CASS COUNTY FARMER’S MARKET ASSOCIATION

RULES OF OPERATION

Revised April 2011

 

OVERVIEW

The Cass County Farmer’s Market gives the opportunity for local farmers, growers, crafters and artisans to offer their fresh, locally grown produce, farm raised goods and hand-crafted items to our community.  Items for sale are subject to all county and state public laws and health codes.  The Market is supervised by the Association Board which appoints Officers to represent the Cass County Farmer’s Market during Market sessions.  All vendors of the Market must abide by the Association’s Rules of Operation and sign the Vendor Contract of Agreement.

 

The Market is open to the general public and is comprised of approved vendors from Cass, Bates, Jackson, Johnson and Henry Counties only in Missouri and Miami County only in Kansas.  The Market will operate on Saturdays from 8:00am until 1:00pm (vendors with unsold produce may stay past noon if the Family Center has no plans to use the building) and Wednesdays from 3:00pm to 6:00pm.  Opening and closing dates will be determined by the Association depending upon the nature of the growing season (typical season begins with the first Saturday in May and ends the last Saturday in October.)

 

BOARD OF OFFICERS

The Cass County Farmer’s Market Board of Officers in comprised of the following elected positions: President, Vice President, Market Master, Secretary, Treasurer & Grievance Officer.  Officers are voted on each year at the Annual Spring Meeting.  Rules and regulations are determined at that time by the Board of Officers and the Member majority in attendance.

 

MEMBERSHIP

Annual Membership (May - Oct), ½ Year Membership (July 15 - Oct) and Day Seller Fees will be determined by the Association at the Annual Spring Meeting for that year.  Fees are used to pay our lease and to operate and promote the Market.  Membership allows members to sell approved items at the Market and vote at the Annual Spring Meeting.  Stalls (limit one per vendor) will be assigned by an Association Officer as follows:

 

STALLS

  1. A numbered stall will be assigned upon receipt of a vendor’s membership fee.  Prior year’s members will have the first opportunity to buy their stall from last year.  The first opportunity to purchase a stall is at the Annual Spring Meeting.
  2. Members paying after the Annual Spring Meeting will be assigned an available stall on a first-come, first serve basis.  If all stalls have been bought, a waiting list for paid members will be established for the next available stall.
  3. Non-members may pay a daily fee and will be assigned a first-come, first-server space for that selling day (a stall in not guaranteed.  Members and day sellers may be assigned a space outside the covered building at the Association Officer’s discretion.)
  4. On market days, an Association Officer will assign vacant stall to paid members first, then to day sellers.  All sellers must arrive by 7:45AM on Saturdays and 2:45PM on Wednesdays in order to acquire a space.  Even if a member has an assigned purchased stall, he/she must arrive by these times to ensure their stall will not be assigned to another vendor for that market day.  A courtesy notification is requested if a member knows he/she will not be attending on a particular day.  This will help keep our market running smoothly.

DAILY RULES & REGULATIONS

 

  1. All approved vendors are required to sign the Vendor Contract of Agreement and be in receipt of the current year’s Rules of Operation.  Retailers are not permitted to sell.
  2. All Day Sellers must check in with the attending Association Officer each market day before selling any products.
  3. No selecting, bagging or selling will be permitted prior to Market start time.  And attending Association Officer will ring a start bell.
  4. All products must be grown, raised or produced by the approved vendor.  Cooperative selling (goods from neighbors, friends or family) is permitted as long as it is grown, raised or produced within the 6-county area.  Purchased goods are strictly prohibited for resale at the Market.  Resale does not support our local community’s goods or our members’ hard earned efforts.  (The Association may make periodic field inspections to verify legitimacy of any goods in question.)

*In years of natural disaster & subsequent crop failures, the Board of Officers may temporarily approve the purchase and resale of an otherwise unavailable crop in our area (example: peach, blueberry & apple crops killed from multiple hard freezes in April 2007.)  This would be applicable to voting, paid, full-time members present at that year’s Annual Spring Meeting and would be determined on a case by case basis by the Board of Officers.

  1. Locally grown, raised or produced goods include the following: fruits, vegetables, herbs, honey, eggs, sorghum, grain, nuts, meat, jam, jellies, vinegar, fresh or processed sauces/salsas, baked goods, crafts, textiles, soaps, candles, plants & flowers.  Other items not listed are subject to approval by the Association.  Dairy products (except eggs) are not allowed due to local Health Department regulations of refrigerated holding temperatures.  Meat & eggs require seller’s licenses, certification and adherence to county and state health codes.  No liver mammals, birds or fish can be sold.
  2. All food products for sale must be fresh and in healthy, attractive condition.  Each vendor will be responsible for setting up, displaying and bagging goods in a sanitary, sellable manner.  The Missouri Department of Agriculture’s Weights and Measures Department has packaging and labeling requirements for produce.  The Cass County Health Department requires informational labels for baked & processed goods (please see the attached sheets for details.)
  3. Vendor’s vehicle will be kept clean and presentable.  No vehicle wider or tall than 9’ and longer than 20’ will be allowed at Market.  Table and goods may not extend more than 6’ from the building into customer walking area.  Vendor’s stall will be cleaned at the end of the selling day.  Vendors leaving before the Market closes shall avoid disrupting the ongoing operation of the Market.  A present Association Officer will inspect the Market area for cleanliness after the Market closes.
  4. Each vendor may set his/her own prices.  Prices should be in keeping with fair market value, fellow vendors’ prices and customer satisfaction.  Vendors must post prices for each item.  The Market Association and Mill Walk Mall are not responsible for any sales arrangements or warranty of any sort, expressed or implied, concerning items bought and sold at Market.  Each vendor is responsible for his/her own product liability.
  5. Any problems or disputes should be presented to the Market Master or Grievance Officer.  Any Market Master decision may be appealed by the Grievance Officer, however, the Market Master’s decision will remain in effect until the Grievance Officer and the Association’s Board of Officers make a decision, with the President making the final ruling.  Violation of any of these rules will result in eviction from the Market.
  6. Use of profane language, alcohol, drugs and loud music is strictly prohibited.

WEIGHTS & MEASURES

 

All produce at Farmer’s Market must be sold by weight, measure or count depending upon the commodity.  Periodic inspections by the Department of Agriculture may occur and all produce vendors are required to adhere to their regulations.  Failure to comply to these can result in stiff fines (one warning is typically given.)  This is to ensure customers receive sufficient and accurate information to compare quantity and price.  Each produce item requires a particular method of sale.  Some produce can be sold by the “bunch” therefore eliminating the need for weight labeling (broccoli, carrots, turnips, etc.)  Other items have to be weighed and labeled.  A summary list is provided on back and a complete copy of the Weights and Measures Regulations is available upon request.

      Scales used in direct sales (at the market) must be inspected, approved, and certified.  For more information on certifying your scale, call the MDA Division of Weights & Measures at 573-751-5639.  Another option is to weigh your item at home on a kitchen scale and guess the most accurate weight.  Scales used for prepackaging products is an acceptable method by the Department of Agriculture.  However, all prepackaged products must have their own individual labels.  Please note: it is advisable to “under-estimate” the weight.  Labeling an item less that what it actually weighs ensures the customer gets at least that amount of produce.  If you label your item as weighing more than it actually does, you can be fined $500.

      An example of proper wording of weight would be: Net wt. 2lbs. (on a box of tomatoes, let’s say.)  You cannot say “approximate net weight” or “more than net weight”, etc.  And throw in a little extra if you are not sure!

 

PROCESSED ITEMS LABELING

 

      Processed food items such as jam, salsa, bread and other baked goods are (at this time) allowed for sale at the Cass County Farmer’s Market.  However, local Health Department regulations require all homemade food items be labeled with the following information:

 

                                          Made in the Kitchen of _____________________

                                          Town & State, Phone number

                                          Net Wt.

                                          Ingredients:

                                          This was Made in a Non-certified Kitchen (this needs to be either on the product

                               label or on a sign displayed next to the product)

 

 

 

CASS COUNTY FARMER’S MARKET

VENDOR CONTRACT OF AGREEMENT

 

 

          I,                                                                                (PRINT NAME), do hereby understand

 andgree to abide by all rules and regulations set forth by the Cass County Farmer’s Market Association as described in the Rules of Operation (revised April 2011) 
       I will not hold the Cass County Farmer’s Market Association nor the Mill Walk Mall responsible for any personal injuries, property damage or liability incurred on Market property at 2601 Cantrell Road, Harrisonville, MO.
       I agree that failure to comply with the market rules and regulations will result in forfeiture of any fees paid by me and my dismissal from that day’s Market by an attending Association Officer.
       My future participation in the Cass County Farmer’s Market or any related organization events will be determined by a majority decision of the Cass County Market Farmer’s Market Association Board of Officers.

 

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