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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] was high value crops/now pricing.

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  • From: "Sue Wells" <farmersue AT hughes.net>
  • To: "'Market Farming'" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] was high value crops/now pricing.
  • Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2007 15:38:48 -0500



""I really don't think low pricing from small scale producers affects
farmers
at all. They sell all they have in a very short time leaving the rest of
the day for farmer to sell at a reasonable price. Actually, it helps draw
more people to the market that end up buying more from the farmers than the
others. People also tend to shy away from unusually low prices. Farmers
tend to have their clientele that trust them for quality and consistency.
Price is secondary. As far as price, many people equate higher price with
higher quality.""

I disagree with this, as this happened to me at a Market this year. I was
undercut very badly, and she never sold out. I lost customers and a lot of
sales. I was very upset, having been going to this market since start up and
being very loyal and good to my customers, then this Farmer shows up in
midseason and does this to me. My prices were reasonable and my vegetables
are high quality. This is a market that has many low income people in the
town, and I tried to have lower prices because of this. This was also a very
small market. I won't go there again next year.

At a much larger Market, another vegetable grower came in well after the
Market had started, and didn't have his prices for the customers to see, but
my husband would go and ask him what prices he was charging and they were
always lower, and this farmer would go around and see what everyone else was
charging and lower his. I don't know if I lost money because if this, as it
was a very large market and a high dollar market. This didn't bother me as
much as the other little market.
Now, the Clientele that trust the Farmers is true and also the higher prices
is true, but it also depends on the Markets. At the lower income Market,
people are going there and getting what they can afford, and many are not
concerned about quality, as I see it. Just watching who and what they buy
from another vendor, her vegetables are very old and poor quality. But, the
manager lets her get away with it, she does not grow her things, either.
It is a shame to the Market. But, people feel sorry for her, and buy her
things.

Sue Wells
Vermont






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