New and Renewing Members: Please read through our CSA Agreement, as it creates a clear understanding between you (our member) and us (your farmers!)
Our commitment to you:
As farmers of a certified organic farm, we promise to grow your produce using only organic methods. We will listen to your feedback and consider it as we continue to perfect the art of running a CSA! Communications will come from the Student Organic Farm via email (msufarm@msu.edu).
Your commitment to us:
As a partner in small-scale sustainable agriculture, I agree to become a member of the MSU Student Organic Farm CSA for the growing season. By investing in this CSA, I agree to share both the risk and the reward inherent to agriculture. I will accept the outcomes of the growing season, recognizing that the SOF CSA farmers will do their best to ensure a bountiful harvest. I understand there will be variations in the quantity and quality of produce depending on weather fluctuations and other uncontrollable factors. I agree to pick up my produce on the specified date and time or proactively communicate with the farm to make other arrangements. I understand that I need to send a friend to pick my share up or place a vacation hold on my share if I cannot make it to distribution; if I do not do so, there is no guarantee my share will be saved. If I choose to split my share with someone, I am responsible for coordinating the splitting of the contents. I understand that my share payment is nonrefundable.
Full Share Vs Half Share
Each week, you will receive 4-10 vegetables in your share that reflect the seasonal abundance of the farm. We offer two different CSA Share sizes. A Half Share offers the same variety as a Full Share but with half the quantity! (i.e. if a Full share receives 1 lb of Kale, a Half Share would receive .5 lb). The share you get depends on how many people you're trying to feed, your diet, your food preservation goals, etc. but our general recommendation is a Full Share for 2-5+ people and a Half Share for 1-3+ people.
Student Share:
Student Shares are an opportunity for current MSU students to purchase a Half Share at a discounted rate. We strongly believe that students should have access to fresh, local vegetables and we are grateful to offer this opportunity through a generous donation! Please email msufarm@msu.edu if you have further questions or concerns!
Buffet-Style Share Pickup:
At each pickup you will see a table of vegetables laid out, and signs indicated how much of each item to grab. There will often be choice sections (choose 1 bunch of kale OR 1 bunch of rainbow chard). Members are encouraged to bring their own bag/containers to pick up their share. There will also be a farmer at each pickup to say hello and help make choices or give more information on the week's items! We prefer a buffet-style pickup for many reasons: it offers members a more personal interaction with their student farmers, it allows you more choice in your produce selections, and it reduces our labor costs and use of disposables! We know that for one reason or another you may require curbside pickup, please email msufarm@msu.edu to make arrangements.
CSA Share Distribution Etiquette:
The Student Organic Farm relies heavily on shared university spaces for CSA distribution so we ask everyone to observe the pick-up times and be respectful to the sites. Doors or gates may be locked during other times. If you do not pick up your share during the designated hours and you have not made arrangements beforehand, you will not be guaranteed to receive it. The pickup site has a checklist where subscribers' names are checked off when they pick up their shares each week. It is our way of communicating whether your share was picked up, and what size.
Communication:
All SOF CSA communications are sent from msufarm@msu.edu. We send out a newsletter every Monday detailing the planned makeup of the share and providing a few recipe suggestions. The newsletter will also contain announcements of any critical changes in delivery schedule, prices, policies, etc. By agreeing to join our CSA, you also agree to read our email communications. All CSA questions and concerns should be directed to msufarm@msu.edu. Please add msufarm@msu.edu and msufarm@organicfarm.msu.edu to your address book to protect our communications from spam filters.
Payments:
We use a site called Cashnet/Transact to help manage the financial interactions between our customers and our farm. You can pay online using a credit card or ACH. Payments can also be made via check payable to Michigan State University. Mail to ATTN: SOF 3291 College Road, Holt, MI 48842. We do not accept cash payments.
Scheduling a Vacation Hold:
If you cannot pick up your share on a Thursday during the 4-6:30 pickup window, you may place up to two vacation holds per session. Placing a hold means you will receive a double share the following week. You must make arrangements at least one day in advance of distribution. You can send hold requests to msufarm@msu.edu. Friends or family members are always welcome to pick up a share in your place. Please inform them of our pick-up policies.
Farm Store:
When available, we will offer extra produce and other offerings for sale during CSA distribution. If we plan on hosting a farmstand that week, you will be informed in that week’s newsletter. We can accept cash or credit at the farmstand. We will not be accepting pre-orders.
Emphasis on Education:
As part of MSU, the Student Organic Farm is dedicated to education. While we certainly enjoy raising vegetables, the SOF is, first and foremost, a platform for educational programming. We host groups like the Organic Farm Training Program, various MSU classes and clubs, local school field trips, and more every season. And, of course, our undergrad student farmers are learning every day. Please be patient as our various students learn how to grow, harvest and process vegetables for your shares!
Emphasis on Health:
CSA members enjoy the added satisfaction of a deeper connection to the land that sustains them by supporting local agriculture with their purchasing power. As a certified organic farm, we are using organic principles and practices emphasizing soil health. We believe that healthy soil leads to healthy plants and healthy people.
Still have questions? Email us at msufarm@msu.edu