6 Ways To Support Your Local Farmers Markets
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Texas is filled with local farmers markets that are oriented towards the community they are based in. it’s these farmers markets that provide a valuable service to the community and that should be promoted and supported by it.
There are many ways to do so. For instance, it’s possible to support the markets even without shopping in it. That’s something that consumers who want to support more than one market should keep in mind, since there’s no reason to support only the market that’s closest to you.
Shopping
Let’s start with the most obvious one. When you buy at the particular farmers market you help that market simply by being its customers and leaving your money with the local vendors and the local farmers. That’s the simplest way to help and it’s beneficial for the shopper is well since it provides you with healthy and organic produce.
It’s also useful get into the details of it and to shop at the same market or even same vendors seasonally since that will provide you with the produce throughout the year and also support the farmers in the same fashion.
2. Events
The farmers markets are about more than just selling the produce. They are also the places in which most local events are taking place. These are often about everything and anything not related with farming and healthy dieting. There are educational events, music events, and local heritage and culture events.
It’s not needed to get involved in every one of those events. Just by choosing the ones you’re genuinely interested in will be enough to help the market and to keep you an active member of the community. It’s often more important the commercial parts of the market.
3. Volunteer
Those who just shop and attend events at the market usually don’t think about how much work goes into them behind the scenes. One of the ways to help the market out and to see what it takes to run it is to volunteer to be one of its employees or organizers.
For most low tier jobs in the farmers market, there’s no pay (except maybe in produce) but it’s a valuable experience for those are interested in the agriculture industry. It’s also a chance to give back to the community. For the most part, the markets are looking for the volunteers year round, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
4. Sell The Produce
If you’re a farmer yourself, the best way to support the market is to offer your produce to sell on it. That’s both lucrative for you and helps the market by expanding its offer. You’ll need to have in mind that farmers markets have standards in terms of how the produce is grown. This is where you need to be compliant with the rules.
This is also something that could apply to those who sell other products beside the fruits and vegetables. In most cases farmers markets sell quite a lot of different produce.
5. Spread The Word
In a lot of cases, one of the best things you could do to help your market is simply to let more people know about it. That’s easier than ever now when you could use social media to reach a large group of people regardless of how much funds you have at your disposal.
It’s possible to do this on your own regardless of how the farmer itself decided to market itself. However, it’s often more prudent to combine your individual efforts with the ones that the market sets up intentionally.
6. Charitable Donations
In the end, you could always simply give money to the farmers market. The markets always need extra funds and they usually make it easy to donate in a variety of different ways. Markets are also set up as NGOs that are eligible for the tax breaks for those donations.
Some farmers markets prefer market solutions and don’t take charitable contributions. They are often willing to go into deals with local businesses and organizations that are helpful to the market but lucrative for both parties. It’s best to contact the market directly and decide based on that.
Conclusion
Texas has a lot of great farmers markets that provide a much needed healthy and organically made product. That’s why you as a member of local community should find a way to help these markets out. There are many ways to do so.
You could do a lot just by selling and buying goods and the local markets and spreading the word about the markets you use and trust. However, it’s also possible to donate money and to volunteer if you want to do more and become a more integral part of your overall community. The markets are providing a valuable service and are very much needed.
