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  • From: "Del Williams" <delannw AT dlogue.net>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Peddlers at Markets
  • Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2001 12:32:10 -0600


Even at our market, the suspect produce all had to do with out of season
sales.

Really chapped my crevass.

This conversation on this issue has really been enlightening to me.
It strikes me that the underlying issue is the preservation and promotion of
local farms.

Our market's list of rules is three pages long. I could see how we could
get so legalistic about it that it would drive a market manager insane.

Let's face it, there are some pretty annoying petty grievances that can
occur with this type of an organization. I recall one vendor who objected
to those of us who participated in the WIC program last year. Argued that
we were 'inviting' the kind of people to our market that our "well-heeled"
customers wouldn't want to rub elbows with. I could've slugged him. They
are the only other pesticide-free (organic) vendors at the market. Oh well.
I thought we were of one mind. I could have kicked myself in the butt for
being so naive.

My goal is to get as many local growers involved in the market as possible.
My entire resale thing is about promoting local produce growers. Yeah, it
increases my bottom line with my 25% gross profit margin on their produce
but really I wish they could get included in the market. Not possible since
everyone has to be voted in.

Don't you think it is a curious setup that markets consist of entrepreneurs
who are and must be naturally adversarial in their sales intent and, yet,
cooperative over the good of the market and its image? We are like a mall,
a "produce" mall. Maybe farmers' marketers should look at the construction
and success of malls to flesh out the issues of competition with group
success.

As I understand retail, malls that are successful do have incredibly strict
rules about mall retailers behavior. Anyone else know about this?

And as I think of it and what has occured in the development of our market,
it has become somewhat necessary to be concerned about compliance with the
health department and state and local sales tax laws.

Maybe we, as a group, ought to try our hand at producing a template for
farmers' market organization and rules. I know there are websites that
offer some remedies but, we have a group of pretty involved marketer growers
who could contribute constructively to such an ongoing project. A thought
anyway.

Del Williams
Farmer in the Del
Clifton IL






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