SLO County News BlogGolf, Wine, Real Estate, Business & Travel NewsSLO County Farmers MarketsFriday, July 08, 2005Small farms increasingly depend on farmers markets to survive; the county offers 18 of the popular events weekly, with at least one around the region on any given dayFor the past 15 years, Bautista Farms in Arroyo Grande has sold fresh lettuce, onions and strawberries at more than a dozen farmers markets a week. "We only sell our produce at the markets," employee Iries Perez said. "They're the lifeblood of local farm families." Like many small farms, Bautista Farms survives solely off the money it makes at farmers markets. In San Luis Obispo County, there are 18 such markets, held somewhere in the county any day of the week, but many farmers travel as far as Santa Monica or San Francisco to sell their produce. Chuck Lenet, owner of 7th Heaven, an organic farm in Cayucos, travels out of the county to sell his berries. He often goes to the Santa Monica market because it's busier and he can get about 20 percent more per basket for the juicy fruit. "Our stuff is much fresher than what you'll find at the store," he said. "People want better quality products." Time equals money for farmers who can't spend all day trying to sell their produce, said Marcia Perez, who oversees five markets in the North County. "The concept of the markets is to sell a lot in two hours so they can get back to their farms," she said. "These people are trying to remain farmers." The amount of money farmers make at the markets varies by season, weather, and how the crop turned out that year. It's unclear how much these farmers earn because some only sell one item and others sell many types of produce, Perez said. People who work on small farms depend on local farmers markets for good reason. Since 2000, the number of markets in the county has doubled. The trend continues statewide, with an estimated 300 to 400 farmers markets in California, said Peter Jankay, administrator for the San Luis Obispo County Farmers Market Association. The markets benefit more than local farmers, they can also rejuvenate downtowns and help local businesses. The San Luis Obispo Downtown Association received so many inquiries on the Thursday night market that they created a video and book titled, "How to have a farmers market in your town." More and more people want to know where their food is coming from, Jankay said. The trend reflects an effort to "bring back the milkman," said Guillermo Payet, who founded Local Harvest, an online listing of California's farmers markets. But the popularity of farmers markets is not always beneficial for the small farmer. The Thursday night market in San Luis Obispo, for example, gets the most visitors, but Perez said the event's street fair atmosphere can overshadow the sale of produce. "It's harder to make a living than it used to be," Perez said. Even so, county farmers are grateful for their loyal customers. James VanDiemen, who recently visited the Arroyo Grande market, tries to attend markets regularly to support local farmers. "I like San Luis Obispo's and Avila's," he said. "I like the flowers and fresh produce. And I really like the ambience." Organic berry farmer Lenet hopes to see even more visitors in the future. "Most of our customers are regulars who come time and time again," he said. "If we could expand that, it would be great." Farmers markets are held year-round throughout SLO County.
Local Harvest: www.localharvest.org San Luis Obispo: www.downtownslo.com Agriculture Department: www.sloag.org San Miguel: www.discoversanmiguel.com Ripe for the pickin' The Tribune, Dawn Rapp To see more of The Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to www.sanluisobispo.com. (c) 2005, The Tribune, San Luis Obispo, Calif. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. Read More
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