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  • From: michaele blakely <mjb AT premier1.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] foreign invasion
  • Date: Sun, 25 May 2003 21:26:49 -0700

Here in the Northwest, Asian farmers began selling flowers at or markets about ten years ago. In the beginning there was a lot of misunderstanding (due to the language problems) about what was okay to do at farmers market. This was also muddied by the fact that there are some markets that do allow wholesale vendors in. With language problems, you can see how the finer details can get lost.

I was a market manager at the time our markets began seeing Asian growers and also a flower grower and felt threatened by the influx of growers that showed up in mass. However after investigating and doing some education I found that once everyone understood the rules very few wanted to ignore them.
These Asian growers are a valued part of our community now, and also grow vegetables. They've also learned how to raise their prices. And as the next generation enters into the farming/market venue the savvy grows.

They cooperate within families in order to survive in our economy. What might look like to you as a formula ie the buckets, the vans the butcher paper etc is a safety net to those who are following in the footsteps of successfull farmers that have made it work in other markets in other parts of the country. They are trying to survive in an economy that is difficult to understand. But they are quick learners!!! And good farmers, and good people.

These Hmong farmers are the reason I grow vegetables, fruits and meat now instead of flowers. I couldn't compete with the splashy, inexpensive bouquets they provided for consumers, so I adapted. That is what capitalism is all about.

Michaele
Growing Things



Liz Pike wrote:

I spent several hours at a large farmer's market interviewing and taking
pictures yesterday. (Getting up at 4 am on Saturdays makes me miss selling
at farmer's markets, can't wait to get back.) After perusing 5 markets over
the past 3 Saturday's I've noticed a trend--at least here. Asians/Orientals
selling large bouquets of flowers very cheap. More cheap than any grower
can compete with--these bouquets would run about $30 if local farmer-grown
judging by the number of stems at a low $1/per stem avg.

Supposedly these "grower only" markets, yet these flower-selling set-ups are
all the same...a van, 3 people, white buckets of flowers, card table, wicker
laundry baskets used to hold pre-made bouquets wrapped in white butcher
paper with a $5 or $8 price written in black marker. They all have a
single long-stem rose in the center of the bouquet (they must have the most
fantastic greenhouses to raise those out of season!) . Some of the larger
markets had 2-3 of these set-ups per building. I don't have a problem with
anyone selling anything that's allowed at a market, but to not be a grower,
and undercut real growers just angered me. I tried to talk with a couple of
sellers, but alas they didn't understand English--or refused to let on that
they did.

Have other sellers come across this?? It's been about 3 years since the
last time I did a major convalescing of farmer's markets, and these set-ups
were not there.

Liz Pike
Laughingbrook Farm
Westfield NC
http://www.marketfarming.com
http://www.laughingbrookfarm.com



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