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  • From: Road's End Farm <organic87 AT frontiernet.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] interesting article in local magazine: market rules
  • Date: Sat, 5 Jun 2010 18:19:24 -0400


On Jun 5, 2010, at 2:35 PM, Barking Cat Farm wrote:

We don't participate in the local farmer's markets for several reasons. One, we have enough markets and a good customer base so that we are sold out by Saturday; and two, most of these markets have no rules about participants having to grow or produce at least a certain percentage of what they sell. (Tomatoes in TX in December, not from a greenhouse, I don't think so!) There is one, but they have proven to not enforce the rules they set forth. And the resellers at these markets aren't going to 'fess up they didn't grow what they are selling, nor that they have no ties or do not even know where the stuff came from.

I agree that good clear market rules that are actually enforced are essential to a well run market; and I've tried a market that didn't have local-only rules, and gave up on it pretty fast (the management had other problems, but that was a significant part of the difficulty).

If the produce can come from anywhere, and can be of any quality, the market can't advertise to and draw customers from the buy-local movement (and there really does seem to be a significant buy-local movement, though I'm sure there's a lot more of it some places than others); and the market can't advertise to and draw customers from the base of people who really want high quality food. No farmers' market can match the convenience and product range of even a smallish supermarket. The only thing left to draw customers in is price: and a race to the bottom for price is a really good way for small farmers/ producers (and a lot of medium and large ones too) to go out of business.

Luckily, many of the markets in this area do have decent rules and follow them. (In the case of one of the most recent start ups, I got to help *write* the rules!)




-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale







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