Cold Spring Farmers’ Market Vendor Rules

Cold Spring Farmers’ Market Mission

The mission of the CSFM is to support local, regional and sustainable commercial

farms by providing an outlet for direct sales of agricultural products. The Market was

founded as a food and produce market and should retain its character as such.

The CSFM is a 501(c)3 organization, is governed by a working volunteer board, and is

operated by the Market Managers. Our market is open year round; the CSFM Outdoor

Market is open from early May until mid November, and the CSFM Indoor Market is

open from mid November until early May. Our customer base includes more than 200

local families and 700 email subscribers, and the Market regularly has more than 400

cars during the outdoor season.

1. Market Vendors

a. CSFM Vendors generally fall into two categories

i. Agricultural Vendors who primarily sell fresh foods such as produce,

meats, etc.

ii. Value Added Vendors who primarily sell foods that have been

processed by cooking, baking, pickling, or other means.

b. The following products can be sold at the market:

i. Fresh foods such as fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, seafood, eggs

and mushrooms.

ii. Prepared foods such as dairy products and cheeses, baked goods,

smoked meats and fish, pasta, soups, prepared meals, frozen

desserts, relishes, salsa, sauces, dried foods, honey, maple syrup,

pickles, juices, wines, beer, teas, ciders, herbs and herbal products.

c. Products such as plants, flowers, refreshments, and other products not listed

above must be reviewed and approved by the Market Managers and CSFM

Board.

d. All agricultural products must be grown or legally and ethically wild-gathered

by the farmer/Vendor and/or their assistants within a 200-mile radius of Cold

Spring, NY.

e. A majority of a value-added product’s ingredients must be grown and/or

processed within a 200-mile radius of Cold Spring, NY. Ingredients must be

specified at the time of application, and local ingredients must be noted.

f. For items or categories that cannot be grown locally (e.g. coffee), the Market

Managers and CSFM Board will consider the item or category’s relevance to

the market; in addition local production and or processing of those items will

be strongly preferred.

g. Vendors must provide a list of the items they intend to sell at the beginning of

each market season for approval by the Market Managers; the Market

Managers must approve any mid-season changes to that list a week in

advance.

h. Given prior approval by the Market Managers and the CSFM Board, up to

20% of the items a Vendor offers for sale may be from another farm or

business within 200 miles of Cold Spring, NY. These items must be labeled

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separately with the business/farm of origin.

2. Applications

a. All returning and new Vendors must submit an application before each

Outdoor and Indoor Market. Past participation does not guarantee approval.

b. Applications are due in October for the Indoor Market and March for the

Outdoor Market. Exact dates will be announced with updated application

releases. Late applications will be considered at the discretion of the Market

Managers and CSFM Board.

c. Value Added Vendors must submit samples with their application and include

details about how and where their products and ingredients are sourced.

d. Applications are reviewed by the Market Managers and the CSFM Board to

ensure that new Vendors fit with the mission of the Market, will complement

other Vendors, and meet customer needs.

e. No Vendor can be guaranteed product or sector exclusivity. Overlap

decisions will be made by the Market Managers and the CSFM Board in

order to make sure that the Market does not have more Vendors in a

category than the Market’s customers can support.

f. Mid-season schedule changes will be evaluated by the Market Managers

and CSFM Board, and may be subject to additional restrictions.

3. Vendor Compliance

a. b. Vendors must comply with all applicable laws, ordinances and regulations.

Vendors must obtain all required licenses or certifications, and these must be

available for inspection at the market.

c. Goods may be sold by weight, volume, container / package or count. All

weights, measures, packaging and labeling must comply with all applicable

laws. Vendors must be certified by Putnam County re: Weights and

Measures.

d. All Vendors and their production and growing facilities are subject to

inspection by the Market Managers and CSFM Board for the sole purpose of

confirming conformance with the Market Vendor Rules.

e. Failure to submit to such an inspection can result in suspension of the

Vendor’s ability to sell at the Market.

4. Space Assignments and Upkeep

a. The Market Managers are responsible for assigning Vendors a space at the

market.

b. Vendors who wish to change their space’s location or size can request a

change of the Market Managers. Changes cannot be guaranteed.

c. d. Vendors must park only in the spaces specified by the Market Managers.

Vendors shall arrive at the market by 8:00 am, in time to set up and be ready

for customers by the 8:30 a.m. opening. The Market Managers will

coordinate the exact time and arrival so that load-in can be managed

efficiently. Late admittance will be at the discretion of the Market Managers.

e. Late Vendors will be subject to a fee of $5 (first time), $15 (second), $30

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f. g. h. i. (third), $45 (fourth and subsequent) at the discretion of the Market Managers.

Vendors are responsible for keeping their area clean and neat at all times.

Vendors must wait until 12:55 pm to start packing up their areas and taking

down their tents or tables. Vendors must remove any unsold product,

cardboard packing material, etc. at the end of the day.

All Vendors must carry their own broom and dustpan and must sweep their

space free of organic matter, paper and plastic debris at the end of the day.

A fine not to exceed $25 may be imposed by the Market Managers for

violation of this rule.

Vendors must be clear of the site within an hour of the close of the Market

unless other arrangements are approved by the Market Managers. A fine of

$50 will be imposed for violation of this rule.

5. Display and Signage

a. Vendors must keep all of their items (e.g. tent, merchandise, equipment, etc.)

within their assigned space.

b. Vendors must set up their space in a manner that does not impact

pedestrian flow, or block the customers’ view of or impede access to other

Vendors in any way.

c. Tents or canopies must be secured at all times. All Vendors are required to

provide and use tent weights for safety.

d. Vendors must have a sign that prominently identifies the name of their farm

or business and its location.

e. Vendors must clearly display payment options, and prices for all items at all

times either on a board or on the individual items.

6. Products and Sales

a. Vendors may not sell as a franchise or use franchise trademarks, logos, etc.,

at the market, unless approved by the Market Managers and CSFM Board.

Vendors may not sell franchised products for other suppliers.

b. All products sold at the market must be of high quality. If the Market

Managers deem any product to be inferior in quality the Vendor must

withdraw the product immediately or sell it for a discounted price.

c. Radical price cutting of top quality produce is prohibited. Poor quality or

overripe produce must be labeled as such and can be sold for a discounted

price.

d. Selling of dairy products, eggs, meats, canned goods, alcohol and other

processed or potentially hazardous products must meet all legal

requirements.

e. Highly perishable foods, prepared foods and specialty products must be

stored in compliance with all applicable laws.

f. Vendors must offer and clearly post at least two payment options (e.g. cash

and check, or cash and credit) and clearly indicate all accepted payment

options.

g. All vendors who sell SNAP eligible product, must accept SNAP as additional

form of payment, and will be reimbursed the full dollar value by the market

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h. i. on a monthly basis.

Vendors should conduct themselves in a professional and courteous manner

at all times. The Market Managers can require a Vendor or an employee of a

Vendor to leave if their conduct is deemed to be inappropriate.

The Cold Spring Farmers’ Market maintains a smoke-free environment.

Vendors who smoke can only do so in the Vendor parking area.

7. Rents & Absentee Policy

a. By signing the contract to participate as a Vendor, you are agreeing to attend

the Market on every Saturday from opening day until closing day unless

otherwise agreed upon.

b. Vendors are responsible for paying rent for all the dates as agreed to with the

Market Managers in the application whether the Vendor attends on those

dates or not.

c. Market rent is based on the size of space needed for adequate display

and/or Vendor sales volume as determined by the Market Managers and the

CSFM Board. Fees are specified in each season’s application.

d. Monthly rents are due on the first Saturday of each month. If rents are not

received by the second Saturday, payment will be required in cash.

e. A late fine of $15 will accrue for each week after the second Saturday that

the rent is in arrears.

f. Vendor must notify the Market Managers at least 48 hours in advance if they

are unable to attend a scheduled Market date for illness or other

circumstances.

g. Each Vendor is allowed two excused absences for cause at the discretion of

the Market Managers during each market term. More than two absences

(excused or unexcused) are subject to CSFM Board review and may result in

expulsion from the market. Vendor is still responsible for rent in the case of

an excused or unexcused absence.

h. Unexcused absences will be considered during the application review

process for the next Market term.

i. If a Vendor must pull out of the market, the Vendor will be held responsible

for any further rents due until an appropriate replacement Vendor can be

found. This responsibility may be waived in the case of extenuating

circumstances with the approval of the Market Managers and the CSFM

Board.

8. Insurance

a. All Vendors must carry at least one million dollars in public liability coverage

for the Cold Spring Farmers’ Market.

b. We require two separate Certificate of Insurance (COI) forms, one that lists

The Cold Spring Farmers’ Market as ‘additionally insured’, and a separate

COI that lists Boscobel House and Gardens ‘additionally insured’ for the

Market. All insurance certificates for the Summer Market are due by April 1st

and must be submitted to the Market Managers, who will coordinate on

behalf of the location host.

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c. d. All insurance certificates for the Winter Market are due by October 25th and

must be submitted to the Market Managers who will coordinate on behalf of

the location host.

Vendors cannot sell at the Market without insurance certificates on file prior

to the first date of sale for each season and insurance must be kept current

throughout the season.

9. Enforcement and Violations

a. Vendors who think that another Vendor is violating any market rules should

report the matter to the Market Managers. Vendors should not attempt to

address violations themselves.

b. The Market Managers will be responsible for researching reported violations

and escalating to the CSFM Board if needed.

c. Violations of any market rules will be addressed by the Market Managers or,

in the absence of the Market Managers, a designated officer from the CSFM

Board. The Market Managers will give a verbal warning notice to the Vendor

for an infraction of the rules.

d. If a Vendor receives two verbal warnings, a chair or co-chair will convene the

CSFM Board, by email if necessary, to vote on the question of giving the

Market Managers the power to expel the Vendor if a third violation of the

rules occurs.

e. The Market Managers and the CSFM retain the right to terminate a Vendor’s

Market membership.

10.Communication

a. The CSFM Board will be responsible for communicating any significant

changes or news through email to Vendors. Additionally the Market

Managers will reach out to Vendors with phone calls.

b. The onsite Market Managers are the first line of communication for any

Market issue or concern.

c. Any Vendor is welcome to speak to any CSFM Board member at any time.

The CSFM Board runs a table at the market, and requests to speak to a

member of the CSFM Board can be made at the table or through the Market

Managers.

d. Any Vendor who would like to address the CSFM Board may arrange with the

Market Managers to attend the next scheduled CSFM Board meeting or may

write a letter or email.

11.Solicitations

a. The Market does not allow solicitation, entertainment, informational and

advocacy activities, unless approved by the Market Managers and the CSFM

Board or as part of the scheduled CSFM Programming.

b. Vendors may not use their own space for advocacy or informational displays

unless approved by the Market Managers and CSFM Board.

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12.Pets

a. Pets are not allowed at the Market

13.Entertainment

a. The Market Managers will arrange for music, entertainment and other

programs to take place at the Market. Vendors who are interested in

participating should coordinate with the Market Managers to suggest or

schedule such activities.

14.Amendments

a. These rules may be amended by a majority vote of the CSFM Board.

b. This version was modified on February 26th, 2021 by the market manager

and approved by the CSFM Vendor Co