Market Farming

["Del Williams" <delannw AT dlogue.net>]

It sounds like you have a lot of the same issues we had to decide when our
new market was set up in Kankakee, IL three years ago.

The first thing I think any Farmer's Market group has to do is decide on a
sort of mission statement.  Why do you want to provide retail sales of
whatever?

The simple answer is to make money.  But if you can agree on a sort of
philosophy for the market e.g., to provide fresh, local produce, then you
have a guideline for deciding other issues.  Personally, I think that this
philosophy or mission is what ought to drive your advertising.  Are you
competing with the local grocery stores or are you providing something
distinct and worth coming to a farmers' market to buy?

Be clear about the meaning of local.  We have had endless arguments
about the various definitions of "local".  County, adjoining
county, state, adjoining state, country, hemisphere.  At this point, I
wouldn't be surprised if we had vendors selling produce from Chile.  It has
become that hard to control because we 'allowed' small rule violations that
have turned into a nightmare.  Last year there were Florida
and Arkansas tomatoes, apples from Washington and potatoes from Kentucky.
And god only knows what we didn't catch.

If you don't want peddlers you have to go with an "if you
didn't grow it, you can't sell it" rule.  But you have to have a market
manager who will visit farms with produce lists to verify that the farm is
actually growing those items and in the quantities that are appearing at the
market.  Rule violations have to have strict consequences so even little
cheaters know they are risking a lot to earn a little.

Very difficult and I understand the opposing arguments.  If nothing else,
make sure you have growers at your market.

Resale:  This is an issue that requires some clear thinking in the beginning
and enforcement no matter what you decide.  I did resale in limited
quantities and
only from farms within 5 miles of my farm.  Definitely local.  Those growers
are now members of the market and sell their own produce.  Nevertheless, we
have growers who go to southern Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin,
Missouri and, unfortunately, Chicago wholesale and bring produce from those
folks to our market.  For a short time last year I sold peaches from
Southern Illinois.  There were NO local growers who had peaches at the
market.  I got away with it.  And everyone knew I didn't grow them and that
they weren't local.   Go figure.

Vendors with Retail Stores:  We have 3 vendors who also own and run year
around produce stores.  I KNOW they are selling produce that isn't locally
grown.  They are the worst violators of the local rule and I think we made a
big mistake allowing retail establishments to sell at our market.  Others
disagree because they bring variety and a known local name to the market.
Hell, on that count, I think that we ought to invite Kmart's produce
department to sell at our market.  We couldn't control our own small
retailers any more than we could control them.

Percentage Rules:  These are absolutely unenforceable.  This opens a whole
Pandora's Box of problems. 25% of content, of what is
sitting on the tables, of what is sold that day or what.  I know we have
vendors who grow very little of what they sell.  So what are we doing if we
are trying to promote ourselves as a growers' market?

The Little Guys:  I am one of that classification.  I started out with a 1/4
acre and pretty much stopped there, for now.  I am a one woman operation and
Farmer
in the Del needed to learn to be profitable, come up with a distinct
marketing plan, etc... all on her own.  At least that is my view of it.  The
market doesn't owe me a damn thing if I can't be profitable as my own
enterprise.  I really don't think we ought to be helped to be helpless.  US
Farm policy ought to teach us some lessons there.  Learn to be successful or
get the hell out of the business.  Otherwise you are a hobbiest.  Who does
that help?

Value-Added Items & Resale:  I sold fresh and dried herbs.  A baker at our
market asked me if I would mind if she sold dried herbs from a local organic
source.  I absolutely had a problem with that.  She sells bread and grows
nothing.  I asked her if she would mind if I bought bread from a local baker
and sold it at the market.  Do you see the problems associated with allowing
percentages of value added items to your market tables?

On the other hand, I do buy popcorn and some herbs from local growers and
make and sell corn and herb wreaths.  I think some people would have
legitimate concerns about me doing this.  Nevertheless, I think that doing
this is still consistent with the philosophy of the market.  Local.  Really
and truly locally grown and produced.

And what about other items...market bags, bouquets, pies and other baked
goods made with ingredients that are not locally produced.  How can some of
the rules possibly be enforced?

I return to the market philosophy decisions (mission statement if you like
that better).  If you as a group can come to an agreement there, you might
be able to avoid some of the problems we have experienced with our market.
In the end though, you will need a market manager (paid) who is going to
enforce the rules and do some checking up.

Pricing:  We started out with a "ceiling rule".  No sales above market
price.  It was stupid.  We needed a "floor rule".  No selling at wholesale
prices maybe.  It's hard to tell vendors what their produce ought to sell
for.  Each vendor sort of has a right to market themselves to the public in
their own way.  Nevertheless, vendors who consistently sell at bargain
basement prices will become a liability to the market and not an asset.

I sold at market price and above and didn't care what anybody said.  I felt
that my herbs and produce (much of it harvested within 3 - 12 hours of the
market opening) was worth more (better) than current market price of shipped
grocery store produce.  And I sold my produce to a loyal group of customers.
Nevertheless, I pretty much used grocery store prices as my lowest selling
price...not my highest.  I marketed my stand as a specialty stand not a
general produce stand.  So the market allowed my prices.  Hey, it was my
funeral not their's.  That's what I was told anyway.

Finally, if there is anything that annoys me about our market manager, it is
that he makes capricious decisions without consulting our board of
directors.  I understand that his heart is in the right place but the rules
are the rules.  You can't let one vendor out of the rules and not expect the
rest of the vendors to be ticked off.  Especially if they are losing sales
or not given the opportunity to do the same.  All the vendors or perhaps a
board of directors made up of a subset of growers is the best way to deal
with variations from the agreed upon rules or to decide how to deal with
violations.

Del Williams
Farmer in the Del
Clifton IL