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Farmers'
Markets are Growing in Popularity
Vendors
across North America are finding that more and more people are drawn to
farmers' markets as a source of fresh fruits and vegetables, craft
items and even companionship.
"There are farmers who are moving increasingly into direct marketing --
such as farmers' markets -- as they find there are higher returns in
direct marketing," says Claire Klotz. She is an economist with the
Agricultural Marketing Service of the USDA.
Klotz says there's evidence that the number of vendors and customers at
these markets is also increasing. That hasn't been documented, however.
"We are currently investigating this very question at the national
level," she says.
Klotz says there are many reasons for the popularity of farmers'
markets. "Many argue that the produce is fresher and better quality
than what is at the grocery stores. There is sometimes a better
offering of organic produce. People are increasingly interested in
helping the environment and the local economy. There are also more
people living in urban areas who are looking to reconnect with farmers
and agriculture."
Evelyn Fillmore is the coordinator of a farmers' market. She agrees. "I
don't think anyone else can offer foods as fresh as we can," she says.
"A farm market establishes a very personal relationship between
producer and consumer," says Fillmore.
"The customer usually has access to the very person who made the item
-- or a member of their family -- and can ask very specific questions
and get immediate answers."
Greg Coley manages a farmers' market in Elgin, Texas. "It's a way for
consumers to get a fresh product from someone they can talk to and
trust," he says.
Fillmore says it's also a social place for the community. People can
gather to talk, shop, eat and sit down together in a relaxed,
family-type atmosphere.
Over 65 percent of the vendors surveyed in an Alberta Department of
Agriculture survey said one of their main reasons for selling at a
farmers' market is that they enjoy direct contact with consumers.
William McKemie is a Texas farm operator. He says farmers' markets
allow a farmer to sell products at higher prices than they might
otherwise get. They also provide the opportunity to sell products that
cannot be sold in other ways. McKemie says it's a way to introduce and
promote unusual or rare products, as well.
In fact, the Alberta vendors' survey suggests that 20 percent use a
farmers' market to test and promote new products.
For farmers like McKemie, farmers' market sales average between 15 and
40 percent of total product sales. He says good years only provide him
with "a few dollars an hour."
Coley says people rarely get rich at farming, but you can make a living
with a lot of hard work. "There is a lot of job satisfaction in farming
that can't be added into your bank account,...seeing a display of your
produce ready to sell and having the satisfaction of knowing that you
did it," he says.
But you can't simply generate a product and set up a sales stand at a
farmers' market. Most vendors are members of a market association. The
vendors pay a fee to sell their wares. They must follow the rules of
their individual market.
"Our market association only allows growers to sell what they grow. We
do this by inspecting new farmers and re-inspecting if there is a
question raised about someone's produce," says Coley.
Fillmore says that her farmers' market, which recently celebrated its
50th year in the same location, has rules and regulations that govern
the market. "When an application is received, it is reviewed. If
accepted, then the applicant is issued a [yearly] vendor's permit," she
says.
Wayne Senior is president of a farmers' market. He says that his
farmers' market association also limits sales to homegrown produce and
crafts. "Our ratio of agricultural to crafts is maintained at 65-30
percent on a vendor basis. We encourage crafts to have an agricultural
component as much as possible. But we allow other local craftspeople
in."
Klotz says the USDA works to support farmers' markets and does not run
or regulate them. She says about 75 percent of U.S. farmers' markets
are "producer only," 45 percent allow crops from outside the local area
and 40 percent allow crops for resale.
"But development of these rules and their implementation is totally up
to the markets themselves," says Klotz. "This allows them to develop a
market that meets their needs. Certainly, no two farmers' markets are
alike."
Klotz does note that there are federal and state regulations that
govern specific products such as dairy and eggs. These regulations
generally pertain to food safety issues.
Klotz says being a farmers' market vendor takes more than adherence to
rules and food safety. "It takes a certain personality to sell at
farmers' markets. You also need to have the labor available. If the
transition to direct marketing was easy and extremely profitable,
everyone would be doing it."
USDA figures indicate just 31 percent of farmers who sell at farmers'
markets only sell at farmers' markets. "But we have no idea how
important this is to their family income," says Klotz.
While farmers' markets may only be a small percentage of income to
some, they are a way of life for others.
"Yes, for some people this is their bread and butter," says Fillmore.
"It is the only opportunity they have all week to sell their goods. I
would think that most vendors would say that being part of the market
is lucrative. We have many thousands of people through our doors each
Saturday morning."
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Net
Sites
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U.S. Department of
Agriculture
Offers facts about U.S. farmers' markets
http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/
California
Federation of Certified Farmers' Markets
Find California markets and other agricultural links
http://www.cafarmersmarkets.com/
North American
Farmers' Direct Marketing Association
Promotes the growth of farm direct marketing through member networking
and education
http://www.nafdma.com/
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