In May 2021, the City of Madras developed a farm-to-table market where Jefferson County farmers were provided vending spots free-of-charge at City Hall every Friday, Memorial Day through Labor Day. The City supported the farmers by providing marketing, tents, setup/teardown, or whatever they needed to help them be successful. When the market was created, the main objectives included a desire to help the local farming community economically, a desire to make farm fresh products easily accessible to the local citizenry, and potentially create interest in a more permanent farmers co-op for the future.
After just seven weeks, the market is closing for good. However, the City still believes the market had a positive impact. Connections between local citizens and the agricultural community were made, more people were made aware of some of the farming challenges in Jefferson County, and farmers recognized the efforts the City made to help. “The City did a phenomenal job in setting up this Market and helping us. Relationships were developed that will serve us well into the future,” stated Cheri Bowen, farmer and owner of Green Drive Mercantile in Culver.
Citizens now have access to farm fresh products through the new Produceville on 5th Street, Paradise Produce on 4th Street, and Saturday Market at Sahalee Park. By the end of the month, there will be another option for citizens at 1st and “D” Street. Oregon Beef sells local meat and there are lots of community connections for fresh eggs. In addition, those who have transportation can still drive out to local farms and pick up additional items. “I’m glad there are farm fresh options in town for our community now. This is progress,” stated Mayor Richard Ladeby.
Helping the local farming community financially proved to be more challenging. While there was great community support for the market the first couple of weeks, for a variety of reasons, customers were sparse in the ongoing weeks. Farmers found it difficult to leave their farms to come to the market when they would only have a few customers. In July, when farmers received word that their water allotments were being further reduced, they faced additional challenges and decided to focus their efforts on saving their farms. “Some farmers are making plans to change what they farm altogether. Some will no longer raise beef cattle because they don’t have enough water to grow the hay they need to feed them. We, as consumers, will be subject to those adjustments,” stated Lysa Vattimo, Market Coordinator. “On behalf of the City and the farmers, we thank everyone who came out and shopped at the market and supported this effort. Please continue to support all our local farmers, follow their social media pages to keep up to date on their offerings, and do whatever you can to help them through these challenging times.”
