The Rural Voice, 1990-08, Page 26FARMERS' MARKETS
TAKE ROOT
TRIED AND TRUE TIPS TO MAKE A MARKET SUCCESSFUL
by Darene Yavorsky
with photos by Daniel Holm
As everyone knows, farmers'
markets are places where you can buy
high-quality produce picked fresh that
morning from local fields and gardens.
But that's not the only advantage these
places have over supermarket chains.
Think about it. When you're off to the
grocery store, your objective is to
cross off every item on your shopping
list, wheeling your cart as quickly and
efficiently as possible from the store
entrance to the cashier.
But at the farmers' market, now
that's a whole other basket of toma-
toes. Making your selection and
handing over the cash is just a small
part of the experience; you'll also
chat with the vendors, have a snack
with friends, get a free taste of a
weekly special, maybe even hear
some live music or cast a ballot in a
pumpkin -weighing contest. Farmers'
markets offer a festive atmosphere
that you won't find in a grocery store,
no matter how lively the Muzak is.
The Northern Ontario Farmers' Mar-
kets Association has a slogan that
says it all: "Come For The Freshness,
Stay For The Fun."
Farmers' markets first began in
the absence of large-scale commercial
ventures, but a hundred years later,
they're far from outdated; if anything,
their popularity is on the upswing.
Across the country, people are getting
together to find out how to organize
their own farmers' market, or how to
give their established farmers' market
a boost.
Last March, the Ontario Ministry
of Agriculture and Food joined with
six farmers' markets and market
associations to host a series of
regional seminars titled "Growing In
The Nineties." At a program pre-
sented for the Rainy River District by
OMAF, the Rainy River Farmers'
Market and the Clover Valley
Farmers' Market in Fort Frances,
participants were given tips on adver-
tising and promotion, how to col-
laborate with business and municipal
leaders, what agricultural resources
are available, and well as practical
advice on producing fruit and
Marketing Specialist for the Northern
Ontario Market Development Branch
for OMAF, declared that the number
of farmers' markets in northern
Ontario have doubled in the past year.
There are lots of reasons for the
enthusiastic response to farmers'
markets, but the main reason, very
simply, is that people like them.
There are benefits on both sides:
folks like to buy there, and vendors
like to sell there. The farmers' mar-
ket is an outlet for local producers,
and it's of benefit to the community
"Labelling is very, very important," stresses Norma Pattison (r) who has
discovered a strong local demand for sugar free jams. Customer Wilma Deadle
checks out the selection.
vegetables best suited to the chal-
enging short growing season of north-
western Ontario.
They also learned that they are part
of a growing trend: Robert Chorney,
as well. What better place for tourists
to meet locals, stock their coolers for
a picnic lunch and pick up handmade
crafts for souvenirs?
Rainy River is a small north -
22 THE RURAL VOICE