Typical CSA Refund policy.

Refund Policy for most CSA shareholders

Author Unknown

One of the agreements that shareholders make when they sign up for a CSA is to share the risk and the bounty of a CSA. That is the CSA model as it was first conceived. There is sometimes more of a risk involved when one signs up with a newly operational CSA where the farmers have minimal experience.

Weather is always a concern, and for the past two years we have had really challenging weather in the heart of the summer, when things are supposed to be growing at their maximum capability.

We have, however, been farming organically for 29 years and running a CSA since 1992. We make fewer and fewer mistakes each year, and get better at what we do. A lot of the artistry of farming is in understanding what weather patterns can be expected (based on experience) and planning accordingly. For the past several years the early part of the season has been more erratic and on the other end the falls have been pretty perfect. We plan for a good season throughout, but don't give up hope when it rains 8 inches in one day like it did in July last year.

Our best insurance is strong attention to fertility and organic matter management and a practice of succession cropping and over production when possible. Our CSA customers are on the top of the list for who gets produce. We do a number of other markets, but they only get served if our CSA has been served first, because the CSA members have put their money up front. We so appreciate this because it pays our bills early in the season when there is much work to be done but very little income coming in.

Our policy for giving folks money back is to refund the remainder of the season if at any point they feel that they are not getting what they paid for. We have a chart that lays that out (we use this when we take new members during the season, but it can be used for refunds too) - you can see it to the right of this text.

Weather patterns like we have experienced in March this year are common these days. We really never know when we are going to get one of these types of storms that dump unnatural amounts of water in a short period of time. But we use raised beds for better drainage and mulches and cover crops and we build the soil organic matter through organic practices to ensure maximum absorption.

Remember, you can always bow out for a refund for the remainder of the season if you are not satisfied with your food from us.