2024 CSA MEMBERSHIP AGREEMENT

We, Moon River Ranch, wish to provide you with fresh, local, seasonal food and you, the member, wish to receive a portion of our harvest. This agreement outlines our shared commitments to that relationship. By purchasing a membership share, you agree to the terms and conditions outlined herein. Please retain a copy of this agreement for your records.

 

Becoming a Member of Moon River Ranch CSA

• CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, which is basically a subscription for vegetables. Members pay up front to secure their share. We farmers then use the money to buy seeds and equipment and get food growing. Then, each week, beginning in early June 2024 to mid October 2024, we deliver fresh, local vegetables to our farm members.

Growing Practices

• We believe in providing fresh, seasonal, local vegetables from our farm to your home. We believe people should have a relationship with their food and their farmer, that gives back to both you, the farmer, and the land. We believe in transparent farming practices and being open and honest about all inputs used on our farm.  Unless we have no other option, we do not use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, or any genetically modified seed.
• We do use composted and aged animal manures as fertilizers, physical barriers and crop rotations as pest and disease deterrents, and only if necessary, use organically-approved sprays. All materials used to grow our seedlings and microgreens are OMRI approved. We welcome any inquires about our growing practices.

Shared Risk

• Members of our farm get the opportunity to share in the abundance of a local Montana farm. With that opportunity there are risks associated with our growing season. We are committed to minimizing those risks, yet risks will always remain. We promise to do our best to provide you with a bountiful share each week. The quantity of produce, however, may vary from week-to-week 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 our other members.
  • In the unlikely event of crop failure: If only a small portion of crops fail, we compensate for the failed crops by filling your box with other crops grown on the farm that are ready for harvest at that time. If a large portion of crops fail, we may not be able to deliver any products in some weeks. Should this happen, members will be contacted directly, as soon as possible to discuss options for remediation. However, it is unlikely that we would be able to refund memberships or even partial memberships as the money is used to fund the seasons expenses. Please take this into consideration when joining the CSA.

Shared Reward

• In addition to our CSA, Moon River Ranch may sell to  local restaurants, farmer’s markets, or other outlets. We do this in order to create a financially stable and sustainable farm that can offer our community the freshest food, as well as provide us farmers a livable wage. Some crops we grow specifically for these wholesale and market avenues (for example, watermelons and cantaloupe are wholesale items only). When production of our CSA crops are especially abundant, we pack as much as possible into your share. However, we don’t want to overwhelm our members or deliver so much produce that it goes to waste. When we feel that members have received enough of certain crops, we handle the surplus by selling it through the avenues described above. If you have any questions about this please feel free to contact us. Our CSA is our primary sales avenue so if you feel you need to discuss the amounts you get week to week please bring it up with Derek.

Picking Up

• You are responsible for picking up your share each week from the pick-up location. Pick-up locations are listed below:
• DAYS AND TIMES WILL BE DETERMINED BY EARLY MAY!!!

City	Address	Day	Time
Anaconda	TBD
Drummond	TBD
Philipsburg	TBD

• You are responsible for observing the pick-up site rules, which are as follows:
  1. Pick up your share within the timeframe stated.
  2. Be respectful of the pick-up locations hosts’ property.
  3. Follow any additional rules posted at the pick-up location site.
  4. Return last week’s box every week.

• If you cannot pick up your share, you must arrange for someone else to pick it up for you. You are responsible for explaining the pick-up procedure to your substitute. If you can’t find someone, to ensure efficiency for our pick and pack days, please let us know 48 hours prior that you won’t be picking up your box and we will not pack it. If unforeseen circumstances arise, please contact Moon River Ranch as soon as possible as we try to accommodate emergencies. Shares that are not retrieved within the designated pick-up time will be forfeited for that week, unless another arrangement is made.
• You will be receiving the freshest produce available short of growing it yourself. That being said, shares will come packed washed for the most part. Please take the time to store all produce each week once received.

Member Fees

• By selling membership in advance of the growing season, CSA reduces the burden of up-front costs for the farmer. Your membership fees provide us with money to purchase seed and equipment before the season starts, and we really appreciate your commitment. Below are the shares offered for the 2024 season:

Share Type	Share Size	Payment Options	Price
Large	Feeds family of 4 or 2 veggie lovers. Delivered in a 3/4 bushel box.	1. In Full 2. Half now / Half later 3. SHOP Pay Installments - 4 payments/every 2 weeks 4. SNAP/EBT - Double SNAP!	1.      $550 2.     $275/$275
Small	Feeds family of 2 or 1 veggie lover. Delivered in a half-bushel box.	1. In Full 2. Half now / Half later 3. SHOP Pay Installments - 4 payments/every 2 weeks 4. SNAP/EBT - Double SNAP!	1.      $350 2.     $175/175

• If you are Paying in Full: payment is due at sign-up. If you are paying Half Now/Half Later: the first payment is due at sign-up, second payment due by May 1, 2022. 
• If you would like to use SNAP/EBT to pay for your shares, please contact us.  We have Double SNAP dollars available through CFAC Missoula that allow us to match your SNAP dollars up to $200 for a CSA share. 
• We also offer scholarship shares based upon donations from the community.  If you would like more information, please contact us. 
• If you would like to give money to help purchase a share for a family in need, let us know, or add the donation on our checkout page with your order.  Thank you for your donation! You can also do a monthly donation with our "Feed a Family"  option

Communicating with Us

• The best way to communicate with us is via email or phone. You can contact us by email at  derek@moonrivercsa.com or by phone at 406-203-8955. We will do our best to respond as soon as possible.
• We will communicate with you by email. When you sign up, you will be added to our distribution list. Please read your emails from us. We depend on being able to communicate important information such as necessary changes to your distribution schedule or to our farm events. Each week, we will try to email a newsletter giving you information about the crops available that week, recipe ideas, or other farm related news.

By purchasing a membership share, you agree to the terms and conditions outlined herein. Please retain a copy of this agreement for your records.