market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Market Farming
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- From: Boulder Belt Organics <goodows AT infinet.com>
- To: Market Farming <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
- Subject: Re: peddlers
- Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 08:10:56 -0500
Here is my story of peddlers at one of our markets.
This market is 27 years old and has written on the rules that no
reselling is allowed. The market manager (who is unpaid) started the
market almost 3 decades ago and over the years has become less involved.
We have been selling there as the lone organic farmers for 7 years and
have yet to have one vendors meeting. the manager when i ask him about
meetings says they are unimportant. When I ask him about vendors
breaking the sell what you grow rule he just says that it's the free
market ruling the FM and besides it adds a greater variety. he did
suspend one peddler for a week for selling bananas and oranges (which he
claimed were Indiana grown)
This coming season 3 of the older growers are not doing gardens but will
be reselling so they can still have a reason to come to the FM and hang
out and commune with their customers. this means out of 15 regular
vendors about 12 will be reselling.
Now don't think the customers don't notice this. Last year when everyone
had tomatoes in June the customers were disgusted with the "Kroger"
tomatoes everyone but us and an Amish family were selling (The Lapps and
us had real homegrown tomatoes from our greenhouses). We were able to
charge $3.50lb for real tomatoes (not certified organic) and made a big
point of telling everyone exactly who the resellers were. This helped
out our sales but did not help out the market as we lost a few long time
customers and many first timers looking for real food at the FM, not the
shit they can buy at Kroger's (for less even!).
At this market the manager is useless and there is no replacement at the
moment nor any funds to pay the manager we now have-I keep asking to up
the weekly fee from $3 a space to $10 or $20 a space per week but again
nothing is done. This market frustrates me but our farm makes good money
there as being the alternative to non organic, resold produce. We do
try to have a minimum of 30 items for sale each week to keep up with the
resellers and we sell varieties they cannot buy to resell, heirloom
varieties are key here.
The other market we do we are in control of-usually we are the lone
vendors there and get to Okay anyone else who wants to sell. Spaces are
free at this market and in 4 years we have yet to find any produce
sellers under the age of 65 and all the old vendors have retired so that
leaves us and an increasingly lucrative situation there.
Lucy Goodman-Owsley
Boulder Belt Organics
New Paris, OH
http://www.angelfire.com/oh2/boulderbeltcsa
>
>
-
peddlers,
Mike Tidman, 02/09/2001
- <Possible follow-up(s)>
- Re: peddlers, mckemie, 02/10/2001
- Re: peddlers, Boulder Belt Organics, 02/10/2001
- Re: peddlers, Del Williams, 02/10/2001
- Re: peddlers, mckemie, 02/10/2001
- Re: peddlers, Rex Harrill, 02/10/2001
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