The San Francisco Bay area has more thriving farmers markets – and successful market farmers – than just about any other region anywhere. But the proliferation of markets and market farmers has not necessarily made life any easier on the farmers who sell at the markets, as the San Francisco Chronicle recently reported. One farm featured in the story, Terra Firma Farm, a mainstay in the Berkeley farmers market for 15 years, is one of a number of prominent area farms that have recently retreated from farmers markets. The Chronicle explained:
“In late July, at summer's peak, Terra Firma posted a ‘dear friends and valued customers’ letter announcing that it was done for the season. From now on, the Winters-area farm will make the trek to the Berkeley market just a few months in late spring and early summer.
“ ‘Sales have gone down as the number of produce sellers has increased and the diversity of items on everyone’s tables has increased. This is great for shoppers but makes life rough for us,’ the letter explained.
“The farmers' market, says Paul Underhill, one of the three farmers who co-own Terra Firma, ‘is by far the hardest way for us to make a dollar…. The basic model, in my opinion, is a broken model’.”
The story named other farms that have recently pulled out of the Berkeley and Ferry Plaza markets, two of the Bay Area's flagship farmers markets. The good news is that Terra Firma and other entrepreneurial small farms are now well enough established, thanks in part to their farmers market customers over the years, that they have other outlets for their produce.
Other farmers quoted in the story weren’t as burned out on farmers markets. They explained how they have adapted to the competition by innovating, constantly looking for new crops to grow and new ways to add value to them. But they all agreed it’s very hard work. On market days, many California market farmer will get up well before dawn to start packing their trucks, drive several hours to the city to sell produce for half a day, then pack up and drive back to the farm, arriving not much before dark.
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