The following is from the Farmers Market Coalition a national organization of which FMMN is a member:
The farmers market season has begun for many of us, and we’re collectively abuzz with energy, excitement, and the confidence that the work of farmers markets is meaningful and worthwhile. National initiatives like Know your Farmer, Know your Food and Let’s Move! are legitimizing the daily work you do to support farm viability and help improve access to healthy foods in your communities.
Meanwhile, at the end of April, Senators McCain, Chambliss, and Roberts, sent a stern letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, expressing their disappointment in the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Initiative. They said, in addition to “subsidizing the so-called locavore niche market,” that KYF2
- ” doesn’t appear geared toward conventional farmers who produce the vast majority of our nation’s food supply, but is instead aimed at small, hobbyist and organic producers whose customers generally consist of affluent patrons at urban farmers markets.”
- “appears to be prioritizing Rural Development grant and loan programs for locavore projects in urban areas, apparently at the expense of rural communities with documented rural development needs.”
They closed by saying “American families and rural farmers are hurting in today’s economy, and it’s unclear to us how propping up the urban locavore markets addresses their needs. Given our nation’s crippling budgetary crisis, we also believe the federal government cannot afford to spend precious Rural Development funds on feel-good measures which are completely detached from the realities of production agriculture.”
If you’re looking for a good reason to roll your eyes, we encourage you to read the full letter here. But don’t stop there! We need your help.
FMC is presently working to update our talking points, Frequently Asked Questions, and Press Release Template to help you communicate why farmers markets matter. FMC will target National Farmers Market Week (August 1st-7th) for this initiative. This is your opportunity to help respond not only to McCain, Chambliss, and Roberts but to those in communities like yours who might express skepticism that farmers markets are supporting rural farms and helping feed families.
We know that small-scale farms represent the vast majority farms in the United States, and that yes, they ARE hurting. But not just in ‘today’s economy.” They hurt because of misguided government support of economically, physically, and environmentally unsustainable farming practices that serve only about 5% of all farmers and produce cheap and unhealthy foods.
Here’s what you can do: Choose at least one of the following, and tell us, specifically, how your farmers markets are:
1) Making fresh nutritious food available to more people. Send your statistics on nutrition program participation, donations of fresh produce to social service agencies, and any other data on how your market is not just for “affluent patrons,” as McCain and his friends allege.
2) Supporting small family farms and preserving America’s rural landscapes. Send your statistics on the number of farmers at your market that are farming full-time, how many acres they have in production, and (if you know) whether any of them are getting federal government subsidies.
3) Strengthening communities and stimulating local economies. Send us your average per farmer sales, business that you know have been incubated at your market, how sales at neighboring businesses are impacted, and how your markets may have sparked unprecedented partnerships between agencies, organizations, and businesses.
You can send your responses to submit@farmersmarketcoalition.org. Please respond by May 21st.
Also, please send an email to KnowYourFarmer@usda.gov, telling Secretary Vilsack, Deputy Secretary Merrigan, and their hard-working staff that you support the efforts of Know your Farmer, Know your Food and hope it can expand to help strengthen more farmers markets and the producers they serve.
And please put National Farmers Market Week on your calendar as August1st-7th.
Thanks again for your support. Together, we are building a nationwide network of farmers markets dedicated to triple bottom line benefits for farmers, consumers, and communities!
Sincerely,
The FMC Board of Directors
The Ohio Farmers' Market Handbook: