Columbia-Greene Media
After a difficult year during the COVID-19 pandemic, local farmers, crafters and farmers markets have seen a renewed enthusiasm for buying and shopping locally.
According to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, the demand for markets goes beyond this past year and into the last decade — the state has more than 400 farmers markets, 250 farm stands and 10 mobile markets, all numbers that have grown at a “rapid rate” over the last decade, according to the department’s website. But local farmers say they’ve experienced increased sales and interest in their products since the pandemic began.
Columbia County is currently home to seven markets and farm stands, two of which operate year-round, according to the department’s website, while Greene County has five.
Jeff Friedman, president and executive director of the Greene County Chamber of Commerce, said farmers markets have been busy this summer and the chamber has seen an uptick in local makers becoming members.
“We certainly think that and have seen a growing trend across all of the hamlets and towns in our county, which are seeing more of these mom-and-pop makers who are actually physically manufacturing products in the county, and that’s been a real good shot in the arm to the local economy as a result,” Friedman said.
Alex Johnk, president of the Greene County Youth Fair and owner of Johnk Family Farm in Greenville, said during the pandemic, his beef and pork farm stand saw demand double.
Johnk said the spike could be attributed to people being concerned about shopping inside grocery stores.
“It’s a smaller crowd. It’s open spaces, it’s kind of a more comforting atmosphere to be in,” Johnk said. “The pandemic, when it first struck, and the packing plants were shutting down and everything else. There was a lot of food insecurity and people really wanting to reconnect to getting stuff locally.”
Brent Zimmerman, owner of Lime Kiln Farm in Coxsackie, has his beef, lamb and olive oil products at the Coxsackie and Copake markets, and he said the increasing number of markets popping up in the area make it difficult to choose which to sell at.
“It’s hard to decide which ones to do because some are more popular than others and obviously we need to make the best of our day because we are so busy,” Zimmerman said. “So if you take out six hours of your day to do a market, it has to pay.”
Zimmerman said in his experience, the loss of restaurant and store sales during the pandemic was offset by increased sales at farmers markets.
“It’s just more people are happier and forced to cook at home and rediscover the joy of cooking,” Zimmerman said.
This year in particular, Zimmerman said he is enjoying the markets more than he did two years ago as customers have been friendlier and take a genuine interest in his products and farm.
“There might have been a little reset button on just being neighborly again,” he said.
Despite the local support, Zimmerman said farming through COVID-19 is still “a tough game” with climbing costs of gas, feed and hay.
For some, the pandemic served as an inspiration to bring communities together through locally grown produce and handcrafted items. Sam Duncan founded the Two Ladies Market in January, which occurs on the first and third Saturday of each month at the Greenville Drive-In, when she realized locals needed something to get them out of the house.
The market initially got 300 vendor applications, Duncan said, and each Saturday between 40 and 50 are selling goods like wildflower arrangements, local honey, crystals, baked goods, meat and produce, among others.
Duncan, who also crafts goat’s milk products from her farm, said the community has turned out and returns each weekend for items they found that they love.
“This is a perfect opportunity to take advantage of something — just not for me as me being a crafter too — for the whole community to come together and do this for Greenville,” she said.
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July 05, 2021 at 10:42PM
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Farmers markets see renewed interest in buying local - Hudson Valley 360
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