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The Larimer County Farmers’ Market Turns 50 · Healthier Together: Larimer County's Public Health Podcast

0:02
Welcome to Healthier Together, Larimer County's
0:04
public health podcast, where we come together
0:06
for healthier lives, connected communities, and
0:08
real conversations. From your local public health
0:10
team, I'm your host, Tom. And I'm Joanna. This
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year, the Larimer County Farmers Market celebrates
0:16
its 50th anniversary. Joining us today are Allison
0:20
O 'Connor, horticulture specialist, and Maggie
0:22
Switzer, farmer market and food systems coordinator,
0:26
both from the Larimer County CSU Extension Office.
0:29
They join us to share some of the history of
0:31
the farmer's market and talk about the role that
0:33
it plays in our community. Allison and Maggie,
0:36
thank you both so much for joining us. Thanks
0:38
for having us. Thanks so much, Joanna. To start,
0:41
can you tell us a little bit about the Larimer
0:43
County's farmer's market and how it got started?
0:46
So the Larimer County farmer's market started
0:49
in 1976 by a group of Colorado Master Gardeners,
0:54
which are a group of community volunteers that
0:56
are local experts in gardening. that Allison
0:59
coordinates through our office. And 50 years
1:02
ago, they needed an outlet to sell excess produce
1:05
that they were growing in their home gardens.
1:07
So they started the farmer's market. It was a
1:10
really small market, maybe just a handful of
1:13
vendors, four to five. And the master gardeners
1:16
really did it as an outlet, not only to provide
1:19
an outlet for themselves to sell produce, but
1:22
also for some of our local farmers, which is
1:25
a really important part of our community and
1:27
having that connection to agriculture. So we're
1:30
the oldest farmer's market in northern Colorado
1:32
and one of the oldest in the state, maybe like
1:35
the second or third oldest in the state. There's
1:37
like some history that we need to dig into there.
1:39
But that's a very proud achievement for farmer's
1:43
markets. So that's exciting. Yeah. And it should
1:46
be noted that the Master Gardener program nationally
1:48
started in 1975. We did have two people who trained
1:52
that very first year. And then the next year,
1:54
this ambitious group of, I think it was just
1:57
eight volunteers decided to, hey, let's start
2:00
a farmer's market. What exactly is a master gardener?
2:03
A master gardener is a trained volunteer through
2:05
Colorado State University Extension. So they
2:07
receive about 60 hours of initial training on
2:10
all topics of gardening. So not just fruit and
2:13
vegetable production, but on lawn care, trees,
2:15
plant diagnostics, plant pathology, entomology.
2:19
And then they take that knowledge and they bring
2:21
it back to the community and are a resource to
2:24
answer gardening questions and landscape questions
2:26
from homeowners and community members. Wow. They're
2:30
experts. Yeah. They should be on the podcast.
2:33
You could do like a stump the chump thing because...
2:36
You should totally do a stump the chump. Yeah.
2:37
I love trying to get them with like hard questions,
2:39
but... That's a double entendre, right? Everyone
2:41
with the stump. Yeah, stump the chump. Okay.
2:43
I know. So it sounds like it was a mix of both
2:48
home gardeners and farmers. Is that right? That's
2:51
correct. From what we understand, the records,
2:53
as you might imagine, are not very accurate.
2:56
We've done some research and we use the historical
2:59
archives at CSU. So we found a few newspaper
3:02
articles and other things, but the specifics
3:04
aren't exactly what we had hoped for. So this
3:08
was more hearsay from previous volunteers who
3:10
had been with us for many, many years. Do we
3:13
know what kinds of produce they sold in those
3:16
early market years? So the market itself was
3:19
only open for a few weeks. So back in 1976, we
3:23
didn't have the technology to extend the season
3:25
like we do now with maybe infrastructure or even
3:28
the warming climate that we're facing. And so
3:31
I think the market was just a few weeks, maybe
3:33
late July through early September, because they
3:37
were kind of playing with the seasons. But I
3:39
imagine it was very similar. There was sweet
3:41
corn. I'm sure there was zucchini because there's
3:43
always. Zucchini. And then probably just a few
3:47
other things. Tomatoes, of course, and common
3:50
produce that was typically grown. We do have
3:53
some black and white photos that I think we can
3:55
inspect. I've seen flowers in the photos for
3:58
sure. Yeah. Are there any vendors from those
4:02
initial farmers markets that are still around
4:05
today? Not 50 years, but we do have vendors that
4:09
are 30 plus years with us. Definitely over 30
4:13
years, maybe even 31, 32 years, because as far
4:15
as they can remember, like, I think I've been
4:17
here over 30 years. And we believe them. And
4:19
that's longer than either of us have been with
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the market. So not 50 years, but almost. How
4:26
structured were those early markets? You mentioned
4:29
it was kind of a small group of ambitious volunteers.
4:32
And today it's a big production and you know
4:35
when it'll be open and where it's going to be.
4:37
What did it look like 50 years ago? My first
4:39
market was back in 2006, so this is year 21 for
4:44
me, I think, season 21. And I did have some what
4:48
we called market masters. We still call them
4:51
market masters today, and they're the lead volunteer
4:53
who helps coordinate the market for the day.
4:56
From what I know and what I've been told is that
4:59
it was pretty rigid. The rules are pretty rigid.
5:02
So the market opened at a certain time. No one
5:04
was allowed to sell until the whistle blew from
5:06
the market manager. And then they sold and then
5:11
the whistle blew at the end of the day and they
5:13
weren't allowed to sell after that point. So
5:15
our volunteers and they are absolutely incredible.
5:18
I can't say enough good things. They ran a very
5:20
rigid market. I think now we've transitioned
5:23
into a not I wouldn't say a free for all, but
5:26
definitely when people are ready to sell, they
5:29
can sell. We don't blow a whistle anymore. That
5:32
was actually a really big change for some of
5:33
our longtime vendors. Like, well, where's the
5:35
whistle? Like, oh. Well, we don't need a whistle.
5:38
Just start selling when you're ready. But we
5:41
are quite rigid in other ways that I think in
5:43
the past they weren't as rigid. So Allison told
5:46
me when she first started, the market used to
5:48
be in a different location in Old Town Fort Collins.
5:50
And they didn't tow cars that were just parked
5:54
in the market location. And so then the vendors
5:56
would just kind of set up around these parked
5:58
cars, which is hilarious. And then vendors didn't
6:01
have a marked spot. And so they would arrive
6:03
super early to get like their spot. But now we
6:06
have like a reserved spot system and we come
6:08
every morning and we arrive at 6 a .m. and we
6:10
like chalk their spots and they have. And that's
6:13
my whole job is like coordinating where they
6:14
go and coordinating the vendors and organizing
6:17
the whole map and organizing the market. But
6:19
so I think we're rigid in other ways that they
6:21
were less rigid on back then. Yeah. The towing
6:23
cars thing. I remember the first time I decided
6:25
to tow a car because I just thought it was ridiculous.
6:27
Like, why are we setting up around these cars
6:29
that were left in the parking lot overnight?
6:31
It was so sweet because the volunteers would
6:33
write a really nice note like. please don't park
6:36
here on Friday nights because we have the farmer's
6:38
market and it affects our business. It's like
6:40
the nicely worded note. I'm like, let's just
6:44
tow them. And it was shocking. So, I mean, the
6:47
whistle was one thing of how rigid they were,
6:49
but also how kind they were about towing cars.
6:52
And now, like Maggie said, it's everybody has
6:55
their space. If we have any cars left in the
6:57
lot, unfortunately they get towed. So don't park
6:59
there on Friday nights, friends. And so we have
7:03
improved the rules and regulations, and I think
7:05
it really has made it better for the market.
7:08
Our vendors actually appreciate having a lot
7:10
of regulations in place. It's funny. Yeah. Allison
7:13
told me once that they respond well to a lot
7:17
of rules, and they actually adapt very well to
7:20
having more rules than fewer. That does lead
7:24
to my next question. Where all has the market
7:26
lived here in northern Colorado? Originally,
7:29
we were at the old Fort Collins High School,
7:32
which is now the Center for the Performing Arts
7:33
with CSU. So those were the early days, and I
7:36
believe the market was on a weekday, like a Thursday
7:39
afternoon, Thursday evening. Then we moved to
7:42
what was then the Larimer County Courthouse until
7:45
that went under renovations. Then we moved for
7:48
a couple years behind Tony's Bar off of College
7:52
Avenue. And that was the interesting days, I
7:55
would say, like of where we found odd things
7:57
in the parking lot the next morning and had to
7:59
do some cleanup. And then once the renovations
8:02
were complete, which is now the Larimer County
8:03
Administrative Building, we have moved back there
8:06
and we've been there since 2008. It sounds like
8:10
CSU Extension was involved really early in training
8:13
those first volunteers. How has CSU's involvement
8:16
changed over time? It's a good question. So the
8:20
Colorado Master Gardeners... It is kind of a
8:22
pillar of extension programming and still is.
8:25
And so that's how CSU extension has been involved.
8:27
But I would say, and this is, again, what I've
8:30
learned from Allison, who is just a wealth of
8:32
knowledge, that we weren't always as involved
8:35
as our office. The volunteers, the master gardeners
8:38
really managed the market and did a lot of the
8:40
coordination and organizing that now I do. And
8:43
I think probably when you came on, that kind
8:46
of slowly transitioned to our office taking more
8:48
of a role and managing the finances and managing
8:50
the vendors and then eventually my position was
8:52
hired when it honestly became too big for Allison
8:56
to do it also with our managing master gardeners.
8:59
That's completely true. So the market was always
9:02
supported by our office, but the volunteers really
9:05
took on ownership of it. I think we always helped
9:08
with some financial aspects, like with some monies
9:12
and things like that, because it does bring in
9:15
revenue to our office, which is a really nice
9:17
thing. But Maggie's correct. Like my predecessor,
9:21
supported the market but then once i took over
9:24
and it was really funny because during my interview
9:26
i'm interviewing for a horticulture position
9:28
so i'm coordinating master gardeners and i'm
9:30
doing outreach education about gardening and
9:33
then it was hey oh by the way you run a farmer's
9:35
market i was like what and so me having a horticulture
9:40
degree two horticulture degrees and no business
9:42
experience it was really challenging to try to
9:45
figure out the logistics of running a business
9:47
It has morphed over the years. It did become
9:50
eventually just too much and too big, which is
9:53
a wonderful thing. So then we were able to hire
9:55
a market, a full -time market manager, which
9:58
Maggie is currently in that position. Are there
10:01
any other notable ways that the market has changed
10:04
over time? We've always been a grower -only,
10:07
producer -only market. That has been our bread
10:10
and butter since 1976. And so we do require that
10:14
everybody who sells with us either grows. produces
10:17
or creates their own products. So we don't allow
10:20
resale. And that is different than some of the
10:22
markets in Colorado. I do remember I've seen
10:26
pictures from years ago before we allowed food
10:28
trucks at the markets. And so that was a newer
10:31
change to allow food trucks, which, you know,
10:35
it's nice to have hot food options, especially
10:37
breakfast for us that have, you know, been there
10:39
for hours since six o 'clock in the morning.
10:42
And then I feel like adding craft vendors was
10:44
another change in the market, probably, but wasn't
10:47
there at the beginning. But yeah, I think, and
10:50
part of our mission with being the extension
10:52
office, and we provide education and resources,
10:54
especially in areas of natural resources and
10:57
horticulture and agriculture, it's a big emphasis
10:59
for our office to support local producers. So
11:02
88 % of our vendors are from either Larimer or
11:05
Weld counties, which is Northern Colorado. And
11:07
so that's a big emphasis for me. is that we don't
11:10
bring in a ton of vendors from Denver or Boulder.
11:13
And there's a few if there's like kind of not
11:15
that product here locally, but I think it's 74
11:18
% of our vendors are from Larimer County itself.
11:20
And so that's like a big priority for me, especially
11:23
with vendor selection, is that we are choosing
11:26
vendors that are from Northern Colorado. I have
11:28
turned away vendors that are from Boulder when
11:30
we have a similar product made in Larimer County
11:33
because it's the Larimer County farmers market.
11:36
So I want to prioritize what is truly local and
11:39
I feel like that's the ethos of a local farmer's
11:41
market is you know that your food is not traveling
11:43
very far. I just looked at our statistics before
11:45
coming up, but I think our vendors travel an
11:48
average of 18 miles to get to the market. And
11:52
then when you remove the fruit vendors, which
11:55
the fruit does come from the western slope in
11:56
Colorado because that is where fruit is grown
11:58
in this state. If you remove those vendors from
12:01
the equation because they do travel a bit further,
12:03
then it's like 13 miles on average that the food
12:06
travels to the farmer's market. That's kind of
12:08
amazing when you think about the American food
12:09
system and how far our food comes when it comes
12:13
to the grocery store. So we are truly local.
12:16
So getting back to the farmer's market today,
12:20
what are the hours like? When do you guys actually
12:22
open up? So we open at 9 and then we go till
12:26
1 p .m. Okay. And how early do you guys have
12:28
to be there? We get there at 6. Now it's been
12:31
like 5 .45 that we get there. But we do have
12:34
one of our food truck vendors who arrives before
12:36
us, our pancake food truck. I think they get
12:38
there at five. They are. I've never asked. I
12:41
think they get there at five. It's early. Yeah,
12:43
because I wake up at five because I live not
12:46
that far. Allison lives a bit further. And so
12:48
sometimes I can leave my house at like 530, maybe
12:51
even 545. And I don't live that far from the
12:54
market. And I'm like, wow, I'm still laying in
12:56
bed. the markets. Brian Bacon and Maggie's just
13:00
rolling in. No, so we get there at 6am and I
13:04
feel like that's common with markets to get there
13:07
about three hours early because then we set up
13:08
all of our things and then we have to be on hand
13:11
to make sure the vendors get set up and, you
13:14
know, make sure that everything's going okay.
13:15
And chalk their spots because they have to know
13:17
where they're going. That's a big thing. Oh yeah.
13:20
It's chaos and confusion if they don't have their
13:23
spot chalked. So on that note, what kind of vendors
13:27
can one find at these markets? So we do prioritize
13:31
the presence of agricultural vendors. This year,
13:34
we've had a maximum of like 18 individual produce
13:38
vendors. That's not even including our local
13:40
ranchers at the market. So ranchers and flowers
13:43
are included in our agricultural vendors. So
13:46
we do prioritize their presence at the market.
13:48
So including them, that's like almost 25 individual
13:51
agricultural producers at the market, which is
13:53
really great to see. And then we have many prepared
13:58
food and value added vendors. We have kimchi.
14:00
We have lots of sourdough and lots of bread and
14:03
baked goods, cookies. Let's see what else we
14:07
have. Great vendors that have like Middle Eastern
14:10
dips and hummus and like baba ghanoush. We've
14:14
got kombucha. We have butter. Yes. Milk, cheese.
14:18
Eggs. The eggs do really well at the market.
14:20
Really? Yeah. Any of our ranchers and then some
14:22
of our farmers have started to have chickens
14:24
as well that bring eggs. They do very well. Yeah.
14:27
And I believe we have all of the meat available
14:30
that generally people eat. Yes, we do have all
14:33
the meats. Yeah. We have beef. We have pork.
14:35
We have chicken. Bison. Yeah. We have goat. And
14:39
we have goat cheese. What other meats are there?
14:43
We have all the meats. Yeah, our ranchers are
14:47
definitely a big part of the market. We have
14:49
mocktail vendors. And you can come and get like
14:52
a nice drink for yourself. And then as well as
14:54
like our food truck and prepared food vendors.
14:56
Yeah, we have breakfast sandwiches and pancakes.
14:58
And quiche, that's a big part of the market.
15:01
And pie. We have lots of pie. You guys are making
15:03
me really hungry. Yeah. This is the Farmer's
15:06
Market podcast. So on that note, let's say I
15:10
am a quiche baker and I really want to get involved.
15:14
What kind of... What qualifications do I need
15:16
to have to be a vendor at a farmer's market like
15:18
this? Is it made locally and by you? Yes. Oh,
15:22
there you go. So is that the sum total of this?
15:25
No. And so we do work very closely with health
15:28
departments and their food inspection and like
15:30
the food safety team to make sure that our vendors
15:32
are properly licensed and following food safety
15:34
protocol and rules. And so we know that next
15:37
year the Cottage Food Act is changing for 2027
15:40
and it's kind of broadening the foods that can
15:43
be made in a home kitchen, which is cottage food.
15:45
So that will be interesting to see how that plays
15:47
out at markets across the state. But we do make
15:51
sure that our vendors are all properly licensed
15:52
if they do need licenses and are preparing their
15:55
food in a commercial kitchen that's inspected
15:58
and all that. And so we do work very closely
16:00
with the health department to make sure that
16:01
everyone's following the proper food regulations
16:04
and making sure that we have good food safety
16:06
at the market. And then with our cottage food
16:08
vendors as well, a big thing is making sure that
16:10
it's labeled correctly. And luckily with our
16:12
office, we also offer cottage food safety training
16:14
with CSU Extension. So it's kind of like, hey,
16:17
I know where you can get trained also with Extension.
16:19
And our vendors know us. They know that we work
16:22
for Extension and they know us to be resources.
16:24
So what's considered a cottage food then? So
16:26
anything that doesn't require like a time and
16:29
temperature control right now. And so this will
16:31
change for 2027. So like I said, that's kind
16:34
of broadening. But you can make cookies. You
16:37
can make jams and jellies. You can... make bread
16:41
yeah like anything that's kind of like a shelf
16:43
-stable product and then you can sell it without
16:46
needing refrigeration or to keep it hot at a
16:49
farmer's market oh okay so basically like you
16:51
can have a loaf of bread sitting on your table
16:53
or like cookies in a package sitting on the table
16:55
and they don't need refrigeration or to be kept
16:57
warm so that's kind of where like you think about
16:59
shelf -stable products and then just back to
17:02
your question there's an application process
17:03
so the applications open generally if we end
17:06
a season and then we start immediately So the
17:08
application opens in early January. You fill
17:12
out the application. You can include pictures,
17:14
which then Maggie primarily will go through if
17:18
we're unfamiliar with who you are. So if you're
17:20
a new vendor to us, she will carefully scrutinize
17:23
your application, make sure that you're producing
17:25
things, make sure that you have the licenses
17:28
that are appropriate in order to sell with us,
17:30
including insurance. And luckily, we do work
17:33
with the Extension Office and we work with our
17:35
agriculture specialist and we know who the farmers
17:37
and ranchers are in town. If a new one pops up,
17:40
we for sure will be using Google Maps. What kind
17:42
of farm and ranch is this? And we've done farm
17:44
visits as well. And that's, you know, within
17:46
our rules and regulations, that's something that
17:48
we can do. Again, why we're so proud to be a
17:51
growers -only market is we do put a lot of time
17:54
and effort into ensuring that. And then is there
17:57
a fee for like an application or like a booth
17:59
rental or spot rental? Yeah, so we do things
18:02
a little bit differently, perhaps, in some of
18:04
the markets. So we do have an application fee,
18:05
which you would pay when you submit your application.
18:08
And then our market has always been based on
18:11
a percentage of sales. So we have two floating
18:14
structures, one for agricultural producers and
18:17
then one for... Everybody else. Everybody else.
18:20
Crafts, baked goods, etc. And so we trust you
18:24
that when you report your sales at the end of
18:26
the day, that you're reporting those sales accurately.
18:29
And then you get an invoice. So if you're an
18:31
agriculture producer, it's 6 .5 % of sales. And
18:34
then everybody else, it's 8 .5 % of sales. Our
18:36
price is pretty equal or better than other markets
18:40
in the area, especially bigger markets that are
18:42
our size to make sure that we're not, you know,
18:45
like above the norm of what is acceptable at
18:48
farmers markets because we're not in the business
18:50
of scamming vendors. So if you're accepted, the
18:53
only fee you would pay up front is the application
18:55
fee. Then if you're accepted. then once you start
18:58
selling with us, it would be the weekly percentage
19:00
fee. Yeah. Gotcha. So if somebody wants to be
19:02
a vendor, do they have to commit to the whole
19:04
season or what does that look like? They do not.
19:08
I am a master scheduler and you can apply for
19:12
once a month. You can do the beginning of the
19:13
season. You can do the end of the season. And
19:16
so we will fit you in where we can or offer you
19:18
other dates if we can't like fit you in for your
19:20
specific dates you put on your application. So
19:23
you can. When you do the application, you select
19:25
which dates you want to come. So especially if
19:27
you're like a craft vendor or you want to pop
19:29
in for, you know, random dates, we can offer
19:32
that. So you don't actually have to commit to
19:33
the whole season. Oh, fantastic. And another
19:36
thing we want to add is that we have many youth
19:38
entrepreneurs at the market and that's something
19:40
we champion. We had this year, we had youth greens
19:44
vendor where they were backyard gardening at
19:46
their house and they are a couple of teenagers.
19:48
A 16 -year -old who makes really good cookies.
19:50
that I love, Doodle Bug. They gave me a t -shirt
19:52
too. They're really sweet. And so they make really
19:55
delicious cookies. We have the 4 -H kids that
19:58
sell cold drinks at the market. And that's something
20:00
to like promote our youth development programs.
20:02
But we have a lot of, we have a couple of youth
20:04
vendors that we've had that we always love. That's
20:06
fantastic. Maggie, you mentioned that you're
20:09
reviewing these applications and you're looking
20:11
for, you know, local, of course, but also looking
20:15
at, hey. We already have somebody who's doing
20:18
this particular product. That must be kind of
20:20
a difficult decision to determine. OK, yeah,
20:23
yours is great, but we've already got something
20:24
like that. Is there a lot of that that goes on
20:27
where you're like, I got to turn you down only
20:29
because, you know, it's not a judgment on your
20:31
product, but we already have a goat cheese vendor.
20:33
Absolutely. It definitely is difficult with bakers.
20:37
There's a lot of bakers in this area. And I think
20:39
after COVID, a lot of people started making sourdough
20:43
in their home kitchen and they were like, oh,
20:44
I can sell this under cottage food. this is a
20:46
cottage food item. And yeah, there's like the
20:48
sourdough boom during COVID. And that's actually
20:50
how one of our bakers, the bread chick, who's
20:52
now runs three businesses around town. I mean,
20:54
that's how she got started was the sourdough
20:55
boom and COVID. And then she started at farmer's
20:57
markets and now runs three storefronts around
20:59
town, which is amazing. And so I think that's
21:03
a difficult thing to do all the time. And I put
21:06
that in my response email is like, this is not
21:08
a reflection on your business. You have a very
21:10
lovely product. And there's many other smaller
21:12
markets around town. Like there's Tynmouth and
21:15
there's Wellington and there's Greeley. And there's
21:18
so many smaller markets popping up all over town.
21:20
Loveland has two. And so I list those and refer
21:23
people to go to those other markets for sure.
21:25
Because I also communicate frequently with the
21:27
other market managers and I want to help boost
21:29
up the smaller markets that exist in town. Can
21:33
you talk us through just what's involved in running
21:35
the farmer's market? It certainly sounds like
21:38
a big job. What does your life look like? especially
21:41
during market season. So, you know, the meme
21:44
after the Barbie movie where he's like, my job
21:46
is just beach. I feel like my job is just email
21:48
sometimes where I can spend a lot of time just
21:52
answering emails. I also do a lot of other food
21:55
systems coordination and help promote local food
21:58
and kind of be that conduit between local food
22:00
and consumers in the community beyond the farmer's
22:02
market. And so I do work with a lot of local
22:05
agricultural producers. But I mean, coordination
22:07
takes. so much time. An organization takes a
22:10
lot of time. And, you know, sometimes I have
22:12
vendors that are like, I'm sick and I'm calling
22:14
out on a Wednesday and then I've got to find
22:16
substitutes between Wednesday and Friday. And
22:18
Friday, I print the maps for Saturday. So like
22:20
Friday, the market is done, you know? Yeah, I
22:23
feel like I've dealt with all kinds of things
22:26
in the weeks before the markets. We also run
22:29
a number of food access programs that I also,
22:31
you know, kind of coordinate and keep data on
22:34
and do a lot of kind of rigorous reporting. And
22:38
then also like our data of our sales and just
22:40
kind of like the health of the markets. And so
22:42
that's, yeah, a lot of my day to day. And we
22:46
have six volunteers who volunteer with us every
22:48
Saturday. So that is a master schedule that occurs.
22:52
Reminder emails. That's all about email. Yes.
22:55
Making sure that they show up because it's interesting,
22:57
even though Maggie and I are there. If we're
23:00
down a volunteer, it's a significant impact.
23:02
So we'll then need to scramble to find someone
23:04
who can either run the snap machine or who can
23:07
do attendance counts or one of the other shifts.
23:10
And so the volunteers are really essential. I
23:12
mean, they're basically our workforce every Saturday.
23:16
And if someone calls out sick or has car trouble,
23:19
we have to scramble slightly. But I feel like
23:21
both Maggie and I are able to pivot to whatever
23:26
it is that we need to do in order to address
23:28
the day. Because it seems like every Saturday
23:31
at the market, there's always something that
23:33
is new or different or something that goes wrong.
23:36
Potential challenge. Yeah. I didn't want to say
23:38
it, but yes. A musician doesn't show up. And
23:41
so then I just go and grab the office boom box
23:43
and plug in a playlist. And yeah, I think adaptability
23:47
is a big part of the job. Can you tell us a little
23:51
bit more about those food access programs and
23:53
how you can take advantage of them at the farmer's
23:55
market? Yeah. So for a long time, we have been
23:58
a SNAP authorized market. So that means that
24:00
we accept SNAP at the markets. And so for any
24:03
SNAP shoppers out there that maybe didn't know
24:05
that you can use your SNAP or EBT card at the
24:07
farmer's market, yes, you can. And we're one
24:09
of the oldest SNAP authorized markets in the
24:11
state, which is awesome. And that's also due
24:13
to Allison when she first came on, made us become
24:15
SNAP authorized, which is like a huge endeavor.
24:17
It's a long application process and we do have
24:20
to like become reauthorized every five years.
24:22
And so we do have to. you know, do certain things
24:25
to make ourselves be compliant as a retailer.
24:27
And along with SNAP, we offer double up food
24:30
bucks. And so that's a national program and it's
24:33
implemented at many farmers markets across the
24:35
country. So basically, if you shop with SNAP,
24:37
you can go to the farmers market and get extra
24:39
money to spend on fresh produce. So just fruits
24:41
and vegetables. So say you come to the farmers
24:43
market and you spend 20 bucks, then you get 20
24:45
extra bucks just for fruits and vegetables. And
24:48
it's to incentivize healthy eating. And it's
24:50
a great program so that way you can, you know,
24:52
make $20 into $40. And we each year typically
24:57
our agricultural producers earn about $16 ,000
25:01
to $17 ,000 in extra money just from Double Up
25:04
alone, which is amazing. So that's extra funds
25:07
going into the pockets of our local farmers as
25:08
well. So it's just, you know, a fantastic program
25:11
that's funded through the Gus Schumacher Nutrition
25:14
Incentives Program, which is through the Farm
25:16
Bill each year. And then we have other programs
25:19
that we do. So in the last few years, we've done
25:22
a kind of electronic nutrition incentive pilot.
25:26
It's called Produce Bonus. And so basically it
25:28
automates double ups. You don't have to carry
25:30
on like paper coupons. You get money right back
25:33
on your EBT card. And then we have many of our
25:36
produce vendors participating in that program.
25:38
So you can just shop directly and then money
25:39
goes right back on your card. And so we actually
25:41
implement both at our farmer's market, which
25:43
is kind of an ordinary for. many other markets
25:46
in the area that were implementing both. So you
25:48
can come to the farmer's market and get in one
25:50
day, you can get almost $80 back on, you know,
25:53
extra money to spend on fruits and vegetables,
25:56
which is amazing. And then we also champion our
25:59
local program called Market Days for Older Adults.
26:01
And so nationally, there's a program called Senior
26:04
Farmer's Market Nutrition Program. And then Colorado
26:07
is one of a handful of states that doesn't have
26:09
that program at a statewide level. And so basically
26:12
it provides coupons or vouchers for low -income
26:15
older adults to shop at the market also on fresh
26:17
produce because we recognize that older adults
26:20
are kind of one of the fastest rising groups
26:22
for food insecurity. And so we're trying to meet
26:24
that need just by providing funds for fruits
26:27
and vegetables at the markets. That was a mouthful.
26:31
Yeah. And that program is locally and organized
26:34
and fundraised and managed by us. So we don't
26:37
receive state or national funding for that. That's
26:40
something that when people want to support the
26:41
market, we always push them towards is because
26:43
we always need more support for that. What is
26:46
your favorite part of your job? The community,
26:49
for sure, for me and the vendors. I have an individual
26:52
relationship with all of the vendors and I love
26:54
that. And it's fun sometimes when I've organized
26:57
like local food events and other things outside
26:59
of the market when different vendors meet each
27:01
other and they are like different ends of the
27:03
market. And I'm like, oh, you guys, how do you
27:04
not know each other? Like, I know all of you.
27:07
And I think I just really love. the vendors and
27:10
the community. And I think that's also because
27:12
of Allison and the work, you know, being with
27:14
the market 21 years and then me coming in is
27:17
like they love the market and they love being
27:19
there. And so they're just like the best people.
27:23
And I love when, you know, they mess with me,
27:25
but they can be really funny. I try to be really
27:29
funny in my announcement emails to them every
27:31
week so that they'll like read my emails. And
27:34
so I feel like they also now and with Allison
27:37
mess with me more. I would agree. The vendors
27:40
are absolutely incredible. I think just looking
27:43
at what they go through. I mean, we were up early,
27:45
but sometimes like our bagel guy is up at 8 p
27:48
.m. and he doesn't go to bed until after the
27:51
market is over because he's baking all night,
27:53
which is amazing. So the sacrifices they make,
27:57
you know, how far they drive, how many markets
28:00
they may do in a week. It is it is it's a tough
28:03
life. So our vendors are amazing. My other favorite
28:06
part is just being there on a Saturday. It's
28:08
a very magical thing where you take a blank parking
28:11
lot and then you blink and three hours later,
28:14
it's bustling. There's customers and there's
28:17
families. And I will also say that I do love
28:20
the dogs. Love the dogs. Yeah, we have great
28:24
customers and just great community as well. And
28:26
I think now that's my third season, I've recognized
28:28
more and more customers. And sometimes I see
28:31
people around town. I'm staring at them and I'm
28:33
like, I know them from the market. Why is this
28:36
woman staring at me? But yeah, it's just such
28:39
a community atmosphere. And I mean, I look forward
28:43
to Saturdays every week. It's my favorite day
28:45
of the week. I mean, Extension's role is to provide
28:47
outreach education and make connections in the
28:50
community. And I think the farmers market just
28:52
checks all the boxes, right? It's supporting
28:54
local businesses, supporting agriculture. It's
28:57
supporting volunteers. And it's just an amazing
29:01
venue. And that goes for all farmers markets,
29:04
but I think there's something very special about
29:05
ours and who coordinates it and the fact that
29:08
it's been around for 50 years. It's one of my
29:11
proudest accomplishments in my position. Absolutely.
29:15
It's fun. I mean, we just have such good vendors
29:18
and such good community and always on the last
29:20
day of the market, which this year is October
29:22
31st, Halloween. Clean up takes us so long because
29:25
a lot of vendors want to come up and give us
29:27
hugs and like have a good winter because they
29:29
may not see us. And yeah, it's always like, oh,
29:31
gosh, this is taking forever because everyone
29:33
wants to come say goodbye. So did the farmers
29:36
market see an increase in business or traffic
29:39
during the national foodborne illness outbreaks
29:41
that occurred recently? We did, especially with
29:45
the farm stands and the farmers and the, you
29:48
know, the agricultural vendors at the market.
29:50
I mean, so many of them had lines. And there's
29:53
a couple in the market that consistently do have
29:55
lines, like Native Hill will always have a line.
29:57
But all the other ones, I think I remember walking
30:00
around the market and seeing a lot of other produce
30:02
vendors have lines and people are just buying
30:04
up their lettuce. And we noticed that their sales
30:07
during those weeks had skyrocketed. It was amazing.
30:10
And we were like, great, please buy local. And
30:13
what's really interesting is that the market
30:14
has had consistent increase in sales. historically.
30:18
Every year we have had a greater amount of sales,
30:20
even during the COVID years, even when we had
30:24
fires and the air quality was terrible outside.
30:27
I mean, those were some kind of dicey years.
30:29
And even in 2020, when it's like, can we have
30:31
a farmer's market? Can we not have a farm? Oh,
30:33
we can have a farm. We're an essential business.
30:35
OK, how do we make this work? We saw an increase
30:38
in sales, which is incredible. So that, again,
30:40
goes to our vendors showing up, to our community
30:42
showing up and buying. But we've had a couple
30:45
of vendors this year who've had to end the market
30:47
season early because they're sold out of product.
30:50
Wow. Which is the best thing, but also terrible
30:52
because we want them there and their customers
30:55
will be disappointed. But that's a good thing
30:58
in the long run. Yeah. Yeah. The cyclospora outbreak
31:01
definitely. Yeah. And we noticed that lettuce
31:03
sales especially. And being on the side of food
31:06
safety and education because we have staff in
31:08
our office who do that, it was a really good
31:10
learning opportunity for us to take advantage
31:12
of as well. So talk to us a little bit more about
31:14
that. Meg, you'd mentioned that there's, you
31:17
know, some involvement with the health department,
31:18
making sure that people are licensed, making
31:19
sure that they're insured. What does the education
31:21
component look like then for making sure like,
31:23
hey, guys, this is how we know you know that
31:26
you're doing it? So CSU Extension offers cottage
31:30
food safety classes. I've taken one maybe almost
31:33
three years ago when I first started my position.
31:35
But they do a lot of just kind of overview of,
31:38
you know, good food handling practices that you
31:40
can do at home, such like handwashing. and sanitizing
31:43
your dishes and like what temperature to keep
31:45
hot things at, what temperatures to keep the
31:47
cold things at, like the danger zone of putting
31:49
things in the fridge and things like that, which
31:52
is absolutely very useful. And something that
31:54
we do that is different from other farmers markets
31:56
is we do require our cottage food vendors to
31:58
take that training. There's some misinformation
32:00
out there in the cottage food world that there
32:03
is a cottage food license. There's not actually
32:05
a license. It's just a certificate of completion
32:07
of taking the course. And so for our vendors,
32:10
we do require that they do take the course. And
32:12
that's something that I started when I came onto
32:14
the job because I felt like it was really important
32:16
for our vendors to have really good food handling
32:20
practices at their homes. And just to have that
32:22
education. I also am a public healther, so that's
32:25
important to me as a public healther. I think
32:28
we also have these direct ties to the university.
32:31
So we're Colorado State University Extension.
32:33
So CSU is our mothership and they have a lot
32:36
of produce safety. emphasis. So there's a lot
32:39
of research that's going on and they work directly
32:42
with farmers to make sure that when they're in
32:44
the field, again, hand washing, making sure they're
32:47
washing their products before they're putting
32:49
it or packaging it into safety. And there's been
32:52
quite a bit of education in that, maybe not directly
32:56
from us, but it's in the community and available
32:58
from CSU. I'm assuming the same thing is done
33:00
for the ranchers, more or less the same? Yeah.
33:02
And ranchers have to follow stricter regulations
33:04
because their meat does have to be processed
33:07
in a USDA inspected facility to be sold commercially.
33:10
And so they even have to go through kind of stricter,
33:13
more formalized processes other than like, oh,
33:15
here's some like really great education and courses.
33:18
But it's like they have to follow stricter regulations
33:20
on meat processing. And that's why you won't
33:22
find fresh meat at farmers markets, because it
33:25
does have to be sold frozen at a certain temperature
33:27
processed in the USDA facility. Right. We're
33:30
pretty strict on like. what is kind of Colorado
33:33
state law and not just like, oh, we prefer this
33:36
for the more farmers market. But eggs in the
33:38
state of Colorado must be sold in fresh, clean
33:41
cartons. You can't reuse egg cartons. You can.
33:43
Yes, you can in other states. And so I used to
33:46
work farmers markets in other states. And that
33:48
was like common for people to come in like, oh,
33:50
here's cartons and we're going to reuse them
33:51
at our booth. But in the state of Colorado, they
33:53
do not allow that in commercial settings such
33:55
as farmers markets. So eggs also have to be kept
33:58
at cold temperatures. So they have to be washed.
34:00
Because unwashed eggs you can keep at room temperature,
34:03
like on your counter. So if you have backyard
34:04
chickens and that's like a common thing. But
34:07
you must wash your eggs and then you do have
34:09
to keep them between 33 and 41 degrees Fahrenheit
34:12
in a cold cooler at the farmer's market and in
34:14
clean curtains. So that's a Colorado state law.
34:17
And that's something that we do correct vendors
34:18
on. That's not just like the farmer's market
34:20
thing. That's the state law. And we do have our
34:24
health department inspectors come through the
34:26
market at least once a season. They are the most
34:28
lovely humans. It is not a scary thing. They're
34:30
not trying to shut anyone down, but they do want
34:33
to prevent, you know, community foodborne illness
34:35
outbreaks. They do mostly education. So they're
34:38
mostly talking to people such as, you know, your
34:41
cooler needs to be cooler. You need to have more
34:42
ice in your cooler or you didn't package this
34:45
correctly. And so we are really proud to have
34:48
that relationship. And when they come through,
34:50
it doesn't cause hysteria. No one runs screaming
34:52
from the market. I think we've maybe once in
34:56
my tenure have had to pull product from a vendor
35:00
just because it wasn't at a safe level. And that's
35:02
just for the safety of our community. Yeah. And
35:05
we make sure to tell vendors that, you know,
35:07
if something happens, like it does look bad on
35:10
the entire market. And so that's why we want
35:12
to be so strict and make sure that you are compliant
35:13
with the health department. The Larimer County
35:15
Health Department is amazing and the health inspectors
35:18
are great. And we have had a vendor who's told
35:20
us that he has personally thanked the health
35:24
inspectors for coming and told them that they've
35:26
made him run a better business. And that was
35:29
something I thought was really cool. It's amazing.
35:31
So we've talked about a lot of benefits so far
35:34
as we've gone through the conversation. But how
35:36
do you think about or how do you kind of quantify
35:39
the benefits that the market has for the community?
35:42
Well. So this week, we are going to hit $2 million
35:46
in gross sales for the farmer's market. Wow.
35:49
So that's gross sales. Wow is right. Just as
35:53
a reference point, when I started that first
35:54
year, I have this etched in my brain. Our first
35:58
year gross sales were $212 ,000. $212 ,000, and
36:02
now we're at $2 million. I didn't know it was
36:05
that. That's really impressive. And that's gross
36:07
sales because, again, our vendors are incredible.
36:09
Yeah. So that's gross sales for the vendors.
36:13
That's not what the percentage of the market
36:15
is making. So that's all of our vendors collectively
36:16
together, which is a huge milestone for us this
36:19
year. Last year, we were at like 1 .9 at the
36:22
end of the season. And so I said to Allison,
36:24
like, I think we can hit 2 million next year.
36:26
And we know we're going to hit it this weekend,
36:27
just based on the numbers. So that's really exciting
36:29
for us. Is there going to be like a balloon drop?
36:32
We should. We should have something. Well, we
36:34
already had a balloon arch because we had our
36:35
50th birthday party in August. And so I feel
36:38
like I can get another one. I've ordered too
36:40
many balloons already for the market. The economic
36:45
impact of that for local food entrepreneurs and
36:48
local businesses in Larimer County and in northern
36:51
Colorado is incredible. And we know qualitatively
36:54
from vendors that, you know, we've incredibly
36:57
increased their businesses, that we've seen them
36:59
grow throughout their participation in the market.
37:01
We know that. from vendors, but, you know, quantifying
37:04
it in terms of sales is amazing. And that's why
37:06
we pay strict attention to our sales every week.
37:09
Our high this season was a record high, which
37:11
was 113 ,000. Yeah. In one day at the farmer's
37:15
market. And so if you think about like the farmer's
37:17
market is open for 25 weeks for four hours on
37:21
a Saturday. So if you think about kind of like
37:22
looking at as a downtown old town business compared
37:26
to other businesses that are grossing 2 million
37:28
in. a 25 week half year for only four hours on
37:32
a Saturday. Like that's quite amazing. We're
37:35
not open every day and then we still can gross
37:37
that. So that's just like the economic impact
37:39
of that. All of our vendors pay city sales tax.
37:42
Many of them pay Larimer County sales tax. That's
37:44
also like the kind of ripple effect of their
37:46
economic impact for this area. And we also know
37:49
that people are likely going into Old Town and
37:51
doing some shopping or maybe having lunch or
37:54
riding the trolley or. So we know there's multiplying
37:56
effects with the market for them coming to the
37:59
market. And then like a few weekends ago, we
38:02
had the Taste of Fort Collins or the Peach Festival
38:04
or the Corgi Parade. And we know that there's
38:07
reciprocal benefits from having those events
38:09
as well. I'm trying to do more customer surveys.
38:12
We have a summer intern from CSU each summer.
38:15
She did a customer survey where one of the questions
38:17
was, you know, do you patronize other local businesses
38:20
when you come to the farmer's market? And I think
38:22
the majority said yes. So if you think about
38:23
like the impact that also has on the surrounding
38:25
area, Old Town, I mean, that's incredible. What
38:29
about reducing food waste? Do we know anything
38:31
about how the market impacts food waste locally?
38:35
Over the past few years, we've had Compost Queen,
38:37
which is a local composting company. They provide
38:40
composting for the markets. And so that's why
38:42
they have a booth at the market each week. And
38:44
I think last year it was 1 ,200 pounds. And so
38:48
a lot of that is eggs from the... breakfast sandwich
38:52
cart, Jersey Cowboy, like the eggshells going
38:55
in there or like the farmers when they tear off
38:57
like, you know, carrot tops for people that don't
38:59
want to eat those or just like other things from
39:01
the farmer's booth that all gets composted. And
39:03
so that's kind of raw food waste. In previous
39:06
years, we've had a great program with Larimer
39:08
County Food Bank called Veg Out. We got a federal
39:11
grant where basically the leftover food, just
39:15
produce from agricultural vendors that was not
39:19
purchased was. purchased at wholesale discounted
39:22
cost by the food bank and then taken to the food
39:24
bank at the end of every market. And last year,
39:27
I think it was over like 65 ,000 pounds got recovered
39:32
from the farmer's market. And I think sometimes
39:35
that poundage is so high because like apples
39:37
and melons and certain things and squash weigh
39:39
a lot. And that was taken to the food bank after
39:42
the farmer's market. And unfortunately, due to,
39:44
you know, a lapse in federal funding. With recent
39:47
changes, that program hasn't been in effect this
39:49
year, but we're absolutely looking at how can
39:51
we bring that back. So I'm always keeping my
39:53
eye open of how can we bring that program back
39:55
because it really helped our local farmers too.
39:57
I've heard from especially a lot of like new
39:58
and beginning farmers in the community that that
40:00
was sort of a safety net for them where they
40:02
knew if they weren't going to sell out at market,
40:04
then they could sell the rest of it to the food
40:06
bank at the end of the day. Yeah. There's also
40:08
an organization called Vindicate, which... does
40:11
come and collect. So it's a donation from the
40:13
vendors of if they have extra loaves of bread
40:15
and they're not selling on Sunday or maybe some
40:18
cookies where Vindicate will come in and actually,
40:21
I'll use the term glean, but take that, those
40:24
products, and then they're able to support their
40:27
business and sell it to people at a lower income
40:30
or donate it as well. How does the market help
40:35
build community or function as third space here
40:38
in Larimer County? I think, I mean, it absolutely
40:41
is just by existing. I feel like I've done some
40:46
research into the lack of third spaces in the
40:49
United States recently. And I think just by existing,
40:53
it absolutely is that third space. We are very
40:55
intentional about having a lot of like kids activities.
40:58
We try to do a monthly special events where we'll
41:00
do like a fun activity or something more engaging,
41:03
especially for kids. And adults, too. It's really
41:06
good for adults to do crafts. So we have zucchini
41:08
races every August. We've hosted Pride at the
41:12
markets. We've done just so many kind of intentional
41:14
community building activities. We've done Chicken
41:16
Olympics. The vaccination clinic all of October.
41:19
So if you want your flu shot or COVID shot, you
41:22
can come and get vaccinated at the market with
41:24
proof of insurance. Yeah, I think they're bringing
41:26
shingles and all kinds of other stuff. That's
41:29
amazing. Yeah, I am. Again, I'm a public healther,
41:31
so I try to make it in this public health space.
41:34
We had an animal adoption, puppy adoption event
41:37
with Animal Friends Alliance a couple weeks ago
41:39
and they brought some puppies to be adopted and
41:40
they got adopted before 1030. I know. It was
41:43
the best. It was so cute. We were like, you know,
41:45
how long will they be at the market before they
41:48
get adopted? Both were gone before 1030, which
41:51
is exciting. And so we're very intentional about
41:53
like also the community partners we bring into
41:55
the market. So I host a nonprofit or community
41:58
booth every week. And that's for free. They don't
42:00
have to pay to be there like other vendors, because
42:02
I think it's just like a service to the community.
42:04
And that's, we are a cornerstone, a pillar of
42:07
this community. And so I want to reflect that
42:09
at the market. I think our goal for 50 years
42:13
has been to make the market an inclusive place
42:15
for everybody, where everybody feels welcome,
42:17
where they feel they have a place. And that is
42:20
very much on the forefront of everything that
42:23
we do and every decision we make. We host a different
42:26
local musician every week and that's become really
42:29
popular in the past few years. I have a waitlist
42:31
of musicians, which is amazing. And we try to
42:34
have musicians that offer some like musical diversity
42:37
and different talents. We have a women's chorus
42:40
coming this weekend, the blend chorus. So yeah,
42:43
I feel like there's just a different thing each
42:45
week when you come to the Farmer's Market. What
42:47
was COVID like for the farmer's market? Oh, my
42:49
gosh, COVID. I feel like those years I have kind
42:52
of just like put out of compartmentalize. A lot
42:53
of people just mentally block them. So when we
42:57
were going through things, we had an intern who's
42:59
actually working with our staff now in our office
43:02
doing 4 -H youth development. But COVID, it was
43:05
very touch and go. And so finally, I think it
43:08
was in March, the governor and the state of Colorado
43:11
made the decision that, yes, markets are essential
43:13
and we can have them. And it took us and then
43:14
we had two months basically to plan. how to keep
43:17
people safe, how to have our vendors safe. So
43:21
we actually reduced the number of vendors and
43:23
we had a gap between every single vendor booth.
43:25
So we went from having an average of maybe 80
43:28
to 90 vendors a week to maybe 40 to 50. We also
43:31
tried to implement a one -way traffic pattern.
43:35
That did not work, by the way. People don't want
43:37
to be told to be fish in a sea and just go in
43:40
one direction. People were required to wear masks.
43:43
We had volunteers there. Because some of our
43:47
volunteers are older and at risk, you know, we
43:49
had to make some really tough decisions, but
43:50
we really had a limited staff. But the market
43:53
did function and we still had sales and people
43:56
showed up. And, you know, there were moments
43:57
when I would just look around and have tears
44:00
in my eyes, like, wow, we made this happen. We
44:03
are safe. We didn't have any sort of linked COVID
44:05
outbreaks to the market, which was wonderful.
44:08
And it was still a way because, again, the livelihood
44:10
of so many of our vendors depend on these market
44:13
outlets. Yeah. So are there any tips you would
44:16
offer to somebody who is planning their first
44:18
visit to the farmer's market? Bring your own
44:21
bag. Bags. More than one. Yes. Yeah. Come hungry.
44:26
They say, you know, not to shop hungry at the
44:28
grocery store, but you actually should shop hungry
44:30
at the farmer's market because we do have prepared
44:32
food on site. So you should get some something
44:34
to eat at the market. You know, our pancake food
44:36
truck is delicious. Our breakfast sandwiches
44:39
are quiche. There's so much to eat there. I also
44:42
think bring your walking shoes. It's a big market.
44:44
And so you'll be on your feet. You'll be walking
44:46
around. We do provide parking nearby. We have
44:49
signs now indicating where to park nearby the
44:52
market. So please park there. I think do a loop
44:55
first. So come to the market, you know, take
44:57
it all in, take a breath, kind of see what there
44:59
is, and then maybe have a loose idea of what
45:02
you're looking for. Inevitably, you're going
45:04
to buy something that you did not plan for. So
45:06
always bring more money than what you expect.
45:08
But do a loop. Get an idea of, you know, if you're
45:11
looking for tomatoes, how many tomato vendors
45:13
are and do you want cherry tomatoes? Do you want
45:15
heirloom tomatoes? You know, what are you looking
45:18
for? And then go back and start making your purchases.
45:21
But do buy something to eat so you can sit down
45:24
and, you know, have a moment and watch the dogs.
45:27
The people watching and the dog watching is phenomenal.
45:30
Like it is so much fun. But I would also say
45:33
like make an event of it. Don't just try to rush
45:35
in and out. Like really try to. enjoy your experience
45:39
and take it all in. So majority of our vendors,
45:44
again, are staple 25 -week vendors. So especially,
45:48
actually, because this is kind of secret into
45:50
the wise ways of farmer's market management,
45:52
especially if they're towards the entrances,
45:54
they are likely there pretty weekly and pretty
45:59
permanently because, again, and this is something
46:03
that I notice now when I go to other farmer's
46:05
markets. If I walk into a farmer's market and
46:07
one of the first things I don't see is like produce
46:10
vendors, you always want to make sure produce
46:12
vendors are like where people are walking in
46:13
because then it sets the tone of like this is
46:16
a farmer's market. And so ours are like scattered
46:18
throughout, but it's pretty likely that they'll
46:20
be there each week. But we have anchors on the
46:23
corners. That's what we call them. Our anchor
46:24
vendors and they get filled first when we're
46:26
doing the market placement every year just for
46:29
that consistency. But always, yeah, if you see
46:32
something, it's always good to ask the vendor.
46:34
Or if you come back the next week and they're
46:37
not there, then you can ask us when they're going
46:38
to come back. Because sometimes we have people
46:41
who might only sell with us a few times a year.
46:44
I look at the schedule every day of my job. And
46:47
so I now have memorized when people will and
46:50
won't be there, even like in weeks in the future.
46:53
So you mentioned that the season is winding down.
46:55
Fall is the best time to shop at the farmer's
46:57
market. So even though we're only open for a
46:59
few more weeks. Absolutely come. I mean, this
47:01
is why like this is harvest season. The farmers
47:04
have peak produce. They're like busting at the
47:07
seams with what they're offering at the market
47:08
right now. So come and finish out the season
47:10
and, you know, buy local for the rest of October.
47:14
Rain or shine. Yes. We are rain or shine. If
47:16
people ask if we're open because it might rain,
47:18
we're always open. We're there in the rain. Never
47:21
canceled a market in 21 years. And we never will.
47:26
Last day is going to be October 31st. When will
47:29
the season begin? next year? So we always begin
47:32
mid -May. And so we kind of look at whatever,
47:35
May 16th, 15th, 17th. If I can't convince Allison
47:38
to open earlier. No. I'm always like, Allison,
47:43
let's go earlier and let's go longer. So are
47:45
there any plans for next season? Any ambitious
47:47
goals or anything that's going to be different?
47:50
Well, next year will be our 51st season. Yeah.
47:53
I feel like we are still working on the end of
47:56
our season and what that looks like. And then
47:58
wintertime will be our planning, planning and
48:01
plotting for next year. I think during the winter,
48:04
we always review the vendors. We actually just
48:07
talked about this in our recap meeting last week
48:09
after the market. So once market is over, Maggie
48:11
and I get together and we have like kind of a
48:13
rehash of the day. And we were talking about
48:16
the dark horses. So the vendors that either hadn't
48:19
sold with us or maybe changed a business practice
48:22
and then all of a sudden are just killing it.
48:24
So we'll review some of those vendors. Maggie
48:27
also, and we'll use the word, you know, poaching,
48:31
but we'll go to other markets during the winter
48:33
months to see maybe who we're missing. So are
48:35
we having, do we have a gap in product? And,
48:38
you know, would that vendor be interested in
48:40
selling with us? So we will sometimes go to the
48:43
winter farmers market or other markets or other
48:45
venues just to see like, where's the gap? Or
48:48
we have a few businesses that are closing actually
48:50
in the next couple of months. And so we'll be
48:53
looking to fill those positions or looking to
48:56
bring in. Maybe similar product or another vendor
48:59
that could fit that bill. Yeah. We are looking
49:02
for a breakfast sandwich vendor because Jersey
49:05
Cowboy, one of our longtime food trucks, is closing
49:07
their doors at the end of the month. And so we're
49:10
curious to see what breakfast sandwiches might
49:12
exist that we could bring in. Or quiche, Tom.
49:15
Yeah. Yeah. All the market managers poach off
49:19
of each other. We all know it. And we're all
49:21
sort of friendly. And so we all do it. We've
49:24
poached people. Our butter guy we got from the
49:26
winter market. Pickles. Yeah. We've poached.
49:30
Yeah. Everyone does it. People poach from us.
49:33
We know what happens. It's like sampling in the
49:35
music industry. And sometimes people, also the
49:38
dark horses, come along organically. Sometimes
49:40
there's people in the next application cycle
49:43
where we just come out of the blue. We have a
49:45
fresh pasta vendor this year who's new. And they're
49:48
actually out of Boulder. But we didn't expect
49:50
them to come along. And they're great. And their
49:52
pasta's really good. So who knows what we'll
49:55
get next year. But I think we'll just continue
49:57
to build on what we've already established over
49:59
the last 50 years. And year 51 should look fairly
50:02
similar. I don't see any big changes. I know
50:05
this year our market faced a couple obstacles
50:07
with one of our major fruit vendors having a
50:10
freeze and losing all of his crops. That was
50:12
pretty devastating, not only for the market and
50:16
the economy of the market, but just he's a really
50:18
close personal friend of ours. You never want
50:21
to see that happen. We have a couple other people
50:24
that are, again, closing their businesses. And
50:26
so they'll, you know, they become our friends,
50:28
almost like a family. It's someone you see every
50:30
Saturday. And so you really build these tight
50:32
relationships with people. So, yeah, we're hoping
50:36
for a good growing season next year and some
50:38
water. Yes. Yes. We need some precipitation.
50:41
Yeah, we're hoping for good snow this winter
50:43
and some good water for next year. I always have.
50:47
a lot of kind of hope and anticipation for our
50:50
local growers. And I work closely with them in
50:52
other ways. And so I'm always like, oh, I hope
50:55
they can come back next year. And I hope that
50:56
they, you know, can survive the winter. And I
50:59
really like always support our local growers
51:02
and local ag producers to make sure that they
51:04
come back next year. Awesome. Allison, Maggie,
51:07
this has been great. Thank you both so much for
51:09
joining us. Thank you. Thanks for having us.
51:10
It was so fun. You can find links to learn more
51:13
about the topics we discussed today in the show
51:15
notes. If you have a question about public health
51:18
in Larimer County or a topic you'd like us to
51:21
discuss, let us know. Email us at healthiertogetheratlarimer
51:25
.org. Thanks for listening, Larimer County. Until
51:29
next week, stay well, stay connected, and remember,
51:31
we really are healthier together.