New York Mills, MN

By Heather Cassidy
Farmers’ MarketCommittee as published in the New York Mills Herald 4/23/08

There is a lot of “behind the scenes” work being done to get the Farmer’s Market up and running here in Mills. The most recent meeting was on Monday April 21st at the Creamery. Some high-lights from that meeting are:

Signs
Dallas Flynn of the Central Regional Sustainable Development Partnership announced the availability of a $500 grant to help the Farmers’ Market group purchase our eye-catching banners. Steph Goins will be gathering estimates on banner prices.

Rules and Membership fees
New York Mills Farmers’ Market Bylaws have been written.  There is a membership fee of $25 per vendor, per season. This $25 membership fee would include two free days of display in a 10-foot by 10-foot section.

In addition to the $25 membership fee, the vendors would be charged a fee of $5 for every day they set up their 10′ x 10′ display(excluding the two free days).

Members would have the option of paying for a $100 Full Season Display pass, which would allow them to set up during the two day per week market for the duration of the season ( about 18-20 weeks). At the next meeting we will review the bylaws and the membership form in preparation for mailing these forms out to the local producers.

Recruitment of More Vendors
The farmers already involved grow everything from veggies to fruits, honey, maple syrup, organic pork, herbs, cut flowers, bedding plants, houseplants, freshly baked goods, and a few hand woven rugs and sewn fabric grocery bags. We are still looking for more vendors to be part of this highly anticipated Farmers’ Market. If you know any local farmers who have unique high quality farm products to sell, please tell them about our market.

We are currently drafting a letter to local groups like 4H, FFA, High school Ag class, and churches. Our goal is to get these groups involved as vendors at the market. Can your group (or business) grow pumpkins, or sweet corn, or sell coffee and freshly baked items? The market may be a great fundraising opportunity for you.

Vendors Information Exchange and Discussion
At the last meeting, lots of information was exchanged between the growers on resources available to promote our products through personalized websites, free signs, and business cards. The discussion turned to products we could sell in addition to fresh produce that would help us diversify our product lines. After our next meeting we will spend time supporting each other as growers by exchanging technical information. Come with your questions about growing, scheduling, marketing, etc.

Grand Opening Celebration
At the next meeting we will plan our Grand opening date and events surrounding this event. Some of the ideas in the air include: Horse Wagon rides, Seminars by local master Gardeners, and musicians, and children’s activities.

Friends of the New York Mills Farmers’ Market
The community and businesses in Mills are exited about our new Farmers’ Market. The market will draw people into our town and benefit the local businesses with greater traffic flow. Our entire town will have improved access to fresh, local produce, packed with nutrients. We will be supporting local farmers and market gardeners. In short, there are lots of reasons to support the New York Mills Farmers’ Market. “Friends of the NYM Farmers’ Market” is a group of people who are helping with the start up costs of the market through tax deductible donations.

The next meeting is April 28, 1 p.m., at the Mills Creamery.

Contact Pat Fredley at 385- 2187, or Heather Cassidy 385-2229 with any questions about the NYM Farmers’ Market.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 28th, 2008 at 9:38 am and is filed under 09. Community: Knowledge and Awareness, Participation, Recruiting, Vision. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.