For at least two-thirds of my life, my family has shopped at the Clayton Farmers Market, about fifteen minutes from my childhood home in the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri. My mother has made friends with all of her favorite farmers and is fiercely loyal to them. She has been known to say, "There is nothin better than a MISSOURI FARMER TOMATA." The same goes for peaches, apples, melons, cherries, blackberries, broccoli, brussel sprouts, beets, lettuce, grass-fed beef, and clover-fed pork.
Over the years some of her farmers have decided to stop coming to market for various reasons. Some transition to restaurant supply, go to other markets, others drop off the grid completely. She called me the other day saying that one of the farmers who has been there from the beginning, Brett from Biver Farms, isn't coming back next year. When I asked her why she forwarded me this letter from him:
Dear Friends and Patrons,
I am saddened to say that I must retire from my half of Biver Farms. I sincerely appreciate the many bonds that have been made over the last 15 years and I feel as if I could not have had a better clientele. While my reasons are divers, I came to a realization this past April that my occupation is both financially and emotionally unjustifiable. I have since known that this would be my final season.
I encourage all of you to support the Clayton Farmers Market, and the talented growers and artisans that participate. I know that the kind words of support that so many of you shared with me over the years truly helped me and believe it iperitive that you support me the other vendors in a similar way. I am sure that if given enough support, the market can achieve the potential that it possesses.
I hope to somehow, someway keep in touch with many of you who have never failed to impress or inspire me over these many years. I ask that you provide contact information to help me to do so on the sheet provided. I do not yet have a firm bearing on my future, but I believe that it will be agriculturally or educationally orientated. While I greatly appreciate the rich experiences of my past, I look forward with a good deal of excitement and anticipation.
Thank you all so much,
Brett Palmier
I would be lying if I said I didn't get a little misty-eyed reading it through. In order to purchase anything Brett brought to market, you had to get in line right at 8am when the market opened. He was one of the most popular stands, with a line 30 people deep at any given time, all eager to buy his fresh organic produce. It's heartbreaking that good people trying to make an honest living cannot because of extraneous circumstances. I wish Brett the very best and know he will be dearly missed.
Nicely done, Sarah, Brett will be proud of this post. I am so proud of YOU!
ReplyDeleteIt saddens me to see how the economy impacts people all over the nation. And I agree with your comment: " It's heartbreaking that good people trying to make an honest living cannot because of extraneous circumstances"- I myself have known people who have been through a similar situation and the only thing you can do is wish them luck. Great post!
ReplyDeleteMy family and I have been shopping and buying groceries from our farmers markets for years. I think its great that communities really pull together to support local farmers. With the recent economic down turn, I have noticed that fewer and fewer farmers show up as a result of having to shut down their farms. It kills me to see how hard these farmers have worked just to make ends meet and lose it all because of "extraneous circumstances" like you said. Hopefully, this economy can turn around, and this won't have to happen to more good people.
ReplyDeleteThis is so sad! While Baltimore isn't home to great Farmers Markets, my summer in New York was filled with trips to the Farmers Market in Union Square - the smells from the fish, to the flowers, to the apples were so fresh that I couldn't help but journey there each week even when I didn't need to buy anything. The fact that these vendors are having trouble making a living is just heartbreaking, their crops are so important to those who prefer to eat organic products or just like supporting local farmers and it saddens me to think that we are moving towards a world where everything will be mass produced and chemically grown. Save the small farmers people!
ReplyDeleteIt just goes to show you how much larger processing plants can really edge out organic competition by cutting costs. Perhaps Brett could have stayed in business if he had raised his sale prices, but then he runs the risk of losing business to competitors. All in all, a sad post, but an interesting aside that sadly hits close to home for you. I have not ever had this kind of experience with a farmer before, so I cannot claim to truly understand the dynamic, but I do understand how a person like this, who has had such a tangible influence on a family's most important aspect of life, can deeply affect a person. My condolences, Sarah.
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