market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Market Farming
List archive
- From: "Del Williams" <delannw AT dlogue.net>
- To: "market farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
- Subject: Re: Peddlers at Markets
- Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2001 07:43:54 -0600
Our market limits the number of vendors at 25. Each new vendor must be
voted in by the majority of existing vendors. In general, the market
manager really doesn't have anything to do with it besides put it up to a
vote. I can't say I have always agreed with this because there are some
vendors think that they shouldn't have to deal with any competition and
that's just nuts. So they never vote to let anyone new into the market.
We do have resale going on at the market. I do it and have done it since I
started. Our rules state that the produce counts as local if it is grown in
Illinois or an adjoining state (although we do have one Michigan vendor). A
pretty liberal rule in what I understand is one of the biggest produce
growing counties in Illinois.
I have sold organic asparagus grown 5 miles from my farm (they normally ship
through the Chicago markets), cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and green beans
grown 10 miles south of me and raspberries grown 3 miles to the east. I
grow about a quarter acre of herbs, lettuces, chard, chiles, tomatoes,
peppers, butterbeans, and a variety of other vegetables. But don't get me
wrong. This isn't a hobby. It is a "growing business".
By selling other growers' produce there are two positive outcomes:
(1) I am supporting local growers who, by the way, probably couldn't get
voted into the market. Some don't want to or haven't got the time to do
retail. They all live in my county so they are very local and they are my
neighbors. I pay them 75% of sale price. That's better than wholesale.
(2) I am supporting my own stand. With only a 25% gross profit margin on
resale produce, these sales are helping me stay viable until I can get more
land in production. The cost of a single space went from $20 - $100 in
three years. I'll probably do some resale this year as well.
When I sell for others, a sign is made for each farm, it's location, and the
name of the grower. That way, the customers know where it came from. I
make absolutely no apologies for doing resale but I do think the customers
ought to know where it was grown.
And by the way, I think that the term "homegrown" is meaningless. Customers
who ask this stupid question deserve the answer "everything is grown at
somebody's home" because it is. My business just happens to be at my home.
Usually customers who ask that question at my market want the produce dirt
cheap. I think that shows contempt for the grower and resaler alike.
Somebody grew it! I usually respond, "Are you asking if I grew it or if I
know the people who grew it or what?"
But that's me. I do know there are other vendors at our market who are
buying wholesale out of Chicago, Indiana or Michigan and bringing the
produce to our market. I take every opportunity to help our customers
understand this. For example....
I was selling next to a very nice young couple who had Vidalia onions at our
eastern Illinois market and told customers they were locally grown. These
onions were huge. Being an ass, I walked over and said, "You can't grow a
Vidalia this size in Illinois. You didn't grow these and you know it."
(right in front of the customers) They don't sell next to me anymore. They
don't speak to me either.
This occured about the same time the market manager allowed Florida grown
tomatoes into the market. I just went berzerk. The next week I handed out
leaflets at my stand about buying local. The MM chewed my butt off in front
of the whole vendor meeting (after the next market) and told me he knew the
rules better than I did. So, still being an ass (without a butt a this
point), I said that if I found one more vendor allowed to sell non-local
produce in violation of our rules I would be selling avocados, papayas and
grapefruit at the very next market. The MM didn't know whether to laugh or
see what else I had to chew off. He yelled at me some more.
Personally, I was kinda hurt that he yelled at me. But, I embarassed him
too I think. He shouldn't have made this decision without putting it to a
vote of the vendors. Every small to medium market ought to make decisions
democratically and larger markets should have boards that are elected every
year or two.
Having said all that, I don't know how you can verify the source of all the
produce brought to market. You CAN vouch for your own. I'll try to dig up
the content of the leaflet I gave out during the Vidalia onion and Florida
tomato fiasco last summer and send it along if anybody wants it.
Del Williams (who has more than regrown her butt over the winter)
Farmer in the Del
Clifton IL
-
Re: Peddlers at Markets
, (continued)
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, mckemie, 02/07/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Jill Taylor Bussiere, 02/07/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, mckemie, 02/07/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Chapman-Dale, 02/07/2001
- RE: Peddlers at Markets, Wiediger, Alison, 02/07/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Bill Shoemaker, 02/07/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Kevin Ancell, 02/07/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Jill Taylor Bussiere, 02/07/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, BBGREGSON, 02/07/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, wiediger, 02/07/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Del Williams, 02/09/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Bill Shoemaker, 02/09/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Jeffery Blake, 02/09/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, SCook21809, 02/09/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Del Williams, 02/09/2001
- RE: Peddlers at Markets, Wiediger, Alison, 02/09/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Jill Taylor Bussiere, 02/09/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Sudoa Farm, 02/09/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, mckemie, 02/09/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Gary & Sarah Rowland, 02/09/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Jeffery Blake, 02/09/2001
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