Maryville Farmers' Market, "From East Tennessee Hands"

VENDOR APPLICATION Please complete application and submit with $20.00 annual membership dues to: Maryville Farmers’ Market Post Office Box 7286 Maryville, TN 37802. Name______________________________________________________________________ Farm/Business Name___________________________________________________________ Home Address_________________________________________________________________ City___________________________ Zip Code____________ County____________________ Home phone: (___)_____________ Cell phone (___)____________Office: (__)_____________ Email: _______________________________________________________________________ Address of locations where products are raised/produced (NOTE: all products must come from East Tennessee—refer to Rules and Procedures for explanation.) Please provide directions or a map on the reverse side of this application. ____________________________________________________________________________ I am a: __ individual __ family __ Are you 18 years or older? __Yes __No Do you plan to sell each Saturday morning? __Yes__No If no, how often?_____ ____________________________________________________________________________ What specific items do you intend to sell at the Market? 1________________________5_________________________9_______________________ 2________________________6________________________10______________________ 3________________________7________________________11______________________ 4________________________8________________________12______________________ Who will represent you to assist with sales at the Market in an event that you not be available? ____________________________________________________________________________ Are any of your products organic? __ Yes __ No. If so, which ones? ______________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Please provide the name and phone number of two persons who will serve as a reference attesting to the quality of your product(s): __________________________________________________Phone:___________________ __________________________________________________Phone:___________________ Your answers on this application will not negate your participation in the Market. All application will be reviewed by the Board of Directors. Therefore, a two week processing time is requested prior to vendor selling product at the Market. Maryville Farmers’ Market will keep this application as an official record. Release, waiver, and assumption or risk: I, the undersigned, am fully aware and understand the potential risks involved with my participation in the Maryville Farmers’ Market. Specific dangers include damage to personal property, loss of personal inventory, serious physical injury, or death. Additional dangers include and are not limited to damages due to inclement weather and other reasonably anticipated risks that accompany participation in such event. I acknowledge that I voluntarily participate in this event. I hereby agree to assume all risk of injury, damage to persons and property and/or death, and to hold the City of Maryville and its volunteers, officers, agents, or employees harmless from any liability for any injuries, or claim for damage, damage to goods or death that may arise in connection with my participation in this market. This Hold Harmless Agreement also pertains to any actions of negligence by the City of Maryville and its volunteers, officers, agents, or employees which may have caused or contributed to the injury, damage, or death. This Agreement shall be binding upon my heirs and dependents as well as me. I participate freely and voluntarily in this market and expressly assume all of the risks of the event. I have also read and agree to abide by all of the rules and regulations of the Maryville Farmers’ Market. Applicant_________________________________________________Date__________ I have read the rules and procedures and understand them and agree to abide by them. Refer to next page Signed___________________________________________________ Date_________________ PLEASE KEEP THIS PAGE FOR YOUR RECORDS The mission of the Maryville Farmers’ Market is to promote the sale of local farm products; to improve the freshness, taste, and nutritional value of produce available; to encourage more social contact between consumer and farmer; to educate the public as to the agricultural traditions of East Tennessee; and to celebrate and help preserve family farms. RULES AND PROCEDURES 1. All applicants must submit an application, along with applicable certificates, two weeks (14 days) before the date they expect to begin selling. No exceptions. Items requiring certificates: * Eggs (if more than 50 cases per year are sold) * Potted herbs, flowers, shrubs, or trees in pots * Poultry (i.e., chicken,duck) * Beef, lamb, pork, buffalo, ostrich,etc. * Processed Dairy products (cheese, milk, etc.) * Bread Baker member (bread, muffins, granola, or other baked goods) * Foods process in a certified kitchen (jellies, jams, marmalade, salsa, etc.) A current state certification and a copy of your last inspection must be attached for any of the above categories. The application is incomplete without these and will not be processed. You must comply with state regulations or you will not be permitted to sell. 2. Members can only sell items they have grown. Member must grow the products sold on member’s farm, one’s family farm, or on land leased or rented by the Member. No products can be re-sold. 3. A Member of the Maryville Farmers’ Market or their representative must sell all products. 4. Member must agree to allow a representative of the Board of Directors to inspect the farm to ensure the Member is growing all products offered for sale. 5. Only individuals may apply for active membership—not co-ops, farms, partnerships, etc. A Member may not act as a broker for another farmer and thus sell another grower’s produce. 6. The annual membership is $20. Each member is allowed a maximum of two parking spaces for one vehicle per membership. If additional vehicle space is required, an additional parking fee will be assessed. 7. A commission of 4 percent (4%) based on gross sales for each sale day must be paid to the Market Manager or Board member on duty for that day. A completed Sales and Commission Form must be turned in at the time the commission is paid. The commission is to be paid as soon as possible after the market closing. 8. Because the Pick Tennessee logo is featured, all products should come from East Tennessee, which is defined by all Tennessee counties in the Eastern Time zone as well as Bledsoe, Cumberland, Sequatchie, and Marion counties. On rare occasions, the Board of Directors will accept applications for products grown outside the East Tennessee area (for example, western North Carolina). 9. At market close, members are responsible for cleaning up the immediate area around one’s space. Failure to comply will result in exclusion from the Market. 10. No early sales will be permitted. Sales can begin ONLY AFTER the opening bell sounds. No exceptions will be tolerated. The Market hours are Saturdays from 9 a.m. till noon. Setup may begin at 8 a.m. on the day of the Market. The location of the Market is in the 300 block of E. Broadway and E. Church Av., in the new Founder’s Square parking lot. 11. It is the responsibility of Members to adhere to all food safety rules and regulations, both on the state and federal level. See above. 12. Items should be clearly marked and priced (organic items should be clearly and truthfully identified) and free of dirt. Containers and produce should be attractive and clean. Weights should be accurate, and overall weight should not include the container. Members should present displays of sound, healthful items in a clean atmosphere. 13. Any sales tax collection is the responsibility of the Member. 14. Members understand that inclement weather may exist. 15. Prices must be fair and similar to like products of other vendors. The Maryville Farmers’ Market is a not-for-profit organization whose purpose is to give small growers a retail outlet for their products, including fruits, vegetables, ornamentals, flowers, plants, herbs, value-added products*, and other specialty crops and food products. Oversight is controlled by a Board of Directors, and revenue to support the Market is generated by fundraising, annual memberships, and sales commissions. Members must agree to abide by the rules and requirements for membership and the bylaws of the Maryville Farmers’ Market and to abide by the decisions of this organization and its Board of Directors. Failure to comply will result in exclusion from the membership. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Jim Brown, President 984-0954 honeyrock@ntown.net Teresa Best, Vice President 984-4867 tabest@ci.maryville.tn.us Marian Kelly, Secretary 980-0185 marian_h_kelly@yahoo.com Lisa Phipps, Treasurer 980-9911 lmnop1@bellsouth.net Jeff Ross 380-2277 jross@blackberryfarm.com Coley O`Dell Quality Control Chair 984-5393 yogi49bear@bellsouth.net Sherri Liles 981-2871 russellliles@chartertn.net Shelly Robinson 681-8249 shelrobins@charter.net *Value-added products are defined as follows: A change in the physical state or form of the product (such as milling wheat into flour or making strawberries into jam). The value-added product must contain at least 51% of a product produced by the member. The production of a product in a manner that enhances its value, as demonstrated through a business plan (such as organically produced products). The physical segregation of an agricultural commodity or product in a manner that results in the enhancement of the value of that commodity or product (such as producing yarn from wool).