MARKET RULES AND REGULATIONS

Days and times of operation: Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Physical Location: Spencer Creek Grange, 86013 Lorane Highway, Eugene, OR
Website: spencercreekmarket.org
Email: General Market Email

Contacts:

Mission Statement

The Spencer Creek Community Growers’ Market is committed to providing a venue for neighbors to sell their locally produced agricultural items with an emphasis on sustainable and healthy growing practices, while encouraging and supporting local food production efforts through the fellowship of community.

Business Structure

The Spencer Creek Community Growers’ Market is a non-profit membership type organization registered in Oregon with the Secretary of State.  It is organized to mutually benefit its members. Not all members are vendors; anyone can enjoy membership, be they a shopper, a farmer, a craftsperson, or just a visitor.

Membership

To become a member one pays a yearly dues of $15, which provides you,  your family members, or another market member the right to sell your product at the market (once your product has been approved). It also automatically includes you in the Hummingbird Wholesale Buying Club, provides invitations for you and a guest to the end-of-year party, and after attending the market 6 times either as a vendor or a visitor, you receive one free lunch at Cafe La Grange plus the ability to vote for or join the board of directors. Note: not all members are vendors, but each vendor needs to pay for at least one membership.

The Market Day

Set up is from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and take down is from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Please do not set up or take down while the market is open. Produce should be clearly labeled and priced.

Who May Sell

Vendor Categories: Description and Specific Requirements

Vendor categories include Farmers, Food Artisans, Prepared Food Vendors, Crafters, Nurseries and Livestock breeders, and with approval of the board, Food Retailers.   Your business may be in one or more of these categories.  A vendor may also sell on behalf of another member of the market as long as the other member’s product is clearly labeled as such.

Farmers

Farmers include ANYONE who raises agricultural products in Lane County including backyard gardeners (after all, YOU’re the reason we started this operation!) Products permitted without any specific licenses or extra insurance include all fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, eggs, honey, herbs and cut flowers, plant starts, all raised by the vendor. Farmers may now sell certain processed items without licenses or inspections, under the Oregon Farm Direct Marketing Law. Any meats, dairy, or processed foods NOT COVERED by the Oregon Farm Direct Marketing Law must be licensed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture and be covered by product liability insurance. For more information on licensing, contact Oregon Department of Agriculture food safety inspector for the Eugene area, Jeff Birdsall (541) 206-7059. SNAP (food stamps) may be accepted for all food items, WIC and FDNP for many food items (see Market Currency).

Food Artisans

Food artisans do not grow the majority of ingredients in their product. They make value-added foods such as candies, baked goods, pickles, condiments, jams, etc. All prepared food needs to be covered or packaged and labeled with name of the product, net weight, ingredients in descending order by weight, and name and address of producer. At least 25% of the ingredients by weight must be locally grown (Lane County). Items are not intended to be for immediate consumption (although customers may opt to eat them at the market.) Food artisans are licensed by Oregon Department of Agriculture, and they may accept SNAP tokens, but not WIC or FDNP vouchers. Food artisan products must carry product liability insurance. Please note that licensing requirements for home bakers were changed during Oregon’s 2016 legislative session. To determine if you qualify for the Home Bakery Exemption, please refer to the 2016 Domestic Bakery Exemption Law.

Prepared Food Vendors

Prepared food vendors sell food that is freshly made and available for immediate consumption on-site. Prepared Food Vendors must have a Lane County Temporary Restaurant Permit and must be covered by product liability insurance. They may NOT accept SNAP tokens, WIC, or FDNP vouchers.

Crafters
  1. All art and crafts will need to be juried.
  2. All art and crafts items that a vendor intends to sell must be listed on the vendor application.
  3. The product must be the original workmanship of the vendor and must demonstrate quality workmanship and be safe and durable for its intended use.
  4. The vendor’s work must predominate and the starting materials must be significantly altered and/or enhanced by the vendor.
  5. Artisans may sell, subject to approval, high quality reproductions of their own original work (i.e., prints of paintings or photographs, greeting cards, apparel).
  6. Soap and body care product vendors must follow federal labeling and ingredient contents requirements.
  7. The unauthorized use of copyright design is illegal and will not be allowed at the Market.
Nurseries

You may make sales of nursery stock of up to $250 per year without being licensed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

Livestock Producers

If you have goat kids to sell, bring them to the market! We provide fencing and shade, you provide food and bowl for drinking water. You also provide plenty of information regarding the pedigree (or lack thereof), the health history of the kids, their dam(s), and the herd in general, and ample information on proper goat care. Our goal is to help you find quality new homes for your kids!

Be prepared to answer questions regarding your herd’s testing for Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis (CAE), Caseous Lymphadenitis (CL) and Johne’s Disease (pronounced yo-nees).

Food Retailers

On rare exceptions, the board of directors may approve a food retailer on the condition that the product is locally grown, and does not compete with any producers at the market.  An example would be Camas Country Mill products.

More about licenses: http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/licenses/Pages/default.aspx

What the Market Provides

The market is situated in a horseshoe pattern behind Spencer Creek Grange. Tall fir trees and a green lawn offer a bucolic environment for both vendors and customers. WiFi is available, ask the market manager for the password.  There is usually ample parking available, but vendors are encouraged to park across the street at a neighbor’s, whose driveway is marked “Vendor Parking.”  Coffee, breakfast and lunch items are available at Café La Grange and there is ample indoor/outdoor seating. The Grange restrooms are available for the vendors and the public. Electricity and water for your stall space is available upon request. There is one shared, commercially inspected scale available to use beginning at 9:00 a.m. The market manager runs a Point-of-Sales terminal, thus allowing any/all vendors to accept tokens for Oregon Trail (food stamps), debit and credit.

What You’ll need to Pull Together

Tables and chairs and clear, visible signage, with the name and location of farm or business. Prices should be clearly marked for all produce and/or other items that are offered for sale.

A pop-up canopy and a commercial scale (certified by ODA) are very handy. During every market day, no matter what the weather, all canopies are required to have weights of at least 25 pounds on each leg. Umbrellas must be secured with a 50 pound weight. Weights will be available at the market for sale or you may rent them for the day.

If you’re a produce vendor, food must be stored/displayed off the ground (6”) or in impervious plastic tubs. Potentially hazardous perishable foods (meat, eggs, dairy, etc.) must be packaged and refrigerated according to ODA Food Safety guidelines (page 6) and you’ll need a calibrated thermometer to gauge and demonstrate temperature.

Membership Dues

Vendors shall pay an annual $15 Membership Dues collected on the first market day they attend.  Family members or other market members may represent your business at the market without paying any additional membership dues.  Your membership gives you, your family members, or another market member the right to sell your product at the market. It also automatically includes you in the Hummingbird Wholesale Buying Club, provides invitations for you and a guest to the end-of-year party, and after attending the market 6 times either as a vendor or a visitor, you receive one free lunch at Cafe La Grange plus the ability to vote for or join the board of directors. Note: not all members are vendors, but each vendor needs to pay for at least one membership.

Stall Description and Fees

A stall space is defined as 6 feet wide by 12 ft. deep and costs $5.   A double space accommodates a typical 10′ X 10′ pop-up canopy and costs $10.  The stall fee is collected sometime during the market day.  Vendors are expected to bring their own tables and chairs and thoroughly clean up after themselves at the end of the day.   When vendors attend frequently, the market manager will try and assign the same space each time.

Registering to Sell at the Market

“Registering” means you have read and agree to these Rules and Regulations. It also means you have read and agree to the guidelines presented in the ODA Food Safety at Farmers Markets if you are selling any food.  You may register to sell at the market by filling out our Market Registration Form online or a paper form obtained by the market manager at the market.  You may also contact the market manager for a paper copy.   After you submit the registration form, you will be contacted within 48 hours. When you have been approved to sell at the market, you will be sent a confirmation email to the address you provided on the form. Clicking on the link in the email will take you to our Reservations and Cancellations page where you can log in and make a reservation.

Please note that you must first register before you can sell at the market.   If for any reason you are unable to use the Market Registration Form on this site, please email us, or contact the Market Manager (phone number at the top of this page).

Reserving a Space or Canceling a Reservation

Make or cancel your reservation via our Reservations and Cancellations page. Your online reservation allows the public to see items you currently have for sale and also guarantees you a space on market day. You may also reserve a space by sending us an email or by contacting the Market Manager at the number at the top of this page. We will need your contact info, how many spaces you wish to reserve and, to the degree possible, what items you intend to bring.  Spaces will be assigned on a first come first served basis. If all the spaces have been reserved, you may opt to come ‘standby’ in case there is a no-show.

No Shows

Vendors need to give 7 days advance notice if they cannot attend a Market day for which they have made a reservation. This should be done by deleting their reservation from the Vendors page. If for any reason this cannot be done, vendors can contact us by phone or by email. Vendors who make a reservation and don’t show up are still charged the stall fee they would pay had they shown up. At the 2nd occurrence, the vendor will be unable to make a reservation and only be able to attend ‘standby’ for the remainder of the selling season.

Market Currency

Besides accepting cash and checks, you can also accept debit, credit, and Oregon Trail (food stamps) swiped at our P.O.S. terminal using our token system.

Debit/Credit – A customer decides what they would like to buy at your booth. If they have a credit or debit card, you direct them to the site manager at the information booth where they purchase GREEN, wooden tokens in $5 dollar denominations. They pay a $1 service fee every time they swipe their card, so it’s best they try to figure how much money they might like to spend altogether at the market. These tokens may and must be accepted by ALL vendors and customers CAN receive change. Place these green tokens in your token envelope (which you receive from the on-site market manager upon setting up in the morning) then redeem them at closing time when you pay your stall fee.

Oregon Trail Card (food stamps)
When a customer wants to use their SNAP card, direct them to the market manager’s booth where they purchase RED wooden tokens in $1 denominations. They do not pay a service fee. These tokens must be accepted by anyone selling food items, including fruits, vegetables, grains, meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, seeds, baked goods to be taken off site, and plants and seeds intended for growing food. SNAP tokens CANNOT be used for nonfood items (e.g. merchandise), hot foods, or flowers. Change CANNOT be given for SNAP tokens, but you can add product to bring the purchase up to the dollar amount. If a customer pays both with tokens and cash, change can and should be given back to the customer for the cash portion of the transaction. Place these red tokens in your token envelope, along with any green tokens, then redeem them at when you pay your stall fee. $1 tokens cannot be given as change to a customer for any reason. Any misuse of the $1 tokens compromises our eligibility to accept SNAP.

Double Up Food Bucks
Double Up Food Bucks is a SNAP Match program. A customer who purchases red tokens with their Oregon Trail card (aka EBT, SNAP or food stamps) has their purchase “matched” up to a value of $10 with Double Up Food Bucks. These little green and yellow coupons can ONLY be used to buy fresh, dried, or frozen whole or cut fruits and vegetables without added sugars, fats, oils, or salt. This includes mushrooms, cut herbs, and dried beans. As always, customers can spend their SNAP currency on all SNAP eligible foods at the market. If you sell any of these items, you MUST accept the coupons, put them in your envelope along with any tokens, and redeem them for cash at the end of the day with the site manager.

 WIC / FDNP vouchers (Women, Infants & Children and Food Direct Nutrition Program)
These vouchers are given to qualifying low-income families with small children and qualifying seniors.  Let’s show our support for these small but vital federal programs which lend a hand to the needy, and connect them directly to you – the food producer.
We highly encourage our farmers to apply and accept these vouchers.  You need NOT have a registered business or farm name to accept them, but you must grow the fresh produce yourself.
The application process and transactions must be completed by the vendor, not the market manager, as is the case with the Oregon Trail Program. Customers who bring their vouchers to the market feel disappointed if none of our vendors can accept them, so please request an application packet by contacting the Oregon Department of Agriculture TODAY with your name, farm name, mailing address and telephone number by E-mail or call 503-872-6600. You’ll find the bureaucracy refreshingly accessible and friendly. For more information, see Program Information for Farmers.

Smoking

Not permitted.

Pets

Customers who bring dogs to the market need to follow these rules:

  • Dogs must be kept on a short, non-expandable leash. No exceptions.
  • Keep your dog under control and by your side at all times.
  • Keep dogs away from produce, plants and other food products. This means head and tail ends!
  • Your dog must be sociable to people and other dogs to earn the right to shop at the market.
  • Not everyone is a dog lover: Be considerate.
  • Come prepared to clean up after your dog!

Additional Notes

The Spencer Creek Community Growers’ Market reserves the right to prohibit any product from being sold or any vendor from selling at the market. The Market also reserves the right to modify these rules and regulations as circumstances warrant.