What do you know about Farmers Markets

[Big Dave]

Went to a seminar on Farmers markets In Fayettville Ar.There was over a couple of hundred people there. People from OK,MO & Arkansas.Did you know that in Arkansas there is a bill to charge a tax on your grown produce when sold at a farmers market but not at your farm.Did you know that there are market managers some of who get a salary of between$1.00-$30,000I though of putting one in my area. After seeing what you would have to contend with-NO MAS. What do yall Know about Farmers market or do you sell your stuff at your house?
OH yeah the last speaker was a fella from France that has ONE acre. He farms this acre and gets $75,0000 per year before taxes on what he can grow. I want to try this.

[Bonnie L]

The managers of farmer's markets around here get closer to the $1 for their pains. I thought real food couldn't be taxed? Or are they saying that moving it from the farm to the market adds value?

I'd like to know what that French farmer is growing to earn that much!

[mommagoose_99]

I went to a market meeting last night too. The market manager wants to form a vendor cooperative. So far the only benefit I see is for the market manager. WE are already paying $165 a season to sell . This will add more money to set up costs. It was a good market but I fear we will loose vendors if the cost rises. I am hoping we vote it down.
Linda

[oldcj5guy]

Guy down the street from me was making around 300k a year on his small farm on his 400sqft farm in his basement.







And the state even gave him a 6yr vacation as a reward.

[mezzogirl]

Originally Posted by oldcj5guy

Guy down the street from me was making around 300k a year on his small farm on his 400sqft farm in his basement.







And the state even gave him a 6yr vacation as a reward.

This one got me laughing pretty good...

[Razorback21]

Originally Posted by oldcj5guy

Guy down the street from me was making around 300k a year on his small farm on his 400sqft farm in his basement.







And the state even gave him a 6yr vacation as a reward.

Don't keep me in suspense!!!! What kind of "veggies" did he grow? lol.

[Ken Scharabok]

In TN retail food is taxed, including restaurants and supermarkets and produces sold at flea markets or farmers' markets. I don't know about on-the-farm sales.

Goiing from memory here. Seems like there was a book out with a title something like How to Earn $X on Y acres. Author's name of Whatley comes to mind. I didn't read book, just reviews of it. Essentially intensively raised speciality crops and pick-your-own.

Hey, am I good or what: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booker_T._Whatley

I have friends in Southwestern, TN. She raises and sells eight varieties of tomato seedlings at one flea market, one day a week. If I remember correctly she has maxed out at some 50,000 seedlings. Each year she adds and drops one variety - become an authority on each of those she sells. Essentially greenhouse raised. Absolutely quality control. Anything which doesn't meet her expectations goes on the compost pile. Her husband made her a custom trailer from which to sell out of. Over the years she has built up an intensively loyal customer base. (They also sell some off the homestead from their greenhouse and garden.) After the last seedling is sold the greenhouse shuts down for the rest of the year.

I suspect that French farmer sells directly to top level chefs.

[paintlady]

The laws are strange in different states. Here you CAN'T sell any home made products from your home unless you have a certified kitchen, but you CAN sell up to $5000.00 per year at a farmers market with no certified kitchen. If you raise veggies you can sell up to $10,000.00 per year.
We started a market here last fall and it was a great success and have continued it all winter indoors once a month. We have about 15 vendors now with NO market manager as we have a board of directors who are always on top of things and very proactive. Our vendors all get along with each other, even though some are selling the same things. I see nothing but growth for our market as we have already outperformed the other markets in this area who have been doing business for a few years.
Being in a totally rural area there are no restaurants to sell to so we sell to the general public and they are keeping us very busy.
Also because of locations of the various farms which are mostly off of the beaten track people are more willing to travel to one place to shop for a variety of different things.
The market can make you money if you handle it right.

[Bonnie L]

Originally Posted by Ken Scharabok

In TN retail food is taxed, including restaurants and supermarkets and produces sold at flea markets or farmers' markets. I don't know about on-the-farm sales.

I never thought I'd say something good about Washington's sales tax, but we only pay taxes on ready-to-eat foods, like from the deli. Regular groceries have no sales tax.

[DenverGirlie]

Check out growingformarket.com

They have a news letter as well as several books as well.

[mylala]

Originally Posted by Bonnie L

I never thought I'd say something good about Washington's sales tax, but we only pay taxes on ready-to-eat foods, like from the deli. Regular groceries have no sales tax.

In TN we have no state or local income tax, so sales tax is where state gets it's revenue. I would rather pay sales tax than income tax.

[Bonnie L]

Originally Posted by mylala

In TN we have no state or local income tax, so sales tax is where state gets it's revenue. I would rather pay sales tax than income tax.

We don't have a state income tax either - just federal. The governor keeps running the state income tax up the flagpole & it keeps getting shot down. No one wants to get taxed both coming & going.

[Ken Scharabok]

I should mention Food Stamp purchases are exempt from state sales taxes.

Say I had a catering service. I could obtain an TN State Sales Use or Resale Exemption number. It would allow me to not pay state sales taxes on items purchased for the catering service. I would though have to collect and turn over to the state the sales taxes applied to the meals. In this case, likely it would be rolled into the final per person or event price and then factored out from it.

There is little support in TN for a state income tax. A legislator supporting one likely wouldn't be reelected.

I sometimes go to a flea/farmers' market in Hundington, TN. Wasn't there but heard one day several TN state revenue agents showed up. Folks were packing up and heading out before they got more than a couple of sites into the event.

[Ross]

I help run our local farmers'market here ....... but I gotta say the hoops Americans seem to have to jump through to sell at their markets is incredable. I thought the USA was supposed to be free????? Here you can sell pretty much un-hindered but you should have a vendors permit from the province for selling arts and crafts.... not needed at all for food though.

[Judi Reilly]

Here in South Dakota,,we have to get a license to sell eggs..we can sell jams and jellies etc w/o license,,but any other canned goods must be done in a licensed kitchen..we pay state sales tax..most of us just include that into the price of product..we are having abit of a problem w/our mkt. (wannabe take overs),,our mkt was started afew yrs ago,,with a family jumping thru all the hoops..learning the do's and don't and they've done a fine job..last fall...3 or 4 vendors decided they didn't like the family being in charge..so did some lobbying etc...ya lobbying in our small mkt...told some stuff that wasn't true..and the mastermind/founder of our group was voted out..this worries me..but will wait till our first meeting of the new yr...see whats gonna change or not change..oh..and these vendors were women...a couple of nasty one who like control...

Why is there politics in EVERYTHING?????

[MaineFarmMom]

Originally Posted by Big Dave

OH yeah the last speaker was a fella from France that has ONE acre. He farms this acre and gets $75,0000 per year before taxes on what he can grow. I want to try this.

That's what I do. One acre, six weeks off, growing season from mid February to mid December. I use a lot of season extenders.

Don't get too excited about the $75k until you know what he grosses. If you spend $65,000 to gross $75,000 it's not impressive.

Originally Posted by Ross

I help run our local farmers'market here ....... but I gotta say the hoops Americans seem to have to jump through to sell at their markets is incredable. I thought the USA was supposed to be free?????

Some of our states don't make up the entire country. If I want to sell at market I pay my yearly dues and a couple of dollars a week and show up.

[paintlady]

There is no tax on food or clothes in Minnesota.

[foxtrapper]

Around here, the markets are driven by the counties and a few members of the individual market. So you're going to be darn hard pressed to sell in a market if they don't want you, your product, etc. Some let you set up for free, some charge a fortune. Some say a cooler is fine, others require you to bring commercial refrigeration units.

[paintlady]

Here if you sell any kind of food except for veggies you have to have a canopy. Mn just passed a new law requiring any canned goods to meet a certain PH and be labeled with the ingredients, date of canning and sellers contact info. You also have to post a card saying that the foods were not inspected. These are all safety regulations which in light of the recent peanut butter scandal makes sense. As a seller I don't mind doing these things as my customers know that they are getting a safe quality product.

[Big Dave]

Bumpity Bump...