NORWICH – Citing a decline in participation and a “toxic atmosphere” created by some vendors, members of the Norwich Farmers Market – the non-profit vendor group operating the Saturday morning farmers market in Norwich – are calling it quits to their Saturday routine in East Park.
Members of the Norwich Farmers Market broke the news to the county’s Ag Buildings and Grounds Committee this week that it will cease operations of the Saturday market, although the group’s Wednesday market will continue.
Since East and West parks in downtown Norwich are owned by the county, the Ag Buildings and Grounds Committee is the first line of authority that can allow use of the parks.
According to Sandy Pierce of the Norwich Farmers Market, the decision to suspend administration of the Saturday market was based on several factors, including a lack of vendors, squabbling among vendors, and competition of farmers markets in neighboring towns.
The decision was also influenced by a new event launched by the Norwich Business Improvement (BID) called “Saturday in the Park” which seeks to revitalize the market by bringing in non-traditional vendors and entertainment four Saturdays throughout the summer. Event organizers say they hope to draw in more people to the farmers market and breathe new life into the downtown area.
But Pierce said the BID has also reached out to ag vendors. And two separate entities running two farmers markets in the same place at the same time, she said, may just be a recipe for disaster.
“They had already made contact with ag vendors in the name of Bullthistle Market. This has caused a great amount of confusion, questions and controversy,” Pierce added. “This is only one of many concerns that we had.”
Moreover, the BID won’t be charging ag vendors a set-up fee whereas the Norwich Farmers Market charges a $50 annual fee from vendors in order to pay insurance, utilities, and membership of federal organizations.
Simply put, the Norwich Farmers Market can’t compete, Pierce added.
Since the BID decided that it would allow ag vendors to their events, Pierce said vendors have felt pressured to affiliate with one organization or the other.
“The Board of Norwich Farmers Market will not be a party to enabling this toxic atmosphere,” she added. “It’s our hope that in the future, the motivations of all people who want to have a successful event in our community is to do this in an atmosphere of respect and cooperation.”
“I definitely think there are some personality problems that go on here,” said Ag Buildings and Grounds Committee Chair Dolores Nabinger. “I can’t imagine why the Norwich Farmers Market is choosing to walk away when BID is trying to increase the volume of traffic.”
So if BID will allow ag vendors free set-up, what’s Norwich really losing if the Norwich Farmers Market ditches the Saturday market? First of all, only four Saturday in the Park events are scheduled between July and the end of August, and that will give customers fewer chances to buy fresh foods. Secondly, unlike the Norwich Farmers Market, BID is not authorized to accept payments of federal coupons and checks, which drastically limits availability of fresh foods to low-income families in the Norwich area.
“We’re very concerned because we give out about $25,000 worth of farmers market coupons ever year,” said Katha Root, Director of the WIC program at Opportunities for Chenango. “There’s no place for customers to cash them. Unfortunately, a lot of our WIC families live in downtown Norwich. We do recommend that people cash them elsewhere, which I don’t like to do; but we do have to do it.”
Federal farmers market coupons are earmarked specifically for local farmers markets and can not be used at grocery stores. Consequently, people who receive them must use them at an authorized market, and the Norwich Farmers Market the closest one. Besides Norwich, other nearby markets permitted to administer federal assistance programs are located in Hamilton, Oneonta and Binghamton.
Although the Norwich Farmers Market will continue operations on Wednesdays, Root said it’s still a challenge for WIC recipients to get to the market during weekdays.
“We’re very concerned about not being able to cash them,” Root said. “From our point, we’re concerned that our customers have nowhere to go to use those.”
Similar concerns are shared by the Chenango County Office on Aging, where nearly $15,000 of federal farmers market coupons are handed out each year.
“It’s unfortunate,” said Trudy Harris-Irons, nutrition coordinator at the Chenango County Office on Aging. “For those seniors who can get to other markets, I’m saddened that I have to send them out of the county. I can give coupons out, but people are not going to be able to easily utilize them.”
The Norwich Farmers Market must notify New York State Ag and Markets of the decision to stop the Saturday market effective July 2.
Weekly farmers markets are also held in the neighboring towns of Oxford, Greene, Earlville, Cincinnatus, Sidney, and New Berlin.