Vermont Farmers Markets Lose Growers as 18-Hour Market Days Fail to Pay
Updated
Updated · WCAX · Aug 15
Vermont Farmers Markets Lose Growers as 18-Hour Market Days Fail to Pay
1 articles · Updated · WCAX · Aug 15
Summary
Burlington shoppers are seeing fewer farmers and more craft vendors as some growers scale back or quit markets that no longer make economic sense.
Nearly 18 hours of work can go into a single market day, Fresh Roots Farm said, yet the sales often do not match the labor and travel costs.
Hudak Farm said Burlington markets are mainly for exposure, with its farmstand providing the bigger income stream, while Fresh Roots makes its profit through grocery-store wholesale.
The Farm Upstream stopped attending altogether, saying heat risks, vendor costs and prices that even farmers struggle to afford make on-farm, refrigerated sales more viable.
Some shoppers still accept the premium for local produce, but the shift suggests farmers markets are becoming less central to many Vermont growers' business models.