orders. If orders are not picked up during CSA delivery, they may be donated along with any shares not picked up.

DISTRIBUTION AND COMMUNICATION

The CSA shares will be delivered to CSA locations on a weekly basis. If a member can not pick up their share, a friend or neighbor can pick up the share. Site coordinators should be notified in advance so they can make note on the roster. Any shares not picked up during distribution will be donated at the end of distribution and can not be held. Start up dates for each location can be found by going to https://www.stoneledge.farm/csa-program/. Holiday closures at the CSA locations with alternate delivery day schedule will be posted on Farm News https://www.stoneledge.farm/news/ and members will be notified in advance via e-mail.

Members have direct contact with the farm and farmers. The farm will send weekly e-mails with a short message from the farm with the list of what is in the share for the week. Members are invited to come to the farm and visit during the two farm events one in the spring and the other in the fall.

MEMBER ACCOUNTS

As a CSA member an online account is created with contact information, share options, pick-up location, and the balance on the account. Members can view their account, edit their contact information, make payment, place orders at the CSA Marketplace by logging in with the email and password they create. If two members wish to Share a Share, the first member will be the Primary Share Partner. The Share Partner will have a CSA account and by accepting the share partner invitation, agrees to the terms of Membership. Once added to the order, The Share Partner will receive an e-mail notification with acceptance link. Share partners can log into their Member Account and make payment for their portion of the share(s).

All CSA members will be able to order from the CSA Marketplace with their own CSA online account.

PAYMENT

Members can pay in full when registering online by credit card or by mailing a check to the farm.

To help manage the cost of a share, Stoneledge Farm offers a payment plan that divides the cost of a CSA share into four equal payments. The first payment is due at registration. Payment due dates are specified on the payment screen when the member submits their CSA order. For the members convenience, if the member chooses the Four Payment Plan with a Credit Card, the remaining payments will be automatically charged to the credit card for the remaining payments on the payment due date. A reminder e-mail will be sent to the member before their credit card is charged or when a check is due for the second and third payments.

The payment plan is intended to help members manage the cost of a share. Membership in the CSA is a commitment to purchase and receive vegetables for an entire growing season. When a member registers and chooses the payment plan option they are expected to make all four payments. There is a fee of $25 for a returned check.

If a member needs an extended payment plan, they should contact the farm at info@stoneledge.farm

If a member finds they need to cancel their membership, refunds for payments made to the farm will be made in full before the CSA distribution season starts. After the CSA distribution starts, there will be no reimbursement for shares. If, during the CSA distribution season, a member finds they need to change CSA pickup locations they should contact the farm to make arrangements at least two weeks in advance.

MEMBERSHIP AGREEMENT

I would like to be a member of the Stoneledge Farm CSA and have read, understand and agree with the policies above. I release Stoneledge Farm LLC and pick up site from any responsibility or liability for injuries which I or anyone accompanying me or in my stead, may incur as a result of being on the premises. I agree to the terms and conditions and to complete the Member Volunteer Requirement for the CSA that I am joining.

Thank you for your membership and your commitment to your community, eating seasonally, and supporting regional agriculture.

Enjoy all of the colors and flavors of the seasons.