Why Don’t You Just….

Trying to take a week off from market resulted in one of the most asked leading questions I and other vendors often hear from customers—Why don’t you just….?

Every vendor has their own style of business that fits their own needs. I needed a weekend off. This is the first market I’ve electively taken for myself this year, the first being an ice storm the first week of February, not exactly a relaxing and fun time.

As I politely explained to everyone that the following week I’d be missing from the weekly line-up more than a few asked the question that raises the hackles on vendors at the market as soon as we hear those four little words. I often wondered how customers would feel if I offered unsolicited advice on their business challenges and decisions; probably equally annoyed.

This week’s Dishing the Dirt answers your questions of Why don’t you just….

…hire more help?

Throughout my life I’ve had to manage many different types of employees. The only workers worse than those in the oil field are farm workers, especially unpaid interns. You know, the ones that were once the little darlings of sustainable agriculture? As the old adages goes, you get what you pay for.

At one time I had two full-time employees and was going to six markets a week. I paid people to do what I wanted to do while I managed them. Had I continued down that road I would not be farming today.

And have you tried to hire anyone lately? In last week’s eBlast FIVE different market vendors are advertising for help. Lucas is back at the Spiral Path Farm stand because he can’t find reliable help. Bending Bridge dropped out altogether this year because he couldn’t find reliable help. And this brings us to the next question.

…have more organic farmers?

More customers are demanding Certified Organic products, yet many still balk at the price, at the limited selection, and at the seasonality. Producing Certified Organic fruits and vegetables is not easy or cheap. Certifications cost money both in payment to the certification body who not only has a fixed cost associated with certification but must also remit a portion of their sales to the certification body, as well. Meat producers have it even harder. Not only must they adhere to the stringent requirements themselves they must also use a USDA processor who is Certified Organic, essentially paying for the same oversight twice.

For smaller producers, there is not enough product over which to spread out the costs of certification or personnel to perform the extensive record-keeping.

As a patron, if you come across a Certified Organic producer you want at the market, send them our way.

…stay open all winter or have more fruit and vegetable farms during winter?

First, we have TWO year-round markets—Bethesda and NOVA. We are in the Northeast where there’s this thing called W I N T E R. You know, when things freeze. Seriously, you’ve got to hand it to the year-round farmers utilizing greenhouse and high tunnel technologies to keep us in fresh veggies during the winter months. Similarly, fruit producers invest in Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage that can hold fresh fruit for months instead of weeks.

But field growers won’t have anything from late fall or early winter to spring. That’s why they don’t come to the market in the winter.

…grow X,Y or Z or grow more?

This is the one that really gets my goat. Oh yes, why don’t I grow more goats? Well, maybe because the farm can’t support more goats. Remember, the whole idea behind farmers markets in the first place was to buy from local farmers who where practicing sustainable agriculture.

I took a lot of flack from people wanting fresh chickens this year which I did not grow. Why? Last year I lost my processor and the new one did not give back my own birds. This year feed costs went through the roof. Every year at Thanksgiving customers want to know why I don’t just grow fresh turkeys. Been there. Done that. Did you ever have a job you didn’t like? Yeah, that’s how I feel about raising turkeys in excess of what I can count on one hand.

I’m not alone. Talk to any farmer and there’s bound to be at least one thing they absolutely refuse to grow. Or at least one thing they complain about. A few years ago I complimented Mark Toigo on the gorgeous eggplants he was growing only to be met with a tirade of expletives about how they draw every pest in a two-mile radius.

If we don’t have it we’re probably not growing it for a reason.

…have more dairy?

This is a good one. Non-farming folks have absolutely no idea how difficult it is to have a dairy with lots of animals that need to be milked twice a day, every day. Add to that bottling and/or cheesemaking. Add to that going to market(s). You see how all that work is piling up? [Refer back to the first question regarding labor.] Even Rock Hill Orchard who uses robotic milking machines to alleviate some of the manual labor has had to cut back on their farmers market attendance due to a shortage of labor.

The most successful dairy operations I’ve seen are where multiple generations or siblings take on a facet of the business—one milks the cows, one makes the cheeses or bottles, one does sales. Farmers who try to do it all eventually burn out. I’ve witnessed this several times over.

…let everyone into the market instead of making them wait in line? So this last one is fairly recent as the market has restricted entry into the market due to the pandemic and I’ve got to tell you what a peaceful joy it has been to be able to set up without early birds badgering us to sell something prior to 9 am while we’re still putting together our stands. You wouldn’t pull that stunt in a grocery store, would you?