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market-farming - Re: Who's markets Doesn't allow reselling? I Need to Know ASAP

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  • From: "Del Williams" <delannw AT dlogue.net>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Who's markets Doesn't allow reselling? I Need to Know ASAP
  • Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2001 13:13:22 -0500


Lucy,

We had a big discussion about this at our recent market meetings.

As you know, I have done limited sale for local farms ( know all the
growers, where they live, how they grow, etc.).
They set the prices and receive all the collections from those sales. I do
sell others produce as a way of helping out other local growers and, let's
face it, the variety gets people to my stand. I doubt I'll be doing that
this year. Too much work picking up other people's produce and at the end
of the day, I have to separate their receipts from mine and then return any
produce that won't hold til the next market. Pain in the neck.

All I can think about at the end of the Saturday market is that cold beer
waiting in the fridge after the truck is unloaded.

However, I argued for a sell-only-what-you-grow rule because I would like to
see us increase the size of the market by including more local growers and,
therefore, support local farming. For example, we have a local grower who
won't be allowed to sell at the market because we aren't letting in any new
vendors this year. Why should a grower not 10 miles from the market not be
allowed to sell when there are people bringing in produce from Indiana and
Michigan? He could provide that variety and quantity if he were included.

Our rules now state that you must be a grower to be a vendor at our market.
However, limited (meaning what?) resale is still allowable. There isn't
going to be any checking unless there is a complaint. Vendors who do resale
must label each and every veggie or whatever that they do not grow
themselves with signs indicating where it was grown and by whom. (I have
always done this anyway). Each vendor is also required to post a sign with
the name and location of their farm Our market association uses part of the
market fee to produce a sign for each vendor - although you are able to use
your own signage if it conforms to the requirements.

We have a new board that will be working with these issues.
What is difficult to distinguish are those farms that have several markets
and their vendors are just hired to do selling. So the seller didn't do the
growing. Follow me? However, I think I recounted the problem of the
Vidalia onion seller who claimed they were locally grown. Right. That kind
of nonsense makes us all look bad.

I also note that we have a liberal "local" rule (not to my liking). We can
sell out of state produce as long as it comes from a contiguous state (but
we do allow Michigan - close enough). However, vendors selling at the
Bradley, Illinois weekday market can only sell what they grow. Otherwise,
the town of Bradley requires a $500 license for selling any produce you do
not grow yourself. How about that? Maybe you ought to get your locality
involved in additional licensing for those who sell but don't grow their
own. Shall I get you the names of the village board members in Bradley?

The biggest argument against allowing resale really has to do with promoting
and supporting local farms.

However, another very good argument is that resale puts the market in direct
competition with grocery stores. I would think that farmers markets would
want to distinguish themselves as a specialty retail outlet for locally
grown and fresh --- and you know that rest of that argument.

One final argument is that, depending on your state, the seller must collect
applicable sales tax for resold produce. We got that right from the
Illinois Revenue Service. If you're doing resale you are competing with and
must be treated as a normal retailer. Therefore, you must pay the
appropriate sales taxes to the state and localities (who all get a cut).
If you grow what you sell, however, you do not have to collect sales tax.

Hope this helps.
Del Williams
Farmer in the Del
Clifton IL







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