This story from Grist is nearly a year old, but it's well worth noting. It contains an especially clueless defense of peddling in farmers markets. The defense dredges up one of the themes that was prominent in a Wisconsin farmer's paean to reselling: if the peddlers are making a buck, they must be on the right track.
That line of argument is especially disturbing coming from a market manager, Shannon Light, who runs the so-called "farmers market" in Little Rock, Arkansas. Light told Grist she sees nothing wrong with vendors at the market reselling produce from California, Mexico and beyond.
"Light admits she doesn't know how many of the 200 registered vendors are actually Arkansas farmers; she doesn't 'exactly divide them that way,' she says. And she doesn't seem to care much about the distinction. She says there is room for everyone in what she describes as 'the special event I am having ... like a little circus.' Indeed, the market under her management is more akin to a yuppie street fair featuring mimes and bongo players than a down-home event.
" 'Some people don't care about buying local, they just want fresh," Light says. '[The peddlers] wouldn't be bringing watermelons in May if it wasn't selling. It's profitable and something that people want. If you are dipping strawberries and you can get big and beautiful ones from California while buying your winter squash, you should go ahead and get them for your party on Tuesday'."
When a group of farmers launched a protest against rampant peddling at the Little Rock market in the summer of 2006, Light made one constructive change. She physically separated Arkansas growers from peddlers within the huge space that houses the market. But the real farmers still chafe at the sight of peddlers selling under a "farmers market" roof, confusing consumers about what's really local and what's really in season. Jody Hardin, a well-known Arkansas farmer and a fixture at the market, is one who is "tired of the unfair playing field."
"Is this a farmers' market or a global bazaar?" Hardin asks. "Peddlers are lying, saying they have gardens. That is irritating. They don't put any money into growing their product."
Thank you for posting this story! I recently joined the Board of a "Farmer's Market" in a tiny rural West Virginia community and was horrified to find out that it is a peddler's market, at times re-selling produce purchased from grocery stores! The Board seems very resistant to the idea of bringing in local produce, citing the need to meet customer requests for produce out-of-season, and yet applies for grants indicating that developing the market for local farmers/farms is a core concept of the Market. I've since wondered how many other markets were conducting themselves in a similar manner. Thank you for this insight.
Posted by: Laura Wellstead | April 11, 2012 at 07:34 AM