If you have a question that’s not answered here, please contact Dave at david.heidebrink@us.army.mil or at 785-388-2104. For routine questions, email is preferred over a phone call.
Here are some frequently asked questions:
- Are there membership fees?
- Will I have to buy vegetables I don't want?
- How do I order?
- When do I pay?
- When and where do I pick up my order?
- Why Support Locally Grown?
- How can I sell through this market?
- What happens when I've spent all of my deposit?
- What happens if I DON'T spend all of my deposit?
And here are some answers:
Are there membership fees?
A small, $25.00 membership fee is required for all new applicants to gain membership into the CSA. This is an annual fee that is automatically charged to your account with your first order.
Will I have to buy vegetables I don't want?
Unlike some co-ops, buying clubs, or CSAs where everyone gets the same box of stuff (and you don’t know what you’re getting until you get it), with The Heide-Way Farm CSA you get to order what you want in the quantities that you want. The weekly email lists the new products that are available and you can browse all the items on this website before you place your order.
How do I order?
Each Tuesday evening, an email will be sent to all members to inform them that the “ordering function” on this website has been enabled and that they can begin placing orders. Members must place their order for the week any time after that email goes out, but no later than Thursday at 5:00 p.m. Orders are placed here on this website under “The Market” tab.
I will receive each member’s order by Thursday night and harvest on Friday.
When do I pay?
Unless you have a credit balance on your account, payment is required at the time of pick up by either check or cash. To reduce the number of monetary transactions each week, we encourage you to keep a credit balance in your account by “depositing” the amount into your account that you expect to spend in the CSA. Your account will be managed automatically and your current balance will show up in “Your Account” information and will be adjusted each time you place an order. This not only reduces the amount of checks you write or the number of ATM transactions you pay for, it also streamlines the drop off process!
When and where do I pick up my order?
From 9:00 until 10:00 a.m., members can pick-up their orders at the north parking lot of Cico Park off of Kimball.
Why Support Locally Grown?
By purchasing produce and other items from local growers you are providing stability to your local economy through the support of local businesses. Also, we are right here in your community so the expense of transportation and delivery is kept to a minimum. CSA supporters provide the means to help educate our community about the importance of sustainable agriculture. The number of small farms in the United States has decreased dramatically in the last decade. Please help us preserve an honest and worthy means of making a living.
How can I sell through this market?
If you’ve already created a customer account here, simply go to Our Growers and click on ‘Join this Market’. This will add you to our system and our market managers will contact you with the next step. We do charge a fee of 6% of your overall sales. Like at a traditional farmers’ market, you do get to set your own prices and list your items as you wish. Contact david.heidebrink@gmail.com if you want more information.
What happens when I've spent all of my deposit?
Remember, the $100.00 you paid me to gain membership into the CSA was only a DEPOSIT; you’re welcome to buy as much each week and throughout the duration of the CSA season as you wish, while supplies last. Once you’ve spent the deposit money, you’ll just need to pay me each week for your balance, OR, you can write another check for as much as you think you’ll spend over a given time and I’ll add it to your account balance, just like I did with your initial deposit. Only difference is that if you don’t spend all of your second (or third, or fourth) installment, I’ll refund it to you at the end of the CSA. That’ll keep cash transactions to a minimum each week and make the drop off a little more efficient.
What happens if I DON'T spend all of my deposit?
Our CSA contract informs the member that the initial deposit is non-refundable. This means that any credit balance left at the end of the CSA season is donated to the farm. By dividing the deposit amount by the number of weeks in the season you’ll get an idea of what your average weekly purchase amount should be to ensure that you spend your deposit.