Terms and Conditions

Our Community Shared Agriculture program is an opportunity to be a partner in our farm operation. It allows you the opportunity to purchase a share of the harvest, bypassing the conventional supply chain and directly contributing to the viability of a small-scale, organic farm in your region. You are supplying a local farm with operating capital at the beginning of the season, when farming expenses are incurred. You are making a choice to invest in a local, organic farm operation -- this is a social and environmental commitment on your part! In joining a Community Shared Agriculture program, you are also sharing the risk of the season with the farmer and other members.

Some things you should consider before signing up include:

• The greatest abundance of crops occurs at the height of summer (particularly August) when some people are away on holidays;

• The produce is only available when it is mature -- if you are away on a week when a particular crop is ripe, we generally cannot offer it at another point;

• The contents of the CSA box are determined by the farm's crop plan. Although contents are diverse, they can be unpredictable;

• The volume of some boxes will be significant. In order to make full use of the box's contents you might need to take the time to juice, freeze, can or dehydrate produce;

• Overall, when you visit a grocery store or farmers market, you are seeing the result of produce from hundreds of farm operations. When you join a CSA, you see the results of one farm operation -- we don't have everything available all of the time.

Of course, there are creative ways to deal with the opportunities presented by a CSA:

• Agree to split a box with friends, neighbours or co-workers;

• Resolve to eat seasonally, preparing meals that make the greatest use of vegetables available each week.

Your support early in the season helps the farmer avoid conventional debt. It also allows the farmers to plant crops with a reliable market in mind. In exchange, you receive nutritious, locally grown organic food and a connection to a farm close to your home. We do all we can to assure a full, diverse and wonderful harvest and we have a proven track record for delivering a quality box of produce throughout the season. 

Our 2023 end-of-year survey tells us that 97% of respondents had a positive experience with our CSA.  Nonetheless, certain things are beyond our control, and may reduce yields, create substitutions, or result in complete losses. For example, in 2012 we experienced significant flooding in June and July during the Fraser River freshet (we still managed to deliver boxes throughout the season, but with less diversity than normal). In 2021 we were challenged by a Heat Dome that caused many of our greens to bolt.  There is an element of risk involved in any CSA program.

It is important to note that a CSA does not work for everyone. Please consider whether this is the right fit for you before signing up. If you would like to speak to us personally before making a commitment, please e-mail info@glenvalleycsa.com.

About our farm operation

Close to Home Organics Ltd. and Earth Apple Organic Farm operate at Glen Valley Organic Farm Co-op, a 50-acre certified organic farm in Abbotsford. The fields at Glen Valley Organic Farm are located on the Fraser River floodplain. This means we grow on some of the richest, most fertile soil in British Columbia. It also means that our crop plans are impacted by the water levels of the Fraser River. Close to Home Organics is run by Chris Bodnar and Paige Dampier. Earth Apple Organic Farm is operated by Shirlene Cote and Michael Nyberg.

Due to our bioregion, there are limitations to what we can grow. Leafy greens (kale, spinach and lettuce), onions (scallions, leeks, sweet onions, garlic, cooking onions), carrots, beets, beans, zucchini, rhubarb and potatoes form the basis of our Main Seasion CSA program. In addition, we rotate herbs (parsley, dill, cilantro), cucumbers, tomatoes and berries in the boxes as weather permits. 

We have a wet growing season on the coast, generally punctuated by two months of hot, dry weather. As a result, our primary CSA share does not include tree fruit. To offer a more complete option to our subscribers, we are offering an optional fruit share, sourced from other certified organic farms in BC.  In 2024, we will again source a large portion of the fruit from Snowy Mountain Organic Farm in Cawston. This will include cherries, apricots, peaches, plums, apples, pears and asian pears.  It will also include blueberries (from Glen Valley), and melons and grapes from other BC organic fruit growers.

In addition, CSA subscribers have exclusive access to our online store, and may add items to their weekly box.  The store continues to evolve and new items are added regularly as we find things that we think our members would like and that complement our vegetable operation.

The Risk of Joining a CSA

Glen Valley Organic Farm cannot guarantee the delivery of specific crops at specific times in specific quantities. Our crop availability is subject to weather, harvest timing, labour availability and quality of crops.  All of our produce is graded and, with some exceptions (like berries), is washed before packing.  We will, occasionally, send produce in our CSA boxes that is blemished or mis-shapen if the crop has grown that way and we would otherwise not have that product available for you; we will do this to avoid waste and to ensure variety in your boxes and we will always explain why something may look different.

We deliver CSA subscriptions in Rubbermaid containers. These boxes are durable (we wash, sanitize and re-use them weekly) and help to keep your produce fresh from packing through to pick-up. The cost of these containers is not included in your subscription price and remain the property of Glen Valley Organic Farm (if you notice you have one from a past delivery holding your camping supplies, or winter coats, or is sitting around empty in your garage, we'd love to get it back...no questions asked!). Occasionally produce in the boxes is weighed out into plastic or paper bags. We do everything we can to avoid the use of additional plastic while still remaining efficient in our operations.

Food received in our CSA should not be considered ready-to-eat.  We make no claims to that effect, despite food safety practices at the farm, and produce should be washed before consuming.

Payment Options

You are able to pay for your subscription by Interac E-Transfer (preferred method for us!) to info@glenvalleycsa.com, through Paypal (use this option for credit card payments) or by personal cheque (payable to Glen Valley Organic Farm) mailed to 8550 Bradner Road, Abbotsford BC  V4X 2H5.  

Cancellation and Refund Policy

Prior to the start of the season, we will refund CSA subscriptions, minus a $30 processing fee. This fee covers costs associated with establishing your account, processing your payments and processing your refund.

We stand behind our products. We also want the CSA experience to be pleasurable for you. If you are unhappy with your CSA box for any reason or if you need to cancel due to a change in life circumstances, we will refund you the remaining value of your subscription with no questions asked.

We reserve the right to cancel your subscription at any time and provide you with a refund pro-rated to the portion of your subscription that has been unfulfilled.

Delivery Hold Policy

If you plan to be away during the season you can put your box on hold.   You can put your box on hold as many times as you need, and the value of those holds is converted to a positive balance in your account.  That account balance must be spent in our online store in the season it is accrued.  It has no cash value, and will not be refunded or held over to subsequent seasons.

CSA Management

We use an online CSA management system called Farmigo. We do this for a few reasons:

• It allows you to have control over your subscription.  This includes: control over the customization of your box, changing your pick-up location, scheduling your payments, putting your box on hold and adding items from our online store;

• It streamlines the work on our end. We want to farm and to run an efficient CSA, not be overwhelmed by paperwork and administrative details;

Privacy

We will never share your personal information with any third party for any purpose other than managing your CSA subscription. 

Connection with the farm

As a CSA subscriber, you will get a weekly update about the farm and the growing season, including links to recipes and notes about local food-related events. You will also have the opportunity to visit the farm during the season during an open house.  In 2023 we held two open houses - in the spring and fall.  We enjoy communicating with our CSA subscribers and encourage you to maintain a dialogue with us during the season -- we will communicate as best we can during the busy summer months.

Farm responsibilities

The Farmers of the Glen Valley Organic Farm CSA commit to:

• providing you with a weekly forecast email on Saturday morning;

• accepting changes to your upcoming order until Monday night (the week of your delivery), including customizations, store orders, delivery holds, and pick-up location changes;

• packing your box according to any customization you provide and any store items added; 

• delivering your CSA subscription to your designated pick-up location on the designated day;

• providing you with a weekly e-mail confirming the contents of your CSA box, providing information about the growing season, the crops and suggestions for using items in your box (our weekly newsletter);

• responding to problems in a timely and efficient manner (our goal is to resolve issues within 24 hours of being reported); 

• hosting an open house event at the farm for CSA members;

• providing you with the best and first selection of produce from our farm - we put our obligations to our CSA members ahead of all other markets and customers.

Subscriber responsibilities

As a CSA subscriber, you have the following responsibilities:

• To read our Terms and Conditions before signing up, to make sure that our program is compatible with your needs;

• To pay for your subscription in full by the dates you agreed to when signing up, according to your chosen payment plan.  Our preferred method of payment is Interac e-transfer.  Payments can be made to info@glenvalleycsa.com.  Payment by cheque must be made payable to "Glen Valley Organic Farm" and mailed to 8550 Bradner Road, Abbotsford BC  V4X 2H5.  You are also able to pay by credit card using the link to PayPal in Farmigo.

• If you elect to set up automatic payments in Farmigo (using PayPal), it is your responsibility to manage this feature in your account and to keep your credit card updated in your PayPal account.

• To manage your subscription account through the Farmigo program (this includes weekly customization, store orders, delivery holds, and changes to pick-up location).  Changes made before Monday night will be applied to your upcoming delivery;

• To pay any balance owing from store orders in a timely manner;

• To pick up your weekly share of food from your chosen pickup location during the designated timeframe and being respectful of the location host;

• To assign someone else to pick-up your box and/or change or cancel your pickup location if you are unable to pick up your subscription of food on any given week. Unclaimed shares will be donated to an interested party or facility or composted. There are no refunds or credits for unclaimed boxes if you did not put your account on hold;

• To manage your subscription account through the Farmigo program. This involves ensuring that your subscription information is accurate;

• To report any problems with your subscription box within 24 hours of pick-up;

• To open and read e-mails from Glen Valley Organic Farm and Farmigo (including payment notices) in order to stay informed of the status of the growing season, box contents, changes in CSA policy and special events and offers;

• To leave your clean, empty CSA box at the pick-up depot on a weekly basis.

Thank you for reading our Terms and Conditions. We look forward to having you as a part of our farming season!