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Subject: Market Farming
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- From: "Jeffery Blake" <echoecho AT bedford.heartland.net>
- To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
- Subject: Re: Peddlers at Markets
- Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2001 09:11:35 -0600
Thanks to Del. I do not sell hardly any of my produce myself. My main
buyer operates in a community without a farmers market. He keeps about 15
local farmers in business. He allows me to focus on growing. He WILL NOT
sell out of state produce. I think that is the most important consideration
in any type of community market. A peddlar that buys produce out of state
or from a commercial source and resells it is inexcusable.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Del Williams" <delannw AT dlogue.net>
To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Sent: Friday, February 09, 2001 7:43 AM
Subject: Re: Peddlers at Markets
> 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
>
>
> ---
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-
Re: Peddlers at Markets
, (continued)
- 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
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Gary & Sarah Rowland, 02/09/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, mckemie, 02/09/2001
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