[Market-farming] farmers' market forms
Wiediger, Alison
alison.wiediger at hart.kyschools.us
Fri Apr 11 08:38:03 EDT 2008
With this sentiment, I have to assume you have never been a grower
trying to sell in season produce at a farmers market where many, if not
most, of the vendors (can't call them farmers) were selling produce they
bought at a nearby wholesale produce place, in another state, and
calling it "homegrown". Then, behind the customers' backs, chortling
over how stupid the customers were - after all, everything is grown at
someone's home. Rules - oh yes, there were rule that "most" of the
produce had to be grown by the seller. "Most" is impossible to monitor,
the worst offenders (Liars!) ran (and still run) the market. Not about
to take folks like that at their word. There will always be people who
think they can break the rules, we had one at our market last year. He
brought huge bell peppers the Saturday after he had been inspected and
on inspection, he had just set pepper plants. If we had not inspected,
we would have had to take him at his word - which would have been a lie.
Growers don't mind an inspection - except maybe for the time involved
which we try to keep as minimal as we can. We all know that re-sellers
will ruin our market, many of us have been there, we won't allow it to
happen. Some customers don't understand, some don't care, but many (and
more all the time) do understand and care. We are "vetting" the grower
so they can have confidence they are "buying local".
If it is a farmers market, it should be producer only. If it is
producer only, inspections keep the "producers" honest. Your pledge only
works if all humans are honest - and they aren't.
Alison Wiediger, Au Naturel Farm
If I cant be taken at my word and sell my product, they can kiss my fat,
old, pimply, pink yankee arse. Years ago I stood many times and recited
a pledge that, in part, said that "economic justice can best be won by
free men through free enterprise". I cannot believe that the products of
our modern public shool systems have turned their backs on such a noble
sentiment.
Bye Bye
\
MAsteveINE
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