Farmer's Market Vendors Lower on Produce, Seeing High Demand for Locally Grown Products
By: Kristin Anderson
Updated: August 5, 2012
"We're just hoping for rain soon so we can continue to come to the farmer's market," said Martha Hammons, a local seller at the Farmer's Market.
Though the crowd at the farmer's market is plentiful, the same can't be said for the amount of produce for sale.
"I don't have as much produce as what I have had earlier in the summer," Hammons explained. "I think a lot of it is just because of lack of moisture."
Despite the heat, growers have put in the extra effort to help their crops flourish. From irrigation systems to using more electricity to power a water well, they say the extra cost is okay because it's still so cheap to grow their own goods.
"The overhead tends to be fairly low," said David Bordovsky, a local seller from Merkel. "It's grown locally so we don't have shipping costs like some of the grocery stores might have, where they're bringing it in from maybe California or maybe even out of the country."
but the sellers are saying it's more so the heat than the lack of rain that's making it difficult for them to grow their produce.
"it'll keep different things from pollinating. The bees don't like to work in this kind of heat. And they're, of course, the number one method of getting pollination to our crops," Bordovsky said.
And the heat doesn't only keep the bees from helping crops, but prevents the produce itself from taking in the pollination.
"Some crops like tomatoes, they tend not to pollinate when the temperature is above about 92 degrees. So there's a number of factors in there that keep the crops from pollinating," explained Bordovsky.
As farmers grow less, the demand for locally grown produce has increased. Though less to sell, the high demand has made the extra time and effort worth it.
"There's been a kind of a campaign for growing local and buying local. And maybe that's having an effect that we're seeing that," said Bordovsky. "And, you know, maybe we're seeing price differential between us and the grocery store. I don't know. Stuff is fresher here."
Though the crowd at the farmer's market is plentiful, the same can't be said for the amount of produce for sale.
"I don't have as much produce as what I have had earlier in the summer," Hammons explained. "I think a lot of it is just because of lack of moisture."
Despite the heat, growers have put in the extra effort to help their crops flourish. From irrigation systems to using more electricity to power a water well, they say the extra cost is okay because it's still so cheap to grow their own goods.
"The overhead tends to be fairly low," said David Bordovsky, a local seller from Merkel. "It's grown locally so we don't have shipping costs like some of the grocery stores might have, where they're bringing it in from maybe California or maybe even out of the country."
but the sellers are saying it's more so the heat than the lack of rain that's making it difficult for them to grow their produce.
"it'll keep different things from pollinating. The bees don't like to work in this kind of heat. And they're, of course, the number one method of getting pollination to our crops," Bordovsky said.
And the heat doesn't only keep the bees from helping crops, but prevents the produce itself from taking in the pollination.
"Some crops like tomatoes, they tend not to pollinate when the temperature is above about 92 degrees. So there's a number of factors in there that keep the crops from pollinating," explained Bordovsky.
As farmers grow less, the demand for locally grown produce has increased. Though less to sell, the high demand has made the extra time and effort worth it.
"There's been a kind of a campaign for growing local and buying local. And maybe that's having an effect that we're seeing that," said Bordovsky. "And, you know, maybe we're seeing price differential between us and the grocery store. I don't know. Stuff is fresher here."
