Market Farming

[Petersons <petersns AT mail.whidbey.com>]

> Are there any organizations/associations for farmer's markets??
>
> Liz Pike

Check out the Washington State Farmer's Market Association at: 
http://www.wafarmersmarkets.com/home.html

Both of the markets I sell at belong to the association. Membership 
makes market insurance available, and in the past individual vendor 
liability insurance was also available from the Association.  I 
appreciate the ground rules for a farmer's market - some markets 
refine the rules even more.  I've found the discussions of 
brokers/resellers on this list valuable, as both markets struggle 
with the question:  Do brokers make a market more interesting to 
customers by providing produce marginally available in the local area 
or do they constitute unfair competition to the local grower?  So far 
the WSFMA rules have worked fairly well as guidelines.  I also 
appreciate the WSFMA requirements on the ratio of farmers to other 
types of vendors.  They help market managements keep in mind that a 
farmer's market should have farmers not predominately baked goods and 
crafts.

Molly
Molly's Island Garden
Langley, WA