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Seedswell Vegetable Farm

Shareholder Guide 2013

 Welcome to Seedswell Vegetable Farm’s CSA!  This document will layout how our CSA works, including cost, distribution, u-pick vegetables, items available outside of your share, etc.

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. This is an agreement between you and us, your farmers, in which you pay for a share of the harvest for the season before it starts.  Each member will receive their vegetable share, grown by us, on a weekly basis throughout the growing season.  This provides us with the capital we need in the winter/spring when income is otherwise low, to insure that we can buy seeds, supplies, etc. when we need them. As we are essentially pre-selling our produce to a fixed number of customers, we can also plan production accordingly, making our farm more efficient. You, as a member of this farm, are choosing to support a local farm, and in turn will benefit from naturally grown, safe, vegetables for the season. You are also purchasing the produce at a rate per pound that is less than the retail cost.

We will share the risks and the bounty of each season together.  The average share weights from week to week will vary based on the time of the season as well as the weather. While we strive to have a consistent variety of crops, unruly Mother Nature is hard to predict and impossible to control; there are no guarantees in farming!  Since this is our first CSA season we are estimating that spring weights will be around 4-6 lbs and at the height of the season the weights could be around 8-12lbs.  This amount of food usually feeds a family of 3-4 non-vegetarians or 2 vegetarians.  Members benefit from the challenge of learning to eat in season and cooking with a variety of unfamiliar vegetables! You will be able to purchase honey, eggs and maple syrup separately from your share each week as they are not included in the share price.

 A lot of time and care is taken in selecting the crops that we grow.  We also make soil health in our fields a top priority.  Through ordering organic seeds and the use of cover crops and natural soil amendments, we strive to grow an extremely healthy and tasty vegetable crop for your family to enjoy. Our produce is harvested within hours of your pick-up (except for certain crops that need to be harvested on a daily basis). You can enjoy a peace of mind knowing that we do not use any chemical herbicides, pesticides or non-organic fertilizers on our crops. We do not grow sweet corn, but it will be provided to you (included in the share price) from a conventional sweet corn farmer in Dutchess County. There are no work requirements to be a shareholder, but we are allowing certain crops to be ‘U-Pick’ crops. These crops are cost prohibitive for us to harvest, yet fun for you and your family to come and pick on your own during distribution. 

We plan to offer farm tours and farm events throughout the season.  We want our members to have a true understanding of our farm and how their food is grown. However, this farm is a privately owned farm, and as such, going beyond the farm stand and garden is not allowed.  We are very thankful to the Mancini family for allowing us to farm here and we wish to respect their privacy as well as that of the others who live here.  There are also lots of horses on the property.  They are not our horses and we ask that you do not go in the fenced in areas, near the horse barn or pet the horses.  When we have special events where farmers and/or landowners are present you will then be able to travel onto the farm while being accompanied by them.  This is a fully operational farm and can be very dangerous if certain rules are not followed.  We are glad to show you around on farm visits and during special events.  We thank you for respecting the privacy of those who live here.

We are looking forward to a successful 2013 growing season.  Thanks for being a part of it with us!

Your Farmers,

Josh & Ashley Frost

HOW DOES IT WORK?

AT SEEDSWELL VEGETABLE FARM

• Please park in designated parking areas.
• When picking in our ‘u-pick’ garden, please make sure you are picking only from the area(s) labeled for picking.  Please do not wander through the garden.  Make sure you stay on pathways and use care in harvesting as we want the plants to last as long as they can.  Most plants (like string beans) will die if the stems are broken.  If you are bringing children into the garden, we ask that you keep an eye on them.  Please do not let them wander or run around in the garden.  There are many things they can get hurt on in addition to crops that they can trample.
• Children are not allowed on or near farm tractors or equipment.  They are very large and heavy machines which can be very dangerous.  You and your family’s safety are paramount. Please abide by this rule.
• Respect the privacy of those who live at the farm.  When the gate to the farm stand is closed, the farm is closed.  Sometimes the gate will be left open for trucks to come in and out.  If the gate is open, but the farm stand is not open or it is not during CSA pick-up times then the farm is closed.  

CSA DISTRIBUTION

• This year’s CSA will begin on May 30^th and will end on October 10^th  (20 weeks).
• Please arrive at the farm during pick up hours only.
• Please bring your own bag(s) or basket with you as we will not be supplying bags.
• Pick-ups are based on the honor system.  Although we will try to have someone at the stand, there are times when we will need to run to the field and will not be able to be there.  Remember: if you take more than your allotted share you take away from a fellow shareholder, who will not receive their vegetables.
• Due to lack of storage space you will only be able to pick up your share during the designated pick up times.  We will be unable to hold your share for you. If you cannot pick up your share that Thursday please make arrangements with a friend, neighbor or family member to pick up your share.  If it is not picked up by the close of the stand then your share will be donated.
• The BEDFORD PICK-UP time will be THURSDAYS between 2pm and 6pm.
• You will get an email each week prior to your CSA pick-up.  This will be our way of sharing our week at the farm and will contain a list of veggies that will be harvested that week.  A few helpful recipes and tips for storing your produce will be included in the email, which will also be posted on our website.

SPLITTING A SHARE

• Generally it is best to have one share per family.  If you decide that you think it will be too much for your family and want to split a share, we ask that you find a partner to share it with. If you need help finding a partner, we can help find you one. If you split a share with someone, you should also coordinate who will be picking your share up for that week.  We cannot have each half coming at different times as it is hard to identify who took what from the share for that week.
• We ask that one partner take the full share and split it after collecting your vegetables to avoid confusion.

U-PICK

• We have decided that throughout the season, certain crops will be available for you to harvest on your own.  These crops are as follows:
  • Peas
  • String Beans
  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Herbs
  • Flower Bouquets
  • We will list what crops are available for you to pick that week and the quantity to pick for each share in the Harvest Notes.  There will be a sign in the garden (near the farm stand) labeling the location of the crop and harvesting instructions.  We will also have a scale in the garden where you can make sure you are taking the correct amount.
  • U-Picks can only be harvested on the day of your CSA pick-up and not during other farm stand hours.

SHARE PRICING AND INFO FOR 2013

• Shares are $725.00($36.25/week)
  • A $200 non refundable deposit is required to reserve your spot for the 2013 season.
  • We must receive the remaining $525 check no later than January 15^th.
  • Please make checks payable to SEEDSWELL VEGETABLE FARM.
  • Payments must be mailed to the below addressor dropped off during farm stand hours.
    • Please note:  the farm stand address is different from our mailing address.  If you mail a check and commitment form to the farm stand address we will not get it!

• FARM MAILING ADDRESS:         

Josh & Ashley Frost

700 Route 22

Pawling, NY 12564

RESERVING A SHARE FOR THE 2013 SEASON

• We anticipate a strong interest in our CSA, but we will only be offering 30 shares this first season.
• Shares will therefore be offered on a first come, first serve basis.
• Shares can be reserved by returning the commitment form included at the end of this document along with a non-refundable $200 deposit. Commitment forms received after we reach the 30 share limit will be placed on a waiting list.
• We will confirm your placement on either the CSA list or on the waiting list by email.
• 2013 commitment forms and the deposit can be sent in as soon as you receive this packet.

SHARE RENEWAL

• Toward the end of the season we will email a renewal form with a survey.  Your opinions are VERY important to us.  We want to know what your experience as a shareholder was like, and get your feedback; positive and negative- so that we can improve the CSA for the following season. 
• If you decide to renew your share by November 1, 2013  you will receive a complimentary Thanksgiving basket available for pick up at the farm.

FARM STAND

• We understand that CSA’s do not work for everyone.  We have decided to have the stand open once a week for customers who are unable to be members, yet who still would like to buy our produce..

SAMPLE SHARES

Since this is our first season growing for a CSA we will base the sample shares for each month on what we had available at the farm stand in 2012.  These are just samples, this list is not exhaustive, and will change week to week and year to year.

2013 CSA Membership Commitment Form

Member name: ________________________________________________________________

Address: _____________________________________________________________________

City: ______________________________                   Zip: _________________

Email address: ________________________________________________________________

Please make checks payable to:

SEEDSWELL VEGETABLE FARM, LLC.

Check number: ________________                       Amount enclosed: __$200.00 Deposit___

In completing this form and sending this down-payment, I am becoming a member of Seedswell Vegetable Farm’s CSA program for the 2013 season.  I understand that this 20 week season is planned to run from May 30^th, 2013 through October 10^th, 2013.  My membership means that I am making a commitment to support the farm during the coming year and that in return, I will share in the bounty of the harvest.  I also understand that my deposit is non-refundable. 

A COMMITMENT FORM MUST BE ATTACHED AND SIGNED WITH EACH CHECK.

SIGNATURE: _______________________________________________________

Please mail checks to:

Josh and Ashley Frost

700 Route 22

Pawling, NY 12564