Powered By Eat From Farms
Our ordering process is the same as any online store, but there are a few key differences. This page walks through the entire ordering process.
Meat, eggs, and other farm products: Did we mention that inventory management is hard? If the stars align, this store should accurately show everything we have in stock. Occasionally the stars do not align and we will be out of something or we have something that is not indicated. Oops! If you know we have something in stock that is not listed let us know in the comments of your order and we can add it on or reach out to us before placing your order. If you order something that is out of stock, we will let you know when we finalize the order.
Typically Stocked (TS) Animal Feed: The TS animal feeds are typically in stock, although there are times when we may temporarily be out of stock. We maintain limited quantities to ensure the freshness of our feed. If you order large quantities, we may be out of stock but are typically back in stock within one week. If we are low on stock and can't fufill your order, we will contact you.
Special Request (SR) Animal Feed: The SR animal feeds are not regular stock items for us, so these items are special request and need time to arrive from the feed mill. Typical lead time is three weeks but can be up to six during slow periods and down to two during busy periods. If you select a pickup day before it's available, we will contact you.
Product page: Each product page (like pork chops) has details about the product, such as cut thinkess or cooking suggestions. Some producs have options or sizes and this is where you select how many packages you want.
Product categories: On the left hand side of the screen, there are different product categories to help you find what you want. Each product category page has some additional info at the top. This is especially important on the animal feed pages (like typically stocked feed) which has info about delivery fees to markets and stocking info.
The first time you checkout, you will need to create an account. If you've ever shopped from another farm that uses Eat From Farms (this online shopping platform) then you can't create another account and you need to use your existing account login. If you don't already have an account, then signing up is as simple as any other platform. Note that the initial email with your confirmation code will come from Eat From Farms and not BOTL Farm.
If you forget your passord, use the password recovery form. We don't have access to your password and cannot reset it for you.
We offer several pickup and (sometimes) delivery locations. Check out all the options we offer here. Click on each location to get details like pickup time windows and limitations (such as we can't bring feed to some farmers markets).
For most markets, the cut-off time to place an order is 6pm the day before. If you need something day-of, you're going to have to read our Expedited Order Policy (link at the end of this page).
Here in the great state of Connecticut, we are not legally allowed to add a credit card fee to a transaction. The best we can do is inform our customers that we pay fees on credit card transactions and encourage paying by cash or check.
Cash and checks do not carry additional or hidden fees with them, whereas our business always pays a fee to process a credit card. Depending on the amount of each credit card purchase, we lose 3-12% of the total sale to processing fees and the same goes with PayPal, Venmo, ApplePay, and debit cards.
Online credit card processing is even more expensive than in-person credit card processing. We always encourage cash or check but pay however works for you.
Note: Some items we offer a cash/check discount on. These discounts are listed in the item description and will be applied after checkout before your order is finalized.
If you really want to pay by credit card and want to help cover the credit card fee add this item to your order.
We have spent many years finding a platform that makes sense for an online farm store and found that Eat From Farms (EFF) fits most of our requirements. The EFF fee represents, as close as we can project, the real cost to us for running our online store. The EFF fee is not a credit card processing fee and is added to every order no matter what form of payment you choose.
In this store, each cut of meat has an estimated package weight and cost. You pick out how many you want and submit your order. You aren't charged anything at this point.
We receive your order, head to our freezers, and pick-n-pack everything. As we pack your order, we adjust the estimated weight of each package to the actual weight of the package. Once your order is packed, we'll know the exact cost. This means the total price of your order may be lower or higher than the estimated cost at checkout. We will do our best to keep the order total as close to your estimate as possible.
If you want to approve your final packed order before being charged let us know in the comments at checkout.
Once we finalize your order, you will be charged (if you're using online payment), and you will get a final receipt of exactly what was picked for you. Then you just need to show up at your scheduled pickup time and everything will be waiting for you.
After you place an order, you will receive an email with the subject "Initial Order Confirmation: BOTL Farm". If you don't see it, check your spam folder and if it is not there then you probably did not complete the checkout process or there is another issue. Let us know if you think there is an issue.
When we receive your order, we review it the same day. If we think we cannot fufill it on time (i.e. we don't have feed in stock and need to order it, or we messed up inventory for a product) we will reach out right away and let you know we can't fufill the order as-is. If we can fufill the order, you won't hear from us until we pack the order.
We typically pack orders the evening before the scheduled pickup day. So, if you order two weeks in advance (good on you!) and only received your Initial Order Confirmation email, don't panic yet, we are probably just waiting to pack your order with the others the day before you pick up.
As we pack your order, we do things like adjust the estimated weight of each package to the actual weight of the package, apply discounts for cash/check payments, add delivery fees for feed delivered to markets, and write out cute little order cards so we know where we stored your order. Once your order is packed, we'll know the exact cost. This means the total price of your order may be lower or higher than the estimated cost in the intial order email.
Once your order is packed and finalized, you will get a final receipt of exactly what was picked for you. This email has the subject "Final Order Confirmation: BOTL Farm." If you're using online payment, you will be charged at this point. If you are not using online payment, then your total due will be in the email. Then you just need to show up at your scheduled pickup time and everything will be waiting for you.
If you don't receive the Final Order Confirmation by around 8 pm the day before your order should be ready, it is time to panic. Either we are still really busy with farm stuff and have not packed orders yet or something went wrong. Now is the time to reach out to us so we can make sure your order is all set.
As you have already read the pickup location details page you know what to do at pickup. If there is an anomaly (i.e. it is raining and you are self-serve picking up feed) we will email you with specific informaiton. Additional location-specific details will come in the Final Order Confirmation email.
We have process flows in place that help keep our business running smoothly, our costs as low as possible, and get product to our customers as efficiently and fairly as possible. We think we are easy to deal with, as long as you appreciate hyper-organized, wildly punctual, and highly communicative people. For a read into all our policies head over to our main website policy page.
If you have any issues or questions see our contact us page.