A: Contracted vendors will be required to submit farmer payment receipts as conditional for reimbursement. These receipts will be cross-referenced against the provided farmer list. We understand that sourcing is a fluid process and a proposed supplier list may change over a contract period. We expect a “best-effort” to source fairly and productively across all the farms provided in your farmer list, but anticipate changes as the project is underway. At the contract’s end, Farms Together administrators will review the farmer payment information against the farmer list and assess whether the mission was fulfilled. If there are concerns about vendor fulfillment of intended mission, vendor may be barred from future contracts at the discretion of network administrators. 

A: This project will be reimbursable. (Vendor will complete deliveries and submit documentation to CAFB for reimbursement). If the food is being delivered as a CSA style box, each box will have a set reimbursement of $36. Of this $36, we have $10 budgeted for overhead (admin, supplies and materials, delivery, etc) and the expectation that $26 be spent on food costs. Vendors will be reimbursed at exactly $36/box, regardless of what is spent on product. 

If the food is instead being delivered in bulk, the vendor will be providing price and availability lists directly to partner food bank or community food distributor. The bulk overhead reimbursement has been set at 20%.

A: We understand that sourcing is a fluid process and a proposed supplier list may change over a contract period. We expect a “best-effort” to source fairly and productively across all the farms provided in your farmer list, but anticipate changes as the project is underway. As farmers are added, vendors will be expected to update the Farms Together team. 

A: Contracted vendors are assigned an account manager to work closely with them and their food bank partner. Vendors are encouraged to talk to their account manager at the onset of a potential conflict to resolve their problems. We do have a grievance procedure in process for vendors and food banks that will be explained upon onboarding.

This procedure may vary according to the nature of a grievance. Disciplinary actions may be taken on behalf of any affected parties when needed.

A: Given food safety constraints, the Farms Together team will itself not be paying contracted vendors directly for animal protein. However, should a partner Food Bank or Community Food Distributor have a need and desire for animal protein, those organizations will be allocated money who in turn can enter purchasing agreements with Farms Together vendors for animal proteins. Payment and delivery terms in this scenario would happen directly between those agencies and not be mediated by Farms Together. 

A: We recognize the importance of regenerative, organic, certified organic, and sustainable growing practices in the environmental stewardship of California farmland and environments. As of program launch, we will not be awarding grading criteria for farms that are using these practices due to challenging distinctions between certification and non-certification and the concern that prioritizing these practices would deprioritize small scale farmers of color. However, we will add organic certification as an ungraded point of data we collect in the farmer list and evaluate the program’s effectiveness at supporting these farms. We hope to be able to use this data to report on the program’s impacts and reassess the inclusion of this as a prioritized criteria at a future date. 

A: Third party certification is not required for program participants. . We understand that for many farmers third party certification is a financial burden. We are trying to move away from using GAP/other audits to prevent small farmers  from participating. If your operation does have a food safety certification, the certification can be used to satisfy the food safety requirements. 

A: Yes. The food safety requirements depend on whether your operation is a farm or informal aggregator/food hub. Generally, the program requires participants to practice Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs), indicate their status under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule or the Preventive Controls Rule, and in some cases, provide documentation like a food safety plan. We understand that food safety is a complex subject. We are in the process of creating resources for participants to access in order to meet the minimum food safety requirements.

A: No. Food hubs and other applying vendors will need to explain how they verify that the farms they source from follow Good Agricultural Practices, also known as their supplier verification process. 

A: Aggregation vendors that do not handle food are considered value-chain coordinators, and have a separate application process. We ask for basic food safety requirements, such as a letter attesting that each farmer and each entity handling food does have a food safety plan. Other food safety aspects may be required upon application review.