CSA Subscription Questions & Answers
Tuesday, January 1st, 2008Q: Is there any contract required, or a certain time period I must purchase produce for?
A No contract; we need a 3 month commitment to cover a harvesting period.
Q: What happens to my $75.00 deposit? When do I get it back?
A. Your deposit helps to support a 3 month commitment. It is used to buy seed, supplies, etc., to add you and your family to our harvest. If you end your membership after 3 months or longer, we apply it to your final balance or send it as a refund. If you quit prior to 3 months we do not refund the deposit.
Q: I would like seasonal fruit with my box. If the farm is not producing fruit during winter months, do I receive a $6.00 credit to my bill?
A. We only bill you for the weeks that you receive fruit. The local season is usually May to the end of October. As soon as fruit season ends and you aren’t receiving fruit, then you are no longer billed the extra $6.00 per box.
Q: When / how do I pay for my produce?
A. The second week of each month you will receive an invoice for the produce received in the previous month. The invoice will be inside your box or sent by email. We prefer cash payments (cash is less expensive for us to process administratively than checks, which must be handled about 3 times), and we provide envelopes and a secure cash box at the weigh station. If you pay in cash, put the payment inside the envelope and seal. Then write your name and box number on the outside.If you prefer to write checks, we ask that you consider paying for 3 months in advance to reduce the number of checks processed at the farm.If you pick up at a drop site or have home delivery, please mail your payment to the farm. Do NOT put your payment inside your empty box. We have about 500 empty bins each week to clean, and our staff cannot inspect each bin prior to washing. Thanks!
Q: How do I pay for my bin plus veggies from the store?
A. Annotate your check or the outside of the envelope stating the dollar amount for your box, and that the extra is for the store. Example: Smith $64.00 bin + extra for store.
Q: How do I calculate quarterly bin payments?
A. How to Estimate Quarterly Payments:
52 weeks in a year
52 divided by 12 months = 4.33 bins in a month
One quarter is 4.33 times 3 mos = 13 boxes
So, a quarterly bill is 13 times $17.00/bin = $221.00
(Many thanks to everyone voluntarily paying quarterly!)
For other invoice related questions please email info@lagunafarm.com
Q: May I pick up the produce after work? In other words, when do you close?
A. You may pick up your box after 1:00 on your subscription day, and every day after that day from 9 AM to 9 PM, until Saturday at 9PM, after which the boxes are donated to local food banks. For more details see our Store and Pick-up Hours post. If you are running late, call 707-823-0824 and ask the staff in the barn to leave your bin outside the cooler.
Q: Will I be notified before my first box pick-up day?
A. Yes. If you apply online you will receive confirmation of your start date and your box number or drop site.
Q: What if I’m out of town on vacation?
A. We have never found a switch to turn our plants on and off. Therefore, we ask our members to gift their box to a friend, employee, or neighbor. This makes a wonderful gift, and these folks often end up joining the farm. We do allow 2 skips per year. Simply email us at info@lagunafarm.com at least one week prior to the time you’ll be gone, request a skip, and provide the dates you do not want a box made. We will enter those and you will not be billed for those dates. So, a skip refers to the request to be gone, not the number of boxes you miss.
Q: Do I take my food home in the plastic bin?
A. Whether you pick up at the farm or pick up at a drop site, do NOT take the big plastic bin home. Bring your own bags to pack up your food and leave the empty bin. REASON: we have over 550 members and we rotate the bins. So for drop site, we drop off a bin full of your vegetables and pick up your empty bin to return to the farm.If you have bins at home, please return them to the farm or your drop site.