[Market-farming] Holes in Beans

Willie McKemie mf at austinfarm.org
Thu Sep 2 17:51:53 EDT 2004


On Thu, Sep 02, 2004 at 06:37:36PM -0400, cheselka at theriver.com wrote:
> 
> 
> > What is a problem is one person who buys produce wholesale
> > somewhere and brings it in - he undercuts the locals.  It's
> > very apparent that he does not grow what he sells.  
> 
> We've solved this in two ways:
> 
>    1 - the market is "Producers Only"
>    2 - grower A can sell grower B's stuff if:
>         a - the grower B is a "family owned and operated farm"
>         b - grower A has gotten permission to do so from the market
>             manager
>         c - grower B's stuff is clearly labeled as from grower B's
>             farm
So.......

Do you not foresee this situation:

Grower Z is not as well connected as grower A, or not as competitive 
at recruiting suppliers, or perhaps spends more time tending to his 
plantings than recruiting suppliers and is at a selling disadvantage 
to grower A (who is selling stuff for grower B, grower C, grower D, 
etc) and justifiably sees grower A as a peddler.  Grower Z might be 
better off avoiding the peddlers and finding another outlet for his 
produce.

Or this one:

Grower A is the market manager and has no difficulty getting permission to 
re-sell stuff; while the other sellers have a great deal of difficulty 
getting permission.

I submit that a market's rules should encourage growers to come in and 
sell their products, not encourage growers to become peddlers.

-- 
Willie, ONWARD!  Through the fog!
Good Health: the slowest way to die
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