We are so excited that you are interested in becoming one of our Lowcountry Farm Box subscribers. We put together this page to help you understand exactly how The Box works, your commitment to us, and our commitment to you.
This is a living document meaning terms and conditions can change at any time if we feel that it would better help our customers understand their commitment and make fulfillment most efficient.
Box Surveys & Contents
A survey is sent out to subscribers at the end of each month, with the available selections for the upcoming month’s box, as well as the pickup & delivery dates (more on these below). It is expected that subscribers fill out the survey and submit it in a timely manner so that we can fulfill boxes on schedule. We recommend doing this from a desktop/laptop/ipad, as opposed to your phone, for best readability.
Beginning in 2023, you have the option to customize your box selections from our range of offerings. This is a change we are very proud to be able to make, as our existing subscribers made it known to us that this would make their experience even better. Of course, if you prefer not to customize, that will always be an option on the survey, in which case we will fill your box that month with a well-rounded variety of product based on availability.
Understanding the Reality of a Local Farm Membership Box
As a member, you share in the fruits of our labor and have access first and always to our most sought after products. But we are a small farm, and there is always the chance that mother nature – or even our butcher shop – throws us a curve ball. Although our boxes are now customizable, it is important to understand and accept that product options will vary somewhat month-to-month, and we cannot accommodate subscribers who are looking only for specific products (i.e. a “veggie only” box, or just 1-2 types of meat cuts exclusive of anything else). Subscribing to The Box means you are agreeing to, and understanding of, what it takes for a small farm to provide in this manner. You are open to monthly variations in the anticipated Box Contents (which you can find here) and also any changes or substitutions you may see from time to time. That said, our commitment to you remains the same: your box value will always be fulfilled with quality, farm-fresh products. Any substitutions that need to be made are always made at equal or greater value – never lesser. Being a subscriber to The Box is about being open, creative and sometimes learning to cook differently! We’re also here to help. So just reach out if you are struggling with a particular vegetable or cut of meat – we have tons of cooking tips and recipe recommendations!
Box Pickup & Delivery
All of our box subscribers have the option to select on-farm pickup, farmers market pickup, or door-to-door delivery. Previously, small boxes were not eligible for delivery, but as we’ve grown both in on-farm resources and staff, we can now offer delivery to your door no matter what size box you subscribe to. With that said, we have also implemented a $15 delivery fee, due to rising costs of fuel, labor, etc. The survey you receive each month will give you the option to select your pickup or delivery date for that month – so there is always the chance to opt in or out of delivery, depending on your schedule that month.
Farmers Market pickups are offered once per month at each:
– Root & Bloom Market in Bluffton (Wednesday)
– Forsyth Farmers Market in Savannah (Saturday)
– Hilton Head Market (Tuesday)
If you have any questions about pickup or delivery options, please contact us before signing up for The Box!
Whippoorwill Farms Mission, Methods & Product Quality
How We Raise Our Animals and Grow Our Produce
Whippoorwill Farms SC is a Bio-diverse Regenerative farm, meaning that every single day, we work to regenerate not just our soil, but our land and our forest ecosystems. Through the use of our livestock and their frequent rotation of our animals into new sections, help us allow the land to recover and regenerate over time. With a focus on soil health, water retention, biodiversity of our native and domestic animals and plants and a goal of carbon negativity, we work symbiotically with our land to create a farm that thrives, but an ecosystem that thrives with it for years to come.
Like our animals, our produce is raised with the highest environmental standards in mind as well as the highest standards of production for our customers. We focus on building healthy soil that in turn, builds healthy plants and food for us. We use compost, mulching, little to no till and many other techniques to help create functioning ecosystems under the soil in our gardens that grow the best tasting vegetables and flowers for us.
Is Our Farm Organic?
Our farm is not USDA certified organic, however as we raise our animals and grow our produce, we use all natural methods. As a non certified organic farm, we are not even able to, by law, describe what we do as “organic” in any way. But we can assure you, that what we are doing goes beyond any “organic” claims we could make. We use no synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. We use spent or wasted grain from local distilleries to help with their waste output, all natural and non GMO supplemental feed, and in the case of our chickens, they are supplement with a USDA Certified Organic Chicken Feed.
Do We Ever Buy Products From Other Farms To Supplement Your Box?
As far as meat goes, we have partnered with a local beef farmer I trust to be doing what they say they are doing: raising grass-fed cattle, grain-finished for optimal marbling, tenderness, and flavor at the very end with non-GMO grain they grow themselves. When our beef is available, it is offered exclusively to you, our Lowcountry Farm Box Subscribers. As far as vegetables go, we’re still growing. Depending on the season and harvest quantities, we will either fulfill your veggies from our gardens, or again, if we feel that we should add or supplement from others, it is only ever from other local, naturally-grown gardens/farms run by farmers that I personally know and trust.
The Pay What You Can Produce Stand Mission Continues Here
It’s important to us that everyone have access to healthy, local, naturally grown food. Because of that we’d like to be able to donate boxes to those in need each month. There is an option on the website to gift a box or a portion of a box to a family in our area in need. If you are interested in donating, please feel free to gift a box or a part of a box forward. There is also a nomination form on our website where you can nominate someone that you know who would love a box or needs a box but cannot afford one. Please share this program with others you know to help us continue to provide nutrient dense food to those in our community who can afford it, but also to those who cannot.
Subscription Commitment, Payment & Rules
Payment Policy
Payments are charged automatically on the first of each month, and are made a month in advance. For example, if your card is charged on Dec 1, it is for the box that will be picked up or delivered in January. This gives us time to find replacements for your box for the coming month, if you decide to cancel your subscription.
The Box is a 3 month commitment when you sign up, charged automatically each month to your credit card. You are liable for each 3 month term. So for example, if you pay for a delivery in November, December and January and choose to renew your box, you will again be liable for payment for three months of February, March and April.
What happens if I don’t pay my membership fee?
If your stored card is declined when the charge is put through at the beginning of the month, no shares will be distributed until payment is received. If payment has not been made by the second week of the month, we will consider this agreement null and void, and your subscription will be cancelled and passed along to another person interested in our subscription.
What Happens On Delivery Day if There is Inclement Weather?
We define “inclement weather” as hurricane evacuation orders being in effect, at which point we would hold your box on the farm in our freezers to ensure if power is lost, the meat would be safe in freezers powered on generators. We would make the pickup and/or delivery arrangements when it was next safe to do so.
What If You Are On Vacation or Miss a Pickup/Delivery?
If you will be away, your freezers are full, etc. we provide an option on the survey to donate your box that month to a family in need. You are also welcome to offer your box to a family member or friend that month, if you let us know in advance & provide us their contact information for pickup purposes.
We do not pause subscriptions, hold boxes, credit accounts, or double-up on boxes later for any reason. This is a rule we have been lenient on in the past, but as The Box subscription program has grown to 50+ subscribers, we simply cannot make exceptions. Logistically, we cannot accommodate pickup or delivery dates outside of the ones scheduled and provided to you in advance. We do not have the freezer storage space to hold boxes, and vegetables harvested for one date will go bad and become waste if that date gets delayed.
We are happy to accommodate you in other ways (such as allowing a friend or family member to receive your box in your place), or, if you can grant us access to the garage freezer or inside freezer to unpack and organize for you, we are even happy to do that. If neither of these are possible options for you, we allow on-farm pickup (by you or someone you trust and are able to send in your place), within a 24 hour period after the scheduled pickup or delivery date. Boxes not picked up within 24 hours will be donated. If this happens regularly, we reserve the right to cancel your subscription and offer it to someone on our waitlist.
Can I Split The Box with Another Family?
Of course! But we will only provide pickup or delivery to one place, take one payment in full and pack into one box. Whatever you decide to do after is totally okay with us.
Can I Transfer My Subscription to Someone Else?
Yes! Simply contact us and let us know who is taking over your subscription. We can work
out the payment details. The new member can either reimburse you for the remaining shares, or we can work it through the farm.
CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY
Upon your purchase through the website, you agreed to all aforementioned information listed including the following:
Farming is a seasonal and unpredictable undertaking. The Box monthly product options could potentially vary from what was originally listed. Fluctuation and variations are inherent in farming (due to seasons, weather, pests, and other unforeseen forces of nature and our 3rd party butcher). Whippoorwill Farms SC will, to the best of our ability, provide the freshest, highest quality meats, eggs, and veggies possible in agreement with the original list of goods. However, as purchaser, I understand I am assuming a mutual risk with my farmer, and that I share in the bounty as well as in the risks of agriculture. I agree to receive my Box on the listed dates or make other arrangements from the options listed previously. I understand that if I am not home to receive my box or if I have not made other arrangements, it will be donated. I can sell or transfer ownership of my share at any point but there are no refunds. When you purchase The Box, you are agreeing to these terms.