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Subject: Market Farming
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- From: "Del Williams" <delannw AT dlogue.net>
- To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
- Subject: Wholesaler Rules at Farmers' Markets
- Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 08:26:12 -0600
When we put our rules together three years ago we had a couple of dilemmas
with the original group of farmers. One farmer also co-owned another farm
in Kentucky. Since they were the farm owners they argued that their
Kentucky produce should be allowed at the Illinois market. Furthermore,
they also did a lot of wholesale in Chicago and wanted to do it at the
farmers' market in Kankakee.
Here's how we dealt with it.
Unfortunately, we broadened the definition of local to include any state
that borders Illinois and made an exception for one Michigan vendor. OK,
not to my liking but this has worked out OK in general. Everyone who sells
is selling from their farm or a farm in a two county area (with the
exception of the Michigan fruit vendor). We may wish one day that we hadn't
allowed an out of state vendor but she brings unique fruit offerings to the
market and has very little competition from local farms. They only
exceptions I can think of are raspberries (which I resell for a local berry
farm) and just last year we found a local apple grower and voted him into
the market.
We set fees differently for wholesalers. I believe we set a fee that was 5
times more than a single space fee.
We required wholesalers to park in a different area. Wholesaler parking
spaces were set behind the regular market selling area.
We required a minimum count sale for wholesalers. For example, wholesaled
watermelons could not be sold one at a time. They had to be sold in lots of
25 or more as I recall.
The wholesalers decided to go elsewhere. Fine with me.
Del Williams
Farmer in the Del
Clifton IL
- Wholesaler Rules at Farmers' Markets, Del Williams, 02/10/2001
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