02-28-11 Regular Meeting, Public Hearing and Workshop Meeting of La Porte City Council

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Market Feasibility Thoughts to Consider • Usuallyenough supportfrom consumers and producers develops as pmarketingapportunitiesbecomeapparent. "People don't plan to fail, • Continued participation is assured if a balance between buyers and sellers occurs when the market first opens. • A half -dozen consistent, qual ity conscious sellers and they fail to plan. 100 regular shoppers justify a farmers' market. —Anonymous The first step in planning and establishing a farmers' market is to consider its economic feasibility. This involves two critical segments: consumers and producers. A community farmers' market has four concerns regarding consumer preferences: good quality; adequate quantities; reasonable prices; and conveniently located facilities. Nearby roadside stands and pick - your -own farms could reduce the demand for goods at the farmers' market. Sponsorship Research has shown that assuring an adequate number of producers as sellers at a farmers' market is probably more important than evaluating consumer numbers in Thoughts to Consider planning the market. Five to ten producers providing a • Civic clubs and business and community organizations variety of items over the entire local production season are are potential sponsors. all that are needed to start a farmers' market. • Sometimes a city or county will provide facilities. To keep these producers selling, average daily sales • Area development groups may also help. exceeding $100 per producer are needed. With an average daily sale to each customer of $10, 100 buyers must be Cooperation and community pride are the keys. present each clay tosupporta minimum market. About25- Examples of this cooperation include sponsorship or 30 farmers are needed for best results during peak sales participation by: periods, and these require more than 300 customers to local governments with county Extension staff; • support them at the $100 per day sales level. • several local civic clubs, local banks, agricultural Other factors to evaluate when considering market organizations, and public- minded businesses; feasibility include: • local fairgrounds, if available; • Percentage of population in and around community • producer cooperatives; with gardens; • a public body providing facilities if a producer group • Quality and prices at the local retail food stores; can be organized to manage and operate the market; • Existence of other nearby farmers' markets; and • Existence of nearby roadside stands and u -pick farms; • grants for developing markets from the Small Business • Existence of wholesale merchants who sell to Administration, Save the Children Federation, consumers; Appalachian Regional Commission, Tennessee Val ley • Tastes and preferences of consumers; Authority, or Area Development District. • Socio- economic mix of consumers; • Production and marketing experience of potential Many farmers' markets have been developed by local growers; governments in cooperation with the county Extension • Consumer confidence in producers for providing safe, staff. This approach minimizes problems of site location, quality products; funding, and zoning. Maintenance, policing, staffing, • Attitude toward the market by government officials, insuring, and development of facilities can be a part of human resource agency officials, commercial business regular governmental procedures. While operating funds people, and the agricultural community; may be obtained from seller fees, developmental funds • Expectations of the community (and are they come from public sources. attainable ?); Perhaps the major disadvantages of public ownership • Cooperativeness of producers with each other; and are political pressure to allow the use of the market • Interest and support of various segments of the facilities for non - related purposes, lack of control by professional agricultural community, such as Extension market users, and potential removal of the market in order agents and special ists, FmHA, ASCS managers, county to provide other necessary public services. agriculture committees, State Department of Agriculture, and educational institutions. 2