SPANISH LAKE — Three farms have dropped out of a $3.2 million program to provide fresh food in north St. Louis County after they raised questions about the program and said there were too many red flags.

The farm owners said their concerns centered around Rustic Roots Sanctuary and its founder, Janett Lewis, who is overseeing the grant and set to receive the largest amount of money.

“This is a money grab,” said Coahoma Orchards founder Dail Chambers. “She needs to be shut down.”

Lewis said Tuesday that the three farms dropped out because they lack essential paperwork such as deeds for farmland or proof of insurance.

“We went into further inquiry with each of the farms and unfortunately, they did not have the credentials that they said they had,” Lewis said.

The farmers, when they heard Lewis’ response, were livid. They said she was lying.

Chambers, the orchard owner, was set to get $35,000 to help plant a raspberry field on a vacant lot in Riverview. She said she dropped out because Lewis misrepresented the project to the public and the County Council, which approved it unanimously last week despite uncertainties surrounding the plan.

Tyrean Lewis, who runs Heru Urban Farming, said he dropped out because he had lost faith in Lewis and the project. Heru was set to receive $202,500, which he hoped would help build a canning kitchen where he could preserve more of his fresh produce.

“It’s too many red flags popping up for me,” he said, calling Lewis “slick.”

Confluence Farms, the biggest farm of the three, was set to receive $250,000.

“She’s been bullying others on the project,” said Confluence partner Gibron Jones. He said Rustic Roots and Janett Lewis don’t have the capacity to run such a big program.

Lewis, whose Rustic Roots is set to receive nearly $2.5 million, said two other organizations are still participating: Odds & Ends Farm and Willowick Farm.

Odds & Ends manager Vincent Lang, set to receive $202,500, didn’t respond to a request for comment. Julianna Campbell, owner of Willowick and set to receive $60,000, threatened to call police on a reporter who visited her farm on Tuesday.

The other farms, Janett Lewis said, didn’t have necessary deeds or lease agreements to farm on the land they’re using. They also need proof of insurance and soil sample testing to prove the soil is safe, she said.

She said she plans to reallocate the money to other farms or projects.

“The county is trusting us with taxpayer money,” Lewis said. “If you can’t produce a deed and you’re farming with a handshake agreement, that doesn’t work within the parameters of this grant.”

But Chambers, the orchard owner, owns the land she plans to farm on, according to property records. Tyrean Lewis said he has permission from the owner of Confluence Farms, where he has some plots. And all the North County farmers test their soil or are willing to, he said.

They just want to grow good food in a place where there’s a lack of it, and where residents suffer the health consequences, he said.

“I believe in this, but I don’t believe in the players involved,” he said.

County councilmembers approved legislation creating the program unanimously at an emotional meeting a week ago despite questions about whether the service needed to go out to bid. And details were scarce on how Rustic Roots would use and distribute the money to the other farms.

Councilwoman Shalonda Webb, who introduced the bill, has said the money will go to Rustic Roots in the form of a grant, so it doesn’t need to go to bid. The farm, she said, has a proven track record of providing fresh fruits and vegetables to the community.

Webb broke down in tears after the vote, and the audience in the council chambers erupted in applause.

In the days following the vote, the dynamic changed. Questions from farmers about delivery logistics and how they would actually get the money went unaddressed, said Heru’s Tyrean Lewis. And it wasn’t clear how Rustic Roots would spend its share.

He questioned Rustic Roots’ plans to build an “agri-village” for educational farming residencies. The bulk of the money, he said, seemed to center around building on land privately owned by Rustic Roots, such as housing for the village.

“That’s not feeding nobody,” he said.

On Monday, Jones of Confluence Farms contacted the Post-Dispatch saying he had decided to withdraw, but declined to elaborate. Heru and Coahoma farms said the same, but also wouldn’t say why.

That changed after they heard what Janett Lewis said about their credentials. They were furious.

“She’s trying to sabotage my business,” Chambers said.

Lewis said on Tuesday she was just trying to ensure due diligence on the project, which she believes will make a difference in North County lives.

“When we’re talking about long-term food security, and the importance of these farms and their role in this community, it’s historic and it’s beautiful,” she said of the project. “So, I’m just hoping that all the waters won’t be muddied by anything because the bottom line is this is a transformational bill.”

Webb, at Tuesday’s council meeting, repeated what Janett Lewis said: Some participants “initially included” in the program were not able to provide documentation to ensure compliance. She said she was working with the farms to “ensure due diligence.”

“We want to make sure this is done right, and if you cannot comply to those standards, you cannot be a part of this project,” Webb said.

Webb added that she had planned last week to wait for a final vote on the program but then called an “audible” after hearing “compelling testimony,” during that meeting. She thanked the council for “trusting” her to take a final vote then. She said she hoped County Executive Sam Page wouldn’t veto the bill.

Page spokesman Doug Moore said on Tuesday that Page hasn’t yet signed it.

“Dr. Page is reviewing the legislation and listening to everyone,” Moore said in a statement. “The county executive and the council share a commitment to food security in North County.”

Nassim Benchaabane of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.