Champlain Islands Farmers’ Market
By-Laws & Guidelines
Effective Date: May 1, 2009 (Revises By-Laws Dated: March 21, 2008)
Purpose:
The Champlain Islands Farmers’ Market (CIFM) has been established to enhance local agricultural, prepared food and craft sales in Vermont’s Grand Isle County region. To achieve this goal, CIFM provides advertising, sales locations, limited liability insurance, organizational support and management to qualified vendors.
Definitions:
Vermont Agricultural Vendor:
One who sells vegetables, fruits, fiber, plants, flowers and/or value added agricultural products that have been grown in Vermont by the seller or his/her employees.
Vermont Prepared Food Vendor:
One who prepares and sells ready-to-eat food, beverages and /or canned goods prepared either in their homes or at a Vermont-Certified facility.
Vermont Artisan:
One who sells and creates hand-crafted items made within the State of Vermont
Market Member:
One who satisfies the requirements under Membership as listed below.
Market Day Vendor Participant:
A Vermont Agricultural Vendor, Vermont Prepared Food Vendor or Vermont Artisan who, while not a member of CIFM, participates in the market on an intermittent basis. Day vendors, may attend CIFM meetings, and can make comments at same, but cannot make motions, vote, etc.
Sponsor:
A business or individual who contributes the annual sponsor fee. Sponsors may attend CIFM meetings, and can make comments at same, but cannot make motions, vote, etc.
Summer Season:
The period June – October (through second weekend), inclusive
Winter Season:
The period November – April, inclusive
Annual Membership:
The period May 1 to April 30, inclusive
Organization:
CIFM governance is accomplished through an Executive Committee comprised of the following elected positions:
Officer: Chair
Officer:Vice-Chair
Officer:Secretary
Officer:Treasurer
If the membership deems it necessary, two elected Members-At-Large may be added to Executive Committee.
The duties of the officers are those customarily associated with their respective offices.
Officers will hold terms for one year, beginning December 1 and ending November 30, and may be re-elected.
The demographic location of the officers should be representative of the entire Islands – At least one officer position should be held by a member from southern Grand Isle County, and at least one officer position should be held by a member from northern Grand Isle County.
Officers and Members-At-Large will hold office for a term of one year, and can be reelected. Election of Executive Committee members will take place at the annual meeting (see Annual-Election Meeting below).
All Executive Committee members must be CIFM members in good standing (See Membership, below). If, for any reason, a Executive Committee member fails to be a member in good standing, he / she will be replaced by Executive Committee through the appointment of another member. Such appointment will remain in effect until the next election of officers. If the appointee is already a member of Executive Committee, his / her past position will become vacant, and Executive Committee will fill that vacancy through appointment as well. No more than one such transfer of an Executive Committee member from one position to another may be made between annual meetings.
From time to time, sub-committees may be appointed by Executive Committee for special studies, projects, and markets etc.
All members are encouraged to hold office, serve on sub-committees and otherwise assist in the management of CIFM.
Annual Membership:
Members of CIFM are those individuals / businesses that have paid member fees (see Fees below) for the current calendar year by May 1. In the case of new applicants, membership also requires approval by Executive Committee. Prior-year members who have not paid their fees by May 1 will have no voting rights, nor can they participate in market showings other than as a Day Vendor until their member fees are paid in full.
Day Vendors can attain full membership once their paid day vendor fees equal or exceed the membership dues and they are approved for membership by Executive Committee.
Membership in CIFM entitles the individual / business to participate in all CIFM markets and to vote, make motions, etc. at CIFM meetings. Only one vote is permitted for any individual or business.
Consideration for membership is open to all Vermont agricultural producers, prepared food vendors, artisans and community members with preference to vendors in the immediate Champlain Islands area. The majority of all vendors must be agricultural.
Meetings:
Annual-Election Meeting:
An annual election meeting will be held between mid-October and mid-November. Other items of business may also be discussed, but the primary function of the meeting is to make nominations for Executive Committee positions and vote on same. In order to facilitate nomination and election of officers, the following procedure will be implemented:
• 4-5 weeks prior to the meeting, the Secretary will either E-mail or mail a letter to all members notifying them of the meeting and requesting that any members interested in either serving in a particular office or nominating an individual for offices submit his / her wishes to the Secretary within one week of receipt of the letter.
• The Secretary will summarize member communications and prepare a list of nominees and a list of interested candidates.
• The Secretary will send these lists to the membership at least one week prior to the meeting date, as well as incorporate them into the meeting agenda.
• At the meeting, seconds of any nominations on the nomination list will be entertained, as well as nominations and seconds for those on the interested-candidate list.
• A vote will then be taken for each office by Australian Ballot.
•
Pre- Summer- Season Meeting:
An annual pre-summer-season meeting will be held during the month of May for all those who intend to participate in the summer season. Attendance at this meeting by each vendor (or designated representative) is mandatory, and failure to attend, without suitable justification and notice to Executive Committee, will preclude participation in the summer markets.
Special Meetings:
Special meetings may be called from time to time if so warranted.
Scheduling of all meetings will be done by Executive Committee. A member or group of members can request a special meeting provided they accompany such request with a petition to that effect signed by 25% of the members. Executive Committee must warn any meeting called in this manner to all memberships no later than five days after receipt of the petition, and the meeting must be scheduled within ten days of the receipt of the petition. Warnings will be made through either E-mail or by phone.
Market Operations & Guidelines:
Overall responsibility for market management resides with Executive Committee, with assistance provided by all members on an as-needed basis.
Market Manager:
If deemed necessary by Executive Committee and approved by the membership, a market manager (MM) may be appointed. The MM will report to Executive Committee, and his / her duties will be assigned by Executive Committee.
Site Management:
Sites:
Executive Committee will have the responsibility for recommending sites, dates and times for each year’s markets with final decision of these sites, dates and times dependent on a majority vote of the members. Action on summer sites will be taken at the Pre-Summer Meeting; action on winter sites will be taken at either the Annual Election Meeting or a special meeting.
Parking:
CIFM will have designated Vendor-parking areas at each site - Vendor parking in the immediate vicinity of the tents or in areas reserved for customer parking will not be allowed.
Weather:
In the case of extreme weather, CIFM has the option, either prior to or during operation, to cancel a market. The decision on cancellation prior to the market will be made by Executive Committee, and the decision during a market will be made by a majority of the participating members present at that market.
Liability Insurance:
CIFM will maintain a limited liability insurance plan for its sites. Such insurance will not cover product liability for individual vendors nor liability for personal damages caused by a vendor’s market display. It is therefore recommended that each vendor have their own liability insurance.
Fees:
$15 Annual Membership Dues
$65 Annual Fee
$20 Day Vendor Fee
Day Vendors can become full vendors with approval of Executive Committee AND after paying 4 day vendor fees for the year. (See Annual Membership Above)
Vendor Responsibilities & General Code of Conduct:
Vendors are expected to conduct themselves in a courteous professional manner at all times during set-up, time of market and tear-down. This same courteous and professional manner is also expected at all meetings.
Each member-vendor will provide Executive Committee with a Summer Season schedule of their planned market attendance – This schedule will be due by May 1. It is expected that vendors will, barring uncontrollable circumstances, adhere to that schedule for the season.
Vendors will provide their own tents, display furniture, money for change, etc.
Vendors are required to have their area set up and their vehicles in the vendor-designated parking area at the start of a market.
All vendors, but especially those who sell prepared food, are responsible for complying with all applicable state and federal regulations related to their products. If there are any questions regarding these regulations, it is strongly suggested that the vendor contact the appropriate state agency (ies) that have jurisdiction over their products.
CIFM conducts market research on product sales for each market as a means of evaluating the effectiveness of market location, advertising, etc. during the season(s). As a result, it is very important to marketing effectiveness that these receipts be submitted by vendors within one week after each market. Failure to comply with this requirement could result in disciplinary action being taken by Executive Committee up to and including cancellation of market-showing privileges until receipts are brought up to date.
Conflict Resolution:
It is the goal and hope of CIFM that all vendors will be able to work together in a harmonious manner. Recognizing, however, that disputes will arise, the following guidelines have been developed.
If a dispute arises between / among vendors that dispute should be brought to the attention of the Chair as soon as possible. If the Chair is unavailable or absent, or if the Chair is a party in the dispute, the problem will be brought to the attention of the Vice-Chair, remaining officers or Member(s)-At-Large or Market Manager in that order of priority. If the officers or market Manager cannot resolve the dispute, it will be forwarded to Executive Committee for review and resolution.
If referred to Executive Committee, they should meet as soon as possible to seek resolution. If deemed necessary, the disputants will also be at this meeting, and the Secretary will send the disputants a formal letter regarding such meeting.
After hearing the arguments of the disputants, Executive Committee will render a decision on the issue and send the disputants a notice of that decision within one week following said meeting’s occurrence. If additional time is required to arrive at a decision, a letter will be sent to the disputants about that need within one week of the original meeting.
Non-Compliance Penalties:
Penalties for non-compliance with any of the by-laws are at the discretion of Executive Committee, and include discipline up to and including removal, either temporarily or permanently, of the vendor from CIFM activities. Such penalties, however, are subject to appeal by the affected vendor (see Right of Appeal below). All such penalties will be followed by a formal letter to the vendor, informing them of the penalty and the Executive Committee reason(s) for that decision.
Right of Appeal:
Vendor(s) may appeal the decisions of Executive Committee by requesting a warned hearing by the voting membership of CIFM. At this hearing, the vendor(s) will present their case, and Executive Committee will present the reasons for their decision. The membership in attendance will then vote by Australian ballot whether to uphold the Executive Committee decision or return the issue for additional consideration.
Pricing:
Price cutting, in an attempt to garner market share, is counter-productive to both CIFM and the vendor who practices it. For those reasons, adherence to either the price range found in the Vermont Department of Agriculture’s price guide sheet, or the prevailing prices of similar goods at the market is expected. Under no circumstance is dumping permitted.
Products Sold:
CIFM is primarily an agricultural market – Selling prepared foods and crafts, while complementary and supplementary adjuncts to the market, must necessarily, therefore, comprise a minority of the volume of goods sold.
Products sold by all vendors must be produced by them or their employees within the State of Vermont, and preferably in Grand Isle County. In addition, value-added agriculturally-derived products need to incorporate either the vendors own farm products, or products from a Grand Isle County source. Market vendors cannot
re-sell products purchased on the wholesale market or elsewhere.
Arts & Crafts Jury Process:
CIFM seeks to maintain high quality standards for crafts and other non-food items. To that end, new-vendor products falling into those categories will require jurying by CIFM before they will be allowed for sale. The jury process will be conducted by Executive Committee at any one of the annual meetings, a special meeting or an Executive Committee meeting.
While jurying of new products by current members will not be required, it is expected that these new products will follow the craft and non-food guidelines, and Executive Committee reserves the right to jury any new product if they feel such jurying is warranted.
Art and Crafts Guidelines for the Farmers' Market
Champlain Islands Farmers’ Market (CIFM) is established to encourage agriculture and provide wholesome food to consumers. To achieve this goal the Market provides advertising, location, organizational support and elected officers. The Champlain Islands Farmers’ Market is primarily an agricultural market that adds diversity with a mix of high quality crafts and prepared food items. Crafts and prepared food items must constitute a minority of all goods sold. The CIFM seeks to maintain high quality standards for crafts and non-food items sold at the market. New crafts and non-food item vendors will be juried by a majority of the regular members at the either the meeting held before the market opens, at a mid-season market or at any special meeting. Arts and crafts that are one of a kind and made by hand by Vermont residents are acceptable for the Farmers’ Market. Examples of acceptable and unacceptable items follow.
Fiber Arts and Jewelry
Acceptable examples, Hand knit, felted, woven, shaped, handmade clothes, dyed or quilted items made in unique or small numbers are preferred examples of fiber crafts for the market. Unacceptable examples, Mass produced decal printed cups, toilet paper covers, T-shirts, posters, framed art. Anything produced by manufacturing systems for the final product is unacceptable.
Pottery
Acceptable examples, Hand thrown, individually hand molded, made in a small workshop or home setting. Unacceptable examples, Manufactured pottery or porcelain items including fine or collectable china or glass. Manufactured or mass produced identical items are not appropriate for the Farmer's Market.
Sculpture
Acceptable Examples, Individually molded, carved or built items. Hand made and unique sculpture is optimal. Unacceptable items, Manufactured or mass produced items are not a good match for the Farmer's Market. Items molded by machine, many repeat of the identical image, commercially purchased items are better shown elsewhere.
Two Dimensional Art
Acceptable examples, Images produced as a one of a kind or series using fine art media such as; ink, pastel, acrylics, fine art print ink, oil. Images tying in to the agricultural and rural nature of Vermont are encouraged. Unacceptable examples, Computer prints, glicee prints, commercial prints of other artists' images, collectable prints, garage sale prints.
Photography
Acceptable Examples, Numbered runs of photographs of Vermont printed on archival paper. Images of the agricultural or rural landscape of Vermont are highly encouraged.
Unacceptable examples, Commercial prints of other artists' images, collectable prints, garage sale prints.
We are the guests of South Hero and Grand Isle and need to be sensitive to the venue, which is largely family oriented. Please pick items and images that will encourage the continuance of the Farmers’ Market venue for the entire community.
Amendments To By-Laws:
Changes to these by-laws cannot be made without the approval of a majority of the members. They may be amended by a simple majority of current members physically present at any regular or special meeting provided that the membership has been warned about both the meeting and the proposed amendments at least five days prior to the meeting.