Robert Chorney, executive director of Farmers Market Ontario, got so fed up with the proliferation of peddlers reselling wholesale produce at most so-called “farmers markets” in the province that he 
started two new grower-only markets at the start of this summer. He had helplessly watched as peddling proliferated, particularly in the greater Toronto area. He was unable to act, even though he directs an association that claims 115 of the 135 farmers markets in Ontario as members, because FMO is a marketing, lobbying and grant administering organization with no authority to set or enforce rules at any of the local venues. The two new markets are the only ones that are directly managed by FMO, and apparently, they are the only markets in the greater Toronto area with strict rules against reselling.
In early September, I gave Chorney a call to find out how things have gone this summer. Considering that this is their first year, the markets have done well, he replied. There have been about 25 or 30 stalls at each market -- in the Liberty Village neighborhood every Sunday morning and in Woodbine every Friday afternoon. The markets, which will stay open through October, have gotten good local press and have drawn decent crowds. The concept has been so well received that four or five other communities have contacted Chorney about starting a grower-only market of their own next year. There likely will be several more next year, if he can recruit enough growers, Chorney said. Here’s what else he had to say, in response to my questions.
What sort of feedback have you gotten from customers?
“Our crowds have been incredibly supportive, and the fact that they verbalize it so much is wonderful. It’s really heartwarming to have any number of shoppers come up to us and say, ‘I’m so happy you’re here. God, this was long overdue. It’s so nice to be able to talk to farmers. I used to shop at such and such a market. I don’t go there anymore because the more this got talked about, the more I realized that half of those people aren’t even farmers’.”
Has the spread of peddling in markets in the area significantly hurt the real Ontario farmers?
“Oh, yes. Some of those markets with resellers have knocked the farmers right out. The farmers have said, ‘To hell with it. If the organizers want to have these people here, then let them have it.’ The real farmers have gone home. I’ve talked to farmers who have said, ‘This is my last year, I’ve had enough.’ Those hucksters and peddlers are evil. They really are. Produce is big business. They buy and sell the stuff. They pose as farmers. It’s really insidious in some of these markets.”
How have other farmers markets in Ontario responded to what you’re doing?
“This was our way of sending a very strong message not only to shoppers and to those huckster and peddlers and resellers, but to our members that there is a right way and a wrong way to run markets. There was a bit of a backlash from some of our members. They thought we were criticizing them. We said, no, if you have some of those resellers, why don’t you deal with it.”
What response have you gotten from the farmers?
“Our bar is set very high, as far as vendor participation. I hate to use this term but I think we’ve smoked out some farmers who grow but who also do a lot of supplementation. We know that the farmers left in our markets grow 100 percent of the things they bring.”
Are there enough farmers producing enough crops for more markets?
“That’s the big challenge. Over the winter, we’re looking at engaging someone on a part-time basis to do some recruiting at farm trade shows. It’s a learning exercise for farmers generally to see how high we set the bar and how serious we are about it.”
It must have also been a learning experience for shoppers. Do they understand that there may not be any local tomatoes even on a summery day in June?
“It’s beautiful when a shopper would come to us and say, ‘Why don’t you have any sweet corn, it's late June.' We would say, 'Madam, the first crop of corn in Ontaria is coming out of the fields on July 7, 8, or 10th, in that range, not a day before.' She would say, 'Well, I bought sweet corn at a farmers market the other day.' We would say, 'Yes ma'm, but do you know where that sweet corn came from?' 'Well, I assume Ontario.' 'No, that corn's from Georgia.' We know because we've been tracking it. As we have those opportunities to make those points, it's really gratifying because when people are getting the proper information, they’ve been very supportive.”
Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!! I have stopped shopping at the Oshawa Centre's Farmer's Market because many of the so called farmers are reselling product from the Ontario Terminal. I know because I worked for a vendor one summer and saw it all coming in on the trucks. I will definately visit your markets next year.
Posted by: Janet | January 02, 2008 at 05:29 PM