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  • From: "Wiediger, Alison" <awiediger AT HART.k12.ky.us>
  • To: 'market farming' <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Peddlers at Markets
  • Date: Wed, 7 Feb 2001 08:38:50 -0600


Peddlers have all but ruined our Farmers' Market. The local extension folks
tend to encourage peddling "so there is more variety for the customer to
choose from" At the same time, the market bars anyone who doesn't live in
the increasingly urban county from participating. In the ten years I have
been going to this market, the pinhookers have gotten more and more bold.
The rules say the seller has to grow "most" of the produce they sell. But,
there is no manager, no definition of "most" and the president, vice
president and treasurer are the biggest offenders. (And there have been no
meetings to elect officers in years). If it is to be producer only, it has
to be that way from the start and there has to be some accountability.
Humans cheat - some more than others, but we all do to some extent on some
things. If you allow ANY bought produce at the market, you will always have
a problem. In the last 5 years, the president of the association has gotten
really blatant. They set up about 40' of produce every Saturday. It looks
like a grocery store. They can in no way produce all this - especially
melons and ripe tomatoes when the market opens in May. If you bring in a
specialty item, they have boxes of it the next week. If they are asked "is
it homegrown?", they say yes (and will say to others "everything is grown at
someone's home"). They are dominating the market - Americans tend to want
to buy everything at one place (WalMart mentality) and they supply
everything. It keeps small and new farmers from coming back, and the
customer traffic has steadily diminished over the last five years.

FARMERS' MARKETS ARE FOR FARMERS, NOT PEDDLERS. IF YOU ALLOW ANY BOUGHT
PRODUCE IN, YOU WILL NEVER GET THE AMOUNT OF IT UNDER CONTROL !!!!!

Voice of experience. Out town is too small for two markets, and we are
seriously considering how we will market in the future as this market dies.

Alison Wiediger
Au Naturel Farm
Smiths Grove, KY
http://aunaturelfarm.homestead.com


Alison Wiediger, Technician
Hart County Schools
awiediger AT hart.k12.ky.us





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