Bad Data

I have used technology extensively over the years while direct marketing through farmers markets so I'm on just about everybody's mailing list. On assorted social media channels and in emails I have been bombarded with requests to vote for America's Favorite Farmers Market.  Instead of ignoring the pleas to vote and to give my favorite market a crack at a cash prize I figured why not? So I clicked on the link and the dialogue box asked me where my favorite farmers market was. I inserted one word: Bethesda.

Imagine my shock when the first market listed was one that had been out of business for YEARS.  A few of the farms listed as attending the market have also long been shuttered.  

Really?

At every turn on this popular non-profit’s website there were solicitations for donations. My favorite thing to do is look at the Careers section and find out how much they’re paying their employees.  A heck of a lot more than any farmers I know make.  A few more minutes digging around on the Internet revealed their big prize for the winning markets was 0.01% of their total donations and grants which was in excess of ten million dollars. Maybe they should hire a fact-checker.

At one point, everyone I knew had their pithy, popular slogan plastered to their bumper, me included. Heck, I even ponied up some cash at one point for a whole handful of those stickers to hand out to customers because I believed in the message. That’s probably why I can’t escape their mailing list. 

Here's the thing, if you really want to vote for your favorite farmers market, vote with your wallet at the market. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for non-profits that have consistent success at meeting the goals of their mission. But there’s a lot of people out there who talk about wanting to help farmers yet leave the farmers themselves scratching their heads about how they’re actually being helped. 

Farmers can use plenty of help right now, too. We’re getting squeezed from the consolidation of our food system, rising production costs, climate change, oversight and regulations designed for industrial agriculture, and like everyone else, labor shortages. We don’t need more representation at conferences and cocktail parties or another hat or tee shirt.

Increasingly I’m seeing more people turn to farmers markets for their food. They know we were here for them during the pandemic and during supply chain snarls that left grocery store shelves bare. Our markets’ customers understand that a good relationship with their farmers is their best shot at food security in the wake of severe drought, flooding, and blockades that are now currently impacting national and international food supplies. A bumper sticker isn’t going to preserve farmland, but shopping at the farmers market will. 

However, if you’re so inclined to vote for your favorite farmers market, make sure you vote for one that’s still in business.