Almost one and a half billion dollars changed hands at farmers' markets across the United States during 2010. Yes, I was pretty surprised by that figure, too.
According to the Department of Agriculture, the number of farmers' markets increased last year by 16 percent, up from 5,247 to 6,132 markets. Over three million Americans regularly buy food from the 60,000+ farmers who sell at these markets each year. This isn't the result of some multi-million dollar corporate advertising campaign. The success of the farmers' market is driven by the desires of people who believe that food is best when it's fresh, grown locally, and bought directly from the farmer who grew or produced it. So, who are the unsung heroes who are making all this happen?
Well, I was fortunate enough to meet one of them at the State of the Plate conference back in November. There were some big names at this event: Robby Kenner (producer, director, and writer of Food, Inc.) was there, along with Dan Rosenthal (cofounder of Green Chicago Restaurant Co-op). And later in the evening I found myself sitting with Bob Martin of the Pew Commission. Since this was the first time we had met in person, we quickly became embroiled in discussions about our joint loathing of the misuse by Big Ag of antibiotics. But it wasn't long before our attention was focused on a humble yet captivating gentleman at our table who was talking about his work with farmers' markets.
His name was David Rand and, as he explained, he worked at the farmers' markets of Chicago. As we listened, it became apparent that this young man was effectively the entire inspection, delivery and support person for the many farmers' markets in Chicago! It's a huge undertaking which, like all unsung heroes, David significantly underplayed. He explained he was attending the event to raise awareness of the Farmers' Market Coalition, the organization he worked for. And I was blown away by what the Coalition is trying to achieve.
Many Animal Welfare Approved farmers use farmers' markets as their primary retail outlet. Without these markets I think it's fair to say that some family farming businesses would really struggle financially. Farmers' markets provide a unique setting where consumers don't just buy fresh, high quality, locally produced foods at great prices, but they talk to the people who produced it. There's no middleman, farmers can get a better financial return -- particularly important for smaller scale producers -- plus direct feedback on what they're producing. Farmers' markets breathe life into towns and cities, bringing new jobs and helping to keep money within the local economy.
As we spoke, David mentioned that the Coalition was doing "some pretty neat things." You'll understand how very modest David is if you take a quick trip to their web site. It will convince you of just how impressive -- and how important -- their work is. Founded in 2006, the Farmers' Market Coalition is a non-profit organization representing more than 2,000 farmers' market organizations and the 40,000 or so farmers they serve. The Coalition's objective is to strengthen the capacity of farmers markets' to serve farmers, consumers and local communities, helping to build networks through online support services, as well as work on the ground. The Coalition now offers affordable members-only insurance policies to farmers' market organizers, as well as product and general liability insurance for vendors.
But the Coalition's most important -- and urgent -- work is to establish clear definitions in the arena of farmers' markets. And not a moment too soon, for the term "farmers' market" is being abused by non-farm businesses for competitive advantage, undermining the integrity and trust built up by the farmers' market movement over many years.
Last summer, two major retail chains in the Northwest independently posted store banners, advertisements and shop displays of tomatoes, corn and other fresh items as "farmers' markets". Their actions fortunately drew sharp criticism in the media, but these examples are just the tip of the iceberg. In addition, I'm aware of two grocery retail chains that use the term "farmers' market" in their company names. There have also been recent allegations that a market vendor in California has been repackaging produce from Mexico for sale as local.
While I support the initiatives of some responsible retailers to establish truly local supply chains, the fruit and vegetable displays found in major retailers are a blatant and cynical attempt to mirror the farm stands found at the farmers' market. And as Food, Inc. revealed, the "agrarian America" images of traditional farmscapes found on many supermarket food labels couldn't be further from the truth. The aim of all this? To mislead us into thinking the food on sale wasn't actually produced at an unknown industrialized factory farm and that it wasn't shipped hundreds of miles before reaching the shelves.
Without clear definition and effective regulation, the farmers' market will become yet another victim of the cynical "big retailers" and those short sighted fools who are only out to make a quick buck. The Coalition is working to "define the term local... and implement rules/guidelines of operation that ensure that the farmers' market consists principally of farms selling directly to the public products that the farms have produced."
If you buy or sell at a farmers' market, and you believe in protecting the integrity of this vital grassroots food initiative, then get behind the Farmers' Market Coalition. As someone recently commented on a website forum, the integrity of the farmers' markets is fundamental: "If that becomes a joke, why not just go to the local big box store?
Read again I advocate self regulation.
I agree that Food Inc is mostly one-sided propaganda. And come on Andrew, you say know several farmers. If that were the case you'd never write a sentence like this one;
"Without these markets I think it's fair to say that some family farming businesses would really struggle financially."
This is the type of statement that really irks me about the whole foodie movement. Every farm struggles every year. These are people who put their entire livelihood on the line every spring and they have no idea if they will still have a business next fall. There is no job security in agriculture.
The amount of misinformation passed around sites like this about food and agriculture is astounding. It's easy to rail against the use of pesticides, or antibiotics when you've never had to see the effects of late blight or stripe rust or pneumonia.
I'll tell you from experience it's no damn party watching your animals die.
So please, buy your food from a farmer you trust and keep going to farmers markets but keep your regulations in your big cities. We don't need that kind of help.
You have literally no idea what you're talking about.
I am concerned about these places getting regulated out of existence, but I hope that public opinion would stop that from happening. And there's always the underground market.
www.breadsfromanna.com
For what it's worth for your readers, FMC does not use the apostrophe in its name, and David Rand is actually one of FMC's volunteer board members, which makes his leadership and energy even more impressive! His official position is with Green City Markets in Chicago.
We appreciate your recognition of small but growing our grassroots organization. Happy New Year!
It is good for people to buy this kind of produce not only because it benefits the community, it also benefits the consumers as well.
I think that farmers of all stripes should welcome consumer interest in where food comes from. Complaints of modern ag advocates too often sound like they are upset that consumers don't know the least bit about how farms actually work, but how dare they get interested in where their food comes from. The local food, farmers' market trend is a sign of a wonderful cultural awakening that should be celebrated all around. It's good for farmers and it's good for consumers. It may not be good for some overgrown multi-national corporations, and that's probably a good thing too.
www.yearofplenty.org
You guys just don't get it. You produce info purely for the consumption of impressionable urban folks who don't see the irony of urban folks lecturing farmers about agriculture. You just don't get it. You never will.
Yes..I watched Food Inc. Everybody should watch it. It was interesting, but pure propaganda since it was very one sided and obviously biased against modern agriculture.
Rural people agree with all the arguments presented here. There's no culture war on this subject, no matter how much your posts want there to be. He gets it. I get it. A guy from Mozambique could get it.
Urban America gets it Rural America gets it, wont be long before Government and industry funded farmers groups get it. In fact some already do! I know many many farmers who would rather farm independently and be able to decide where to buy seed or chicks, free choice isn't there any more.
How would you feel if you had to buy all your bread from one store at one price? How would you feel if you got caught buying a more suitable bread you got taken to court? Or is this your dream? Along with Monsanto and its somewhat disgruntled share holders.
Hazel are you saying the farmers I work with and visit regularly don't represent the Rural community surely not? AWA is a farming organization that puts the Animals the Farmer and the Rural Community at the center of its program. Not distant shareholders .......folks like The Farmer's Market Coalition bridge the gap between the field and the plate without sucking the goodness,the profit and the nutritional life from the product. Symbiosis not domination..... it works you know!
I don't get it. You think urban people are too stupid to understand agriculture? is that your point?