The New York State Agriculture Commissioner recently announced $700,000 to support farmers’ markets in New York City. While the idea of this allocation is to make infrastructure and sales of these markets more efficient, the ground experience of some farmers has a different story to tell.
At the Union Square Farmers Market, logistical issues are an Achilles heel. Lawrence Salenne, 81, a salesperson at ‘Roxbury Mountain Maple’ at said, “Nobody does storage here in New York City, we get our produce from three hours away.”. It is very expensive for them, and they have to pay for transportation, gas, and toll tax which adds up to anything between 150 to 250 USD per week.
The experience of some farmers at the Columbus Avenue,79th Street Farmers Market is very similar. 36-year-old seller Sam Chilton says the cost adds up, he says. “$1000 for gas, employee payments, and overnight stay,” Chilton said with a dismal tone. “It’s making it impossible to do business,” he added. Chilton works for a farm that’s run by women and gets government support in the form of a grant. Despite the grant, the logistical issues prevail. Similarly, 56-year-old Farmer, Tommy O’shea, owner of ‘The Sconery, – “an artisanal bakery” at 110 Morningside Farmers Market said he and his wife spend $3500 for storage, baking, and insurance a month.
It is not just the regular expenses. Linda Holscher, 55, the owner of Roxbury Mountain Maple said the NYPD gave her son a 15-hundred-dollar ticket for idling in his van for just a few minutes. “They make money from people who don’t make much money.”
Lawrence Salenne and Linda Holscher at Roxbury Mountain Maple’ in Union Square. Another key logistical issue is the lack of storage in New York. Farmers say they often end the day with food waste, which can mean more lost produce and profit. Charlotte Star, 23, sells produce from her father’s farm, at Eckerton Hill said, “We use remaining vegetables as compost, feed it to the pig at the farm, or take it home to use in cooking. The remaining tomatoes are sold wholesale.” The soil itself takes about five months to decompose before it’s and be ready for the next cycle, especially if they use the soil produced at their farm. The wastage of fresh produce assumes center stage as these are the stalls that attract the maximum number of customers.
The show must go on even on a rainy day. Also, some farmers said they’re being undersold by mass retailers in the area. The price point puts the farmers at a disadvantage, as we can see from the experience of Ernesto Dominguez, 51, owner of Fantasy Fruit Farm, “We used to sell 100 flats (crates) of blueberries a day, now it is just 20 a day on Mondays, and 50 on Saturdays when there is more crowd.” He says shoppers buy them cheaper at the nearby Trader Joe’s. Dominguez used to run five stalls in farmer’s markets across New York, but the competition has forced him to close all but one. The workers at Fantasy Fruit Farm also said there is no support from the government. Consequently, Dominguez revealed they have lost 80 percent of their apples, and all of their strawberries since May 2022. The only way they are dealing with losses is by tying up with another customer who collects their produce and resells it as homemade jam.
Ernesto Dominguez at his stall. These issues arise despite The NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets initiatives to assist farmers’ markets that aim to expand sales. “These programs include the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, the FreshConnect Checks Program, the NYS Wireless EBT Program, and the Farmers’ Market Designation Program.” Said Julia Mason, a public relations specialist at The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. While the government is initiating help, the experience of dome farmers reveals the issues are far from over. Another way to increase sales is by providing food stamps to the customer. But there is an issue there too, as Stephanie Maynard, 37, a stall owner selling meat revealed at 79th Street, Columbus Avenue said, “They do have a supplementary assistance program, but reimbursement takes 6 months.” The farmers have to deal with a lot of red tape when it comes to getting reimbursed for selling it at a discount, which makes the couponing option unattractive. Due to these and many other issues, the farmer is mostly dependent on the loyal customer for sustenance. Andy Seltter, 70, a regular customer at the 79th St, Columbus Avenue farmers market said, “I always shop here for fresh produce, and because I want to support the farmers. We get everything here, from vegetables to dairy.” Some farmers say most of their regulars are senior citizens and younger shoppers. At the same time, others outright reject the idea of going to farmers’ markets. One of them is 65-year-old Gabriel Guzma, “They (Westside) are in the neighborhood, it is convenient, and they are open 24 hours a day.” He said.
Five for Five at Westside! These issues should ideally not be arising. As Commissioner Richard Ball, New York State Agriculture Commissioner said, “By facilitating online sales, delivery capacity, and infrastructure improvements, funding provided through this program will help our farmers and producers.” However, many farmers are grappling with infrastructure issues and tough competition from chain grocery stores. The question remains: Where is the money going?
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