Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Resellers at markets

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Jay Sleichter <jaysleichter AT yahoo.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Resellers at markets
  • Date: Wed, 29 Dec 2010 20:55:38 -0800 (PST)


As a small grower, in order to set myself apart from others, I started to put on my signs "We only sell what we grow."  The feedback I got all summer and fall was great.  I never pointed out those grower who resell, but it is really easy to pick them out.  This is at a larger college town.  Many of the customers realize the importance and support me.  However, if they are just shopping on price, they don't care about where it came from.
We have problems with these folks saying it is grown by them, as a cousin/brother/uncle has a farm/works on a farm in Texas. They call it their own, even when it is shipped in.

My hometown market, a town of 4,500, we are a producer only market. We started this 2 years ago.  I am our market president and asst. market manager.  Everyone grows what they sell. I know each of our vendors and we are holding this line.  We will do farm visits, but we haven't had the need.

It is very interesting to see how markets are set up differently in each state.  In Kansas our markets aren't run by the state. Most are set up by individuals. Most get help from cities, offering a parking lot or sidewalk area to set up the markets. 

What do you get for your fees that you pay for your markets?  At my hometown market, we charge $5 a market up to $25 for the year.  In addition your first two markets are free.  This was a highly debated subject.  We made some compromises, but are generally happy with it.  We use the money to help out with advertising.

My other market it is $10 to be a member and $5 for each market. They pay for advertising.

Great discussion.

Jay

Jay's Jellies, Produce and More
Clay Center, Kansas
www.jaysjellies.com
http://highfarming.blogspot.com/

--- On Wed, 12/29/10, SaladG AT aol.com <SaladG AT aol.com> wrote:

From: SaladG AT aol.com <SaladG AT aol.com>
Subject: [Market-farming] Resellers at markets
To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
Date: Wednesday, December 29, 2010, 7:08 PM

Joe we are lucky here in Iowa because very few markets allow resellers to bring in out of season products but that said we are getting a lot of pressure to do more markets than we can get picked for.  Some of these market managers are just trying to fill spots at the markets so it will probably start to get worst here in the midwest.  Our main market they come to the farm and inspect about every other year and we have over 150 vendors so that in itself could be daunting to management to check out all these farms.  We used to have a couple of guy's that bought most of their products but after a few years, they finally figured it out that they were not making enough money to hang it all together, then next thing that happened to them was getting sold out by their bankers, so they are no longer around.
 
Our market management manages a Sunday market as well and they want as many of us as they can get for that market as well.  When you pick a couple days to put produce in the cooler to get  through your Saturday morning market, get home at 3:00 and then pick for a market the next day.  Not going to happen at our age.  It does work to refill the freezer and sell meat on Sunday.
 
Our policy has always been if we don't grow it, make it(handwover rugs), or raised it we will not sell it.
 
Phil from Iowa

-----Inline Attachment Follows-----

_______________________________________________
Market-farming mailing list
Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming

Market Farming List Archives may be found here:
http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/market-farming/
Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email
address and password):
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page