Hader Farm Community Supported Agriculture Member Agreement

Please read this CSA Member Agreement in its entirety.

Thank you for joining Hader Farm CSA… we sure are excited and thankful that you have chosen us to be YOUR farmers! Please remember that as a CSA member purchasing a SHARE you have chosen to SHARE both the loss and the bounty of the CSA season with us and other CSA members.

Section 1. Introducing Our CSA Farm

Becoming a Part of Our Farm

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a relationship between our farm and you as our customer. Rather than simply purchasing food, our customers become “members” of our CSA farm. The farm harvests a wide variety of food at its peak of readiness and divides the food into member shares, which are a generous weekly portion of the farm’s harvest. Memberships are sold in advance.

We view our CSA program as not only a way of securing fresh, healthy, local food, but also an experience and a means of your learning a little more about where your food comes from. Please understand that your food is guaranteed to be FRESH and local. In most cases, it will be harvested the same day you receive it.

Although program start and end dates will depend upon the weather, it is our hope to start the program in late April when our crops are becoming bountifully ready for harvest. The Hader Farm CSA will run for 30 weeks. Members can select home delivery or collect their weekly box from the farm or at a designated pick-up location each week.

Our Growing Practices

While not certified organic, we pledge to never use conventional pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge, bioengineering, or ionizing radiation.

Our plants are strong and resilient which increases their nutritional value and flavor profile. We brew compost teas, farm worms, use compost and biochar, apply companion plantings, cover crops, solarization and mulching gardens to retain moisture in our soils and encourage the evolution of micro life to feed healthy root systems.

We take the safety of your food seriously. For your added protection, wash all produce again before eating and put any cold products in the fridge and frozen products in the freezer as soon as possible.

Section 2. Our Shared Commitments

Sharing in the Reward of Crop Surplus

Our farm operates primarily as a CSA farm and most of our production is planned for the CSA Members. When crops are especially abundant, we pack even more into your weekly box. However, we do not want to overwhelm our members or deliver so much produce that it goes to waste. When we observe that members have received enough of certain crops, we will oversee the surplus by supporting members of our community in other ways.

We love to experiment with new varieties of vegetables, fruits, and herbs so that we can increase diversity. These crops will be distributed as equitably as possible, and all CSA members will receive a sample of these new varieties.

Sharing in the Risk of Crop Failure

We promise to do our best to provide you with a bountiful share each week. The quantity of produce however, may vary from season-to-season due to extreme weather, insects, or other production factors despite our best 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, we typically compensate for the failed crops by filling our CSA shares with other crops grown on the farm that are ready for harvest at that time. Although our CSA shares do not always include what we had originally planned to include, we do incorporate risk management into our crop production to ensure we are able to supply our CSA members with a variety of crops throughout the entire season.

Section 3. Designated Pick Up Locations, Times & Operating Procedure

We offer home delivery, or you may pick up your share each week at the farm, or at a designated pick up location in North Fayetteville, or Rogers.

You may use up to three vacation holds to reschedule CSA shares if you are away. All share rescheduling must be done at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled share pick up. If away, you may also arrange for friends or family to pick up your share. You are responsible for picking up your CSA share from your chosen pickup site each week. Unless prior notification is given and alternate arrangements are made with the farm, all CSA shares not picked up on your regularly scheduled pick up will be considered forfeited.

Section 4. Payment Methods

Membership fee for the entire season is due upfront. All deposits are non-refundable.

Section 5. Communicating with Us

The best way to communicate with us is via the following channels.

Email: kathy@haderfarm.com

Kathy’s Mobile: (479) 899-5121

Peter’s Mobile: (479) 899-5122

Section 6. Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change the contents of the box?

Yes. You will have an opportunity to pick your favorites or skip what you dislike, we then complete your box with other crops that we harvest that week. The good news is that as the seasons change, the variety and diversity in the box will also naturally change. Our objective is to always provide a diverse range of products. We would welcome any feedback related to quantities, things you particularly like or that you prefer less of, which will inform future direction and box contents. This highlights the benefit of having a direct relationship with your farmer, we really do listen.

What happens to my share of the harvest when I go on vacation?

We understand that everyone needs a break sometimes. You may use up to three vacation holds to reschedule CSA shares if you are away. All share rescheduling must be done at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled share pick up.

If away, you may also arrange for friends or family to pick up your share. Or you may ask for a credit to be used on any of the other products we have available.

Do you offer home delivery or alternate delivery locations?

Yes, if you are located in NW Arkansas, your address most likely qualifies, please ask us to verify. If your address falls outside of our delivery area you will need to pick up your share at the farm or a drop-off location. Specific arrangements will be made later in the spring before deliveries start.

Can I cancel my membership?

No. We invest the membership dues early in the spring to purchase seeds and supplies for the whole season. You may transfer your membership to another person. Please see below.

Is my membership transferable to another person?

Yes. If you wish to transfer your remaining membership to another person, please notify us. It is your responsibility to arrange for the newly introduced Member to pay you directly for the remaining weeks in the year.

If I have a question that is not answered here, who can I contact?

For assistance with any questions, please call or text Kathy at (479) 899-5121 or send an email to kathy@haderfarm.com We will get back to you as quickly as possible.