Market Farming

["Rick Hopkins" <rdhopkins AT americanpasturage.com>]

If it is any help, Missouri farmers' markets are regulated by the county
health departments.  The state publishes regulations and each county uses
them as guidelines for their practices.  Some counties will allow sampling
at farmers' markets, some do not.  They do not limit what is sold with
exception of live animals as long as their requirements are met.  Our meat
must be kept at zero degrees or colder and under mechanical refrigeration at
all times.  We cannot use dry ice or just put it in a cooler for sale at the
market.

Prepared foods must come from a health department inspected kitchen.  Meats
must be USDA inspected.  Egg license is required for farm eggs.

Rick

-----Original Message-----
From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org]On Behalf Of Lucy
Goodman
Sent: Friday, August 01, 2003 10:28 AM
To: Market Farming
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Regulations


Pat Call the Ohio dept. of Agriculture (their web site might have the
information on it but I have found the site hard to navigate and lots of
pages are missing) and ask.

There are no national rules for farmer's markets unless you happen to
sell at a USDA market. Most in Ohio are not USDA market but locally run
markets. generally to sell baked goods they have to come from a licensed
facility. There are few restrictions of produce but value added stuff
(bagged things specifically cannot take up more than a 10'x10'x2' area
or else they have to come out of a licensed facility. But there are many
many exceptions to the Ohio farmer's market rules as they are very badly
written. I believe you will want to talk to the marketing people at ODA.
I remember my husband went to a workshop on produce rules in Ohio a
couple of years ago and he said there were at least 4 contradictions to
every rule so that basically they were unenforceable.



Lucy Goodman
Boulder Belt Organics
New Paris, OH
Check out the Boulder Belt website:
http://www.angelfire.com/oh2/boulderbeltcsa
"There is no way to peace---peace is the way."
A.J. Muste

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