Monthly Membership Plans

  Farm Family ~$200/month for 12 months

Eat the way our farm family eats with enough meat to keep your household happy  all year long.

• Commitment up front, delicious meat all year long. Order what you want.
• Staggered payment available either with credit card subscription or post-dated checks
• Once a month, we’ll send an order form a week ahead with our current availability of chicken, pork, and beef . Order $200 of your favorites. Check out our current order form to get a sense of what will be available. 
• Free home-delivery anywhere within ~30 miles of our farm every month

Homesteader ~$100/month for 12 months

This share is perfect for smaller households that enjoy high-quality meat as a side to vegetables and grains.

• Commitment up front, delicious meat all year long. Order what you want.
• Staggered payment available either with credit card subscription or post-dated checks
• Once a month, we’ll send an order form a week ahead with our current availability of chicken, pork, and beef . Order $100 of your favorites. Check out our current order form to get a sense of what will be available. 
• Free home-delivery anywhere within ~30 miles of our farm every month

City Slicker ~$50/month for 12 months

If you’re on the go a lot, or just have a tiny fridge, this is the share for you.

• Commitment up front, delicious meat all year long. Order what you want. 
• Staggered payment available either with credit card subscription or post-dated checks
• Once a month, we’ll send an order form a week ahead with our current availability of chicken, pork, and beef . Order $50 of your favorites. Check out our current order form to get a sense of what will be available. 
• Free home-delivery anywhere within ~30 miles of our farm every month

What is a CSA (or monthly membership)?

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. It’s a concept that originated in the 70’s as a way for a community to support a farmer at the beginning of the season (when the expenses and risk are high, but sales are low). In return for their support, or subscription in the farm, each member of a CSA receives a share of the harvest throughout the season. Since some folks are already familiar with the concept of CSA, we use the terms CSA and monthly membership interchangeably.

What do I receive as a monthly/CSA member?

Check out this page to read the share descriptions and choose the right option for your household.

How much does it cost?

Check out this page to read the share descriptions and choose the right option for your household.

What’s the difference between a one-time, custom order, a monthly membership, and a bulk order?

Our long-term goal is to distribute all of our meat through bulk orders and a monthly membership (CSA) because we believe that this is the best way to maintain a close relationship with the community and educate them about the values of good husbandry and whole animal utilization. We have listed the pros and cons of each option below. Feel free to contact us to talk through the options as well.

Monthly Membership (CSA)	Pros	Cons
Cost	The cost is distributed  throughout the 8-month season either with recurring, automatic payments on your credit card or monthly check deposits. There is also a 10% added value for the membership because distribution weights are based on an average (for example, 4.5 lb chicken or 6.25 lb of pork) but we skew higher so that you’re never getting less than the average, and usually about 10% more.	You are paying for every cut not just the cuts that have higher value. For example, a pork share will include bones and liver in addition to bacon and pork chops. Similarly, a chicken share will include drumsticks and wings in addition to thighs and breast. Delicious meals can be made with every cut, and we’ll help you learn how to utilize the whole animal. But the monthly membership limits your ability to customize your order.
Delivery/Distribution	You only have to remember to pick up your share once a month over the course of the eight month season, and we’ll help you remember by sending out text message reminders the day of distribution. We have multiple drop off locations throughout Durham, Chapel Hill, and Hillsborough, so you should be able to find one within 5 miles of your home.	You have to remember to come pick up your share inside of a three-hour window. The drop-offs are only once a month, but sometimes they conflict with work or vacation. We make accommodations for this by allowing folks to request a hold on their share to pick up another time. It’s important to note that unclaimed shares will be donated.
Storage	We store the meat for you and distribute it incrementally throughout the season in variety packs so you don’t have to tie up freezer space storing a lot of meat.	You will only have access to the cuts of meat that will be distributed in a given month.
Sustainability	We believe that the Monthly Membership is the most sustainable option for the following reasons: utilizing the whole animal reduces waste; committing to purchasing every cut supports us, the farmers, because it guarantees that we can sell the whole animal–this makes pasture-based meat more economically viable; delivering multiple shares to drop-offs once a month limits the amount of driving we have to do and builds community between share members	There is an energy cost associated with storing frozen meat over the course of the season.
Quality	We guarantee that all of our meat is premium quality. All meat is sealed and frozen and should easily keep in the freezer for up to 12 months. If, for any reason, you are unsatisfied within the first 90 days we will replace your meat or give you a full refund.	We guarantee that all of our meat is premium quality. All meat is sealed and frozen and should easily keep in the freezer for up to 12 months. If, for any reason, you are unsatisfied within the first 90 days we will replace your meat or give you a full refund.

Custom, One-Time Orders	Pros	Cons
Cost	One-time orders are invoiced once a month using FreshBooks. This means that if you place two orders in the same month, you will only billed once. With a one-time order, you pay our full retail price for each item but you are also able to select the exact cuts that you want. If you want all bacon, then you can get all bacon. The average prices are listed on the order form but each order is weighed seperately and your invoice will correspond with the exact weight of your order.	There is not an option to spread out payments over the course of the season with installments the way there is with our monthly membership.
Delivery/Distribution	We offer free home-delivery for orders of $50 or more which means that you don’t have to remember to pick up a share at a centralized drop-off location. This is also the only way we sell eggs.	We aim to deliver each custom-order within five days but unlike the monthly membership you have to rememember to place an order each time/month.
Storage	You can customize your order to fit your freezer space at any given time	You will need adequate freezer storage for the entire order because you will receive all of the meat that was ordered at one time.
Sustainability	If you live far from one of our centralized monthly membership drop-offs, this prevents you from having to drive long distances every month to pick up your share.	We are happy to fill custom orders, but our passion is to connect people with the beauty of utilizing the whole animal the way that our great grandparents would on the subsistence farm. By selecting only the cuts that you most desire, you leave us, the farmers, with the burden of finding an outlet for the other cuts, and often, some meat gets wasted or under-utlized in the process.
Quality	We guarantee that all of our meat is premium quality. All meat is sealed and frozen and should easily keep in the freezer for up to 12 months. If, for any reason, you are unsatisfied within the first 90 days we will replace your meat or give you a full refund.	We guarantee that all of our meat is premium quality. All meat is sealed and frozen and should easily keep in the freezer for up to 12 months. If, for any reason, you are unsatisfied within the first 90 days we will replace your meat or give you a full refund.

Bulk Orders	Pros	Cons
Cost	Our bulk orders are priced 15% lower than our retail prices for whole shares and 10% lower for half shares. Even if you only want a quarter share, the most economical option is to go in with friends and family on a whole or half share. This does not mean that we will break out a full share into four quarters for you: you will be responsible for disitributing these evenly.	There is not an option to spread out payments over the course of the season with installmens the way there is with our monthly membership.
Delivery/Distribution	We offer free home delivery within a 60 mile radius for bulk shares of any size. In addition to the convenience of home delivery, you don’t have to remember to pick up your share every month at a centralized drop-off.	You cannot customize your order. You will get everything that comes with a quarter, half, or whole hog, or for poultry, everything that comes with a chicken.
Storage	You will have all of the cuts available in your share at once: so if you have a hankering for pork chops, you don’t have to wait for them to be delivered with your monthly membership share. Go to the freezer and cook ’em up!	You will need to have the freezer storage capacity for your whole share all at once.
Sustainability	We believe that bulk shares are the most sustainable option we offer because it minimizes that amount of energy that’s required to organize and distribute meat individually. in many ways we feel like this is closer to the tradition of whole animal butchery when a family, or group of families, would get together and harvest an animal and then share ALL of its parts.	We can’t think of any downside to the sustainability of placing a bulk order. It’s great, you should do it! And get your friends and family to do it, too. 🙂
Quality	We guarantee that all of our meat is premium quality. All meat is sealed and frozen and should easily keep in the freezer for up to 12 months. If, for any reason, you are unsatisfied within the first 90 days we will replace your meat or give you a full refund.	We guarantee that all of our meat is premium quality. All meat is sealed and frozen and should easily keep in the freezer for up to 12 months. If, for any reason, you are unsatisfied within the first 90 days we will replace your meat or give you a full refund.

Why are your prices higher than what I am used to seeing at a chain grocery store?

We’re not in the business of banging people over the head with data, stats, or stories about industrial meat. Rather, we’re here to offer the highest quality, humane and ecological meat we can for those who have already been converted. Simply, our prices are higher for the following primary reasons:

• Moving animals regularly on pasture while ensuring that they are safe, fed, and watered is challenging and labor-intensive
• Our local, GMO-Free feed is more expensive than conventional feeds
• We price our products to be profitable for (us) the farmer and livable for the farm workers

Here are three resources we have found recently  that tell the story of the “hidden cost” of conventional meat and/or the real cost of good meat.

1.) Breaking Down the Costs of Pastured Poultry, Center for Environmental Farming Systems

2.)

3.)

Do I have to pay for my monthly membership (CSA) share all at once?

We have gone to great lengths to make our CSA as affordable and convenient for our members. Instead a lump payment at the beginning of the season, members have the option of setting up recurring payments (on a credit card form) or sending us post-dated checks (on our check form). Important note: though we break the payment into monthly installments, this does NOT mean that our CSA is a month-to-month commitment. See next question.

How much am I paying for processing fees if I sign up using a credit card form?

The third party we use to manage our subscriptions charge a rate of 2.9% + $.30 per transaction, which means this is the rate you are charged each time a recurring payment is made. We have adjusted the prices on all of our credit card forms to reflect these fees. If the convenience is not worth the cost for you, fill out the check forms and pay with a one-time check or post-dated checks.

Your credit card will automatically be charged for the first installment as soon as you place your order.  After that, charges will proceed the 1st day of the following 8 months (you will receive an email notification each time). Meat distribution will not begin until June. Therefore, as an example: if you complete your order in April, the first two installments of your subscription will be charged before distribution begins. Not to worry, your subscription will end after 8 months no matter what time of year you subscribe.

If you wish to pay with credit card in different installments, or don’t want to be charged before we begin distribution, then send us an email or indicate so on your order form and we will send you a digital invoice.

How do I set up a payment plan for a monthly membership (CSA) by writing post-dated checks?

We prefer members to make recurring payments in monthly installments, even if they are paying via post-dated checks. Simply send us a stack of checks for the monthly amount of your share, post-dating them however you would like them deposited. We will deposit each check at the beginning of the corresponding month (for example, 6/1, 7/1, 8/1, etc.)

Can I cancel my monthly membership (CSA) subscription at any time?

Short answer, No. In keeping with the spirit of CSA, we ask all members to sign a covenant that says they are committed to our farm through the season. We understand that sometimes major life events happen that make it too difficult, or impossible, for members to follow through on their covenant. We are willing to make accommodations in those extreme circumstances.

Where and when do I pick up my monthly membership (CSA) share?

In 2019, the CSA season will begin in June and be ongoing into 2020. We will notify you sooner to the start date with pick-up details.

• Durham: First Wednesday of every month from 5-8 pm, Center for Documentary Studies, 1317 W. Pettigew St., Durham, NC 27705
• Durham: First Wednesday of every month from 5-8pm, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 1737 Hillandale Rd., Durham, NC 27705
• Durham: First Wednesday of every month from 5-8pm, Connelly House, 917 Virgie St., Durham, NC 27705
• Chapel Hill: Second Wednesday of every month from 5-8 p.m., Orange UMC Scout Hut, 1220 MLK Blvd. Chapel Hill, NC 27514
• Chapel Hill: Second Wednesday of every month from 5-8 p.m., Binkley Baptist Church, 1712 Willow Dr., Chapel Hill, NC 27514
• Carrboro: Second Wednesday of every month from 5-8pm, Emmerling House, 325 Blueridge Rd. Carrboro, NC 27510
• Hillsborough: Second Thursday of every month from 5-8 p.m., First Baptist Church of Hillsborough, 201 W. King St., Hillsborough, 27278

What if I am unable to pick up my monthly membership (CSA) share one week? Or what if I forget to pick it up?

If given at least 24 hour notice, members can change their pick-up day or location up to three times a season. We will send a text message reminder to each member every pick-up day. If we don’t receive advanced notice, the share will be donated to a household in need through a partnership we have with Anathoth Community Garden & Farm.

Often times, CSA members will coordinate with another household to pick up their share for them or enjoy it for themselves while they are out of town. Eggs are the only products that are delivered weekly. It should be possible to arrange an alternate time to pick up a share that includes pork or chicken.

Is it possible to deliver additional items with my monthly membership (CSA) share?

Yes. If products are available, and we receive a one-time, custom order at least 24 hours in advance, we can send additional items to your pick-up. Check out our order form to place your order.

Do you offer any vegetables?

Yes! Sort of. Chas is Co-Director of Anathoth Community Garden & Farm, and we deliver our products alongside Anathoth’s HarvestShare CSA. This means you can pick up delicious, sustainable meat AND veggies from one location every week…and support a great cause in the process. To learn more, check out Anathoth’s CSA page here.

Why is all of the meat frozen?

Frozen meat is safer and less perishable, making it an optimal solution for both us, as the producer, and our members, as the consumers. The ice crystals that form around frozen meat actually splinter and kill harmful bacteria during the thawing process, significantly reducing the risk of food born illness.

Frozen meat also allows us to slaughter/butcher animals less frequently, creating more time for good animal husbandry (and day jobs). Larger, less frequent slaughter days also allow us to invite members who want a closer relationship with the sacrificial process of procuring their meat.

I want a closer relationship with where my food is coming from. How can I be a part of husbandry, slaughtering, or butchering?

Our business, and particularly our CSA, is dedicated to facilitating meaningful opportunities for people to connect with their meat. Join our email list or Facebook page to receive updates about upcoming events.