In "Dispatches From the Fields," Ariane Lotti and Stephanie Ogburn, who are working on small farms in Iowa and Colorado this season, share their thoughts on producing real food in the midst of America's agro-industrial landscape.
I don't know how many different farmers markets readers have the opportunity to attend within one area. As a consumer, it seems reasonable to pick one and stick with it. But as a farmer, it's a good idea to sell at multiple markets; it offers the opportunity to sell products at different times during the week as produce becomes available and also increases sales, since the farmer can reach that many more customers at each market.
Here in southwest Colorado, the farmer for whom I work attends no fewer than four markets per week. Two of them are fewer than 10 miles from the farm, and the other two are much further afield, requiring drives of 45 and 75 miles to reach. Interestingly, the market that is farthest away is also the most lucrative, and this got me thinking about farm location versus consumer location, a dynamic that makes the buy-local trend a little challenging.
Dragonfly Farm, the farm where I work, is located in Montezuma County, Colo. This is an economically depressed part of the state, where per capita income hovers around $17,000 and median income is right around $32,000. A well-paying job for someone with a bachelor's degree would net about $35,000.
But Montezuma County's surroundings vary wildly in terms of economic status. Just 75 miles up the road sits the hamlet and ski resort of Telluride, one of the few places in the United States where, as my friend Paul says, "you can buy a $3 million house at the end of a dirt road." And the town of Durango, an up-and-coming Colorado resort location with rapidly-escalating home and land prices, lies just 45 miles to the east.
For farmers trying to make a living by growing and selling food in the area, it's a constant challenge to balance selling to such widely disparate markets. Of course we want to sell locally and support our home markets. I work one of our local markets, in Cortez, Colo. I love working there because I see people I know, since I live there, and there's a down-to-earth clientele. But this local clientele doesn't necessarily fit the typical farmers market demographic of educated consumers. They still don't know much about "exotic" vegetables like kale and broccoli raab, and they complain when a fresh, homemade cinnamon roll (size large) costs $3. Teresa, my employer, recently recounted to me a story of what happened to her at our other local market.
At this market, a man came up to her and discovered she was charging $3 for bagged spinach, grown organically. This man informed her that he could buy spinach for cheaper than that at Wal-Mart. Obviously he can, and he didn't understand that produce at a farmers market has any number of advantages to produce purchased at Wal-Mart. At the local markets, this sort of price shock is not uncommon.
Often the local old-timers come to market expecting that buying at a farmers market means everything costs half of the grocery store price, which is an interesting comment on what farmers markets used to mean versus what they mean now. Of course, there are probably people like this at every market in the country. But it's the contrast between our local markets and those further away that I find so interesting.
See, on Fridays, when Teresa makes the 90-minute drive up to Telluride to work the market there, growers charge $6 per bag of spinach, and cups of cold lemonade fly off the tables at $4 a glass. The people she sells to there are mostly vacationers or second, third, or fourth home owners who spend a couple weeks from in Telluride from time to time. But they're willing to pay a high price for quality goods, and farmers can certainly appreciate customers like that. On the other hand, it's not as if, by selling at Telluride, we're really encouraging local people to eat healthy, fresh food close to home. I would venture to say that most of the farmers who sell in Telluride live at least as far away from there as we do, possibly farther. (The market limits itself to vendors up to 200 miles from Telluride; in contrast, the Boulder Farmers Market limits itself to farmers in Boulder County, Colo., with a few exceptions.)
It's a paradox that many small farms face; the markets most local to them are either unable or unwilling to support the prices farmers need to charge in order to remain viable. So, like Teresa, farmers travel longer distances to sell to the wealthy, who are willing to pay and keep the small farms in business. It makes me a little sad that farmers like my friend Mary, who grow great food and are committed to selling purely locally, struggle; those who are willing to sell extra-locally in places like Telluride and Durango are the ones who are really making it.
This phenomenon probably has a lot to do with land prices. There are more small farmers in Montezuma County than in other parts of southwest Colorado like nearby Durango, because land prices in Montezuma County are cheaper. But land prices are cheaper because the economy is poor, and so farmers grow amazing vegetables and other food on their (relatively) cheap land and then travel elsewhere to sell it.
Unfortunately, land prices in Montezuma County are also skyrocketing as retirees and second homeowners move in to what has been marketed as a relatively mild climate in a beautiful setting, "where the desert meets the mountains," as the tourism brochure claims.
This trend could end up changing the landscape over time, as young farmers won't be able to purchase agricultural land at affordable prices.
There's a lot of room for the situation to change, though, even in poor places like Montezuma County. The total estimated food expenditures in Montezuma County for 2003, according to a report compiled by the Sustainability Alliance of Southwest Colorado, was over $54 million [PDF]. The total expenditures for farmers market-type goods like eggs, dairy, and fresh fruits and vegetables ran to just over $13 million.
So yes, we're a poor county, but we still eat. The challenge for those who are committed to selling only locally seems to be figuring out a way to tap into that market and change purchasing habits so that more locals believe paying $3 for a bag of spinach is a solid investment in both their health and in local farm businesses. While it's the old-timers at market that do a lot of the complaining about prices, I see the real potential for change in reaching those younger, mid- to lower-income customers who don't even make it to the market right now. As the Cortez Farmers Market gains in popularity, I think this may be happening, but it's a slow shift.
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Comments
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Rural Populist Posted 11:59 am
14 Jul 2008
We have seen renewed food systems that we cheer come into existence in recent years, but we too often fail to acknowledge that the growing gap between the rich and the poor is precisely what has made this possible.
Who doesn't love a Niman Ranch hog farmer? But these farmers that we love to love produce meat for high-end markets on the coasts. Is it better than producing hogs in confinement for export or growing corn for unmitigated biofuels production? Certainly.
But a local food system that caters to and relies upon a growing wealth disparity leaves too many of the social ills that we set out to address untouched.
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Bart Anderson Posted 1:17 pm
14 Jul 2008
I think a common thread in the history of agriculture is that farmers depend on transport networks to reach customers. On the one hand, we have the highly organized global food system, with the problems that Gristmill readers know about.
On the other hand, we have the theoretically beautiful idea of buying locally. As you say, most farmers can't make it by selling just at the nearby farmers market. I think most of the vendors at our farmers market come from at least 75 miles away (we are in expensive Silicon Valley).
The other problem is that taking goods to farmers markets is a big investment in time and fuel. As some critics of local food point out, farmers driving trucks to markets is not an efficient way to transport goods.
I'll bet there will be the growth of an intermediate food transport/distribution system. Perhaps local wholesalers. There were solutions in the past and I'm sure we will re-discover them in time.
The other thing I'm thinking is that several trends are working in favor of small, local farmers.
The trend in favor of local and organic foods. The fashion will expand from the urban elite to rural and less affluent consumers, just as previous food trends have (for example, white bread and processed foods).
Continued increases in the price of fuel should make processed food and long-distance food chains less viable.
Continued increases in the price of fertilizers should favor organic producers who use compost.
Food will probably continue to rise in price, ensuring better prices for produce.
Suspicion of food from unknown sources is growing, as regulation and inspection break down.
Real estate prices should not continue upwards, as the r-e bubble continues to burst. Farmland should see a decrease in competition from housing -- high fuel costs mean that developments outside of easy commuting distance are dropping in value.
From what I can see, the future for small farmers looks brighter than it has for a while. But conditions are changing fast, and it may take some adroit maneuvering to deal with them.
Does this correspond to what you are seeing?
Bart
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caniscandida Posted 3:39 pm
14 Jul 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/magazine/13food-t-001.h ...
Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.
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Wolverine Posted 2:21 am
15 Jul 2008
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Stephanie Ogburn Posted 3:37 pm
16 Jul 2008
Bart: I'm not sure if I am seeing the same thing as you are in terms of real estate prices. The area where I live seems somewhat on track to become the next Phoenix. The land value hikes seems to be caused in large part by the relatively wealthy buying up land as retirement/second homes. That trend, at least locally, seems remarkably unaffected by this recent economic downturn.
And I don't see more people at farmers' market here because of the recent health scares, interestingly enough. We're just so rural -- often I think people here feel unaffected by what's going on in the world at large. I do think the situation will drastically change, though, as oil prices rise. I am just unsure how it will change. It will be interesting to watch. Gas hit $4.17 a gallon here at the cheapest station just yesterday.
My ideal while I'm here, though, is to help make healthy local food available to regular folks. At the moment, this pretty much entails getting it into schools in the form of breakfasts and lunches, (a project that's consuming a fair bit of my nonworking time right now) and making it more available at convenient markets, from grocery stores to farmers' market. Additionally, the farmer I work for is trying a number of strategies to get herself out there into markets where normal people shop, and this diversified approach may yield some good results. I'll probably have more posts on on that at a later date.
Stephanie
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treestump Posted 2:25 am
19 Jul 2008
thank you
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