Why I Love Farm Markets

Carrots and onions at a recent market.

Usually by August, I've got some small eggplant growing in my garden.

This year, nothing. Not yet. Oh, maybe the suggestion of one puny eggplant.

It's been a challenging year for produce growers. Farm stands, which pop up at about five locations in Marinette and Menominee, appeared about ten days later than usual.

There's such a thing as too much rain, and between June and July, our area hot about 15 inches, when in a normal summer, we might have only five or six. Good for some plants, bad for others (apparently very good for my 12 different kinds of day lilies).

My grower friends at the M&M Farmers Market agree they've had a rough season. I see them weekly, because I rarely miss a summer market day. Even in a tough summer, there's still fresh produce to be found.

I volunteer to assist this group with its social media and news releases. I believe in the value of eating local. The food is fresh and you get to know the farmers who grow it.

But that's not all. Farm markets are an important component of local economic development efforts.

Thanks to a recent survey, one that is being conducted again this year, this is what we know about the market that sets up every Saturday at the M&M Plaza. The market is a project of the Menominee County Farm & Food Exchange, and used to operate out of the VFW Hall on 10th Street on the north side of town.

Even in a rough summer, produce is available.

The market has more than two-dozen vendors who sell produce, eggs, meat, baked goods, honey, jams, coffee, pasta, bedding plants and a variety of locally-made craft items, including soaps, lotions, and fiber items.

In 2016, vendors brought in an estimated $38,105 directly to their businesses, and returned three times more to the local economy than chain retailers, according to survey results.

The average distance food travels from farm to the local market is only 15 miles. Market vendors cultivate more than 252 acres of farmland, which does not include acres cultivated by area growers who do not attend the market but sell produce through other growers who do attend.

Last year, market vendors took in $1,380 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit dollars, which supported the market’s commitment to ensuring that fresh produce is available to all families in the local community.

In addition, the study indicated that 48 percent of market shoppers said they planned to shop at neighboring businesses on market days.

The M&M Farmers Market is open every Saturday from 9 to noon at the M&M Plaza. For more information, find the market on Facebook under M&M Farmers Market (https://www.facebook.com/MandMFarmersMarket/)

In addition to the weekly market, Menominee County Farm & Food Exchange members coordinate the annual Menominee Old World Christmas Market, a European-style holiday market to be held Nov. 17-18 in Downtown Menominee.

NOTE: There are also farm markets in Marinette on Fridays, 2- p.m., on Stephenson Island and in Downtown Menominee, starting at 9 a.m. on Saturdays. 

The study was coordinated by the Michigan Farmers Market Association (MIFMA), and supported by a Rural Business Development Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).