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  • From: "Beth Spaugh" <lists AT rhomestead.com>
  • To: "'Brigette Leach'" <avalonfarmshomegrown AT earthlink.net>, "'Market Farming'" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] farmers' market forms
  • Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:24:06 -0400

Brigette, part of the beauty of growers-only markets is that you eventually
do get other products, when growers or potential growers realize they won't
be undercut by folks pretending they grew wholesaled fruit. Philosophically,
I have no problem with bringing in a neighbor's products, properly labeled,
but, first, it seems eventually people abuse it as they find out how easy it
is to just buy stuff, and MORE IMPORTANTLY, the gaps in product encourage
other growers to come, or to grow additional crops/make additional products.
We have a VERY successful producers-only farmers market, started in 2003. We
are in a very large apple producing area, but, until this year, we have not
had an apple grower at the market. This year one will come. But, if we were
allowing purchased fruit in, they wouldn't. We do have a market gardener who
does strawberries and raspberries. If someone were buying in, he probably
wouldn't be growing them, or at least as many.

We actually are getting the large orchard because we started a small
producers-only market in a town closer to them (and us) last year. There
were 6 of us, and none went to other markets. I got vendors to come who have
not considered other markets because of the disguised reselling. They came
to that market (a huge surprise, the other markets had tried for years to
get them to go to market), but they came because it was producer-only. They
were pleased with their results at the small market, and we kept telling
them we sell at least 5 times more at the other market (true), so, finally,
we will have plums, cherries, gooseberries, apples, pears, etc. But we went
for years with customers asking for fruit and we kept explaining that we
were trying but had not been able to get anyone to come. They will do very
well this year. But, if we had allowed reselling, then the opportunity would
not be there for an actual producer.

Same applies to soap, preserves, etc.


Beth Spaugh
Rehoboth Homestead
Peru NY
http://rhomestead.com

"How we eat determines, to a considerable extent, how the world is used." -
Wendell Berry

"Without power over our food, any notion of democracy is empty." - Francis
Moore Lappe

-----Original Message-----
From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Brigette
Leach
Sent: Monday, April 14, 2008 6:54 AM
To: Market Farming
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] farmers' market forms

Breck,

If that were the case for our two small markets that we are trying to grow,
we wouldn't have any tree fruit or berries. In an area where there is all
kinds of fruit grown.

Brigette Leach
Avalon Farms Homegrown
Share of the Farm
www.avalonfarmshomegrown.net

-----Original Message-----
>From: breck <bcarden AT breckinridgegroup.com>
>Sent: Apr 11, 2008 10:17 AM
>To: 'Market Farming' <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
>Subject: Re: [Market-farming] farmers' market forms
>
>
>
>Alison,
>You always have a way of expressing yourself that says what I'm thinking.
>The couple of markets I have participated in have allowed vendors to
>supplement their tables with a certain percentage of produce purchased
>from other local farmers. This is a joke for those few liars. We work
>to hard to grow quality produce to allow the unscrupulous to go to the
>produce terminal and buy California veggies and pawn them off as
>locally grown. I wished that all farmers markets would make their credo
"You grow it, you can sell it".
>Breck
>
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
>[mailto:market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of
>Wiediger, Alison
>Sent: Friday, April 11, 2008 8:38 AM
>To: Market Farming
>Subject: Re: [Market-farming] farmers' market forms
>
>
> With this sentiment, I have to assume you have never been a grower
>trying to sell in season produce at a farmers market where many, if not
>most, of the vendors (can't call them farmers) were selling produce
>they bought at a nearby wholesale produce place, in another state, and
>calling it "homegrown". Then, behind the customers' backs, chortling
>over how stupid the customers were - after all, everything is grown at
>someone's home. Rules - oh yes, there were rule that "most" of the
>produce had to be grown by the seller. "Most" is impossible to
>monitor, the worst offenders (Liars!) ran (and still run) the market.
>Not about to take folks like that at their word. There will always be
>people who think they can break the rules, we had one at our market
>last year. He brought huge bell peppers the Saturday after he had been
>inspected and on inspection, he had just set pepper plants. If we had
>not inspected, we would have had to take him at his word - which would have
been a lie.
>
>Growers don't mind an inspection - except maybe for the time involved
>which we try to keep as minimal as we can. We all know that re-sellers
>will ruin our market, many of us have been there, we won't allow it to
>happen. Some customers don't understand, some don't care, but many
>(and more all the time) do understand and care. We are "vetting" the
>grower so they can have confidence they are "buying local".
>
>If it is a farmers market, it should be producer only. If it is
>producer only, inspections keep the "producers" honest. Your pledge
>only works if all humans are honest - and they aren't.
>
>Alison Wiediger, Au Naturel Farm
>
>
>If I cant be taken at my word and sell my product, they can kiss my
>fat, old, pimply, pink yankee arse. Years ago I stood many times and
>recited a pledge that, in part, said that "economic justice can best be
>won by free men through free enterprise". I cannot believe that the
>products of our modern public shool systems have turned their backs on
>such a noble sentiment.
>
>Bye Bye
>\
>MAsteveINE
>
>
>
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>
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>


Brigette

Brigette L Leach
Avalon Farms
14302 East OP Ave
Climax MI 49034

Office: 269-746-4648
Fax: 269-746-4393
Cell: 269-720-2279
Email: avalonfarmshomegrown AT earthlink.net
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