City To Create a Farmers' Market Commission

After meeting with the director of the DeSoto Farmer’s Market, Mayor Ron Counts said Arnold is about a year away from having a similar event in the area.

A farmer’s market is more than simply allowing people to unload produce-filled trucks and talk to customers, Counts said after the city commission’s economic development meeting at City Hall on March 4.

The city will create a committee of volunteers to develop the Arnold market, Counts said. “This event should be a quality-filled event, not simply a quantity-filled event.”

Organizers must decide numerous market details. The market’s location, days of the week, and time of day are the first concerns. Organizers must obtain insurance to protect the vendors and customers.

They must determine what kinds of foods or farm animals, if desired, should be sold at the market. Verifying health permits and collecting registration fees are among the other details organizers must tackle prior to launching a farmer’s market.

If done properly, an Arnold farmers' market could draw people from St. Louis and boost revenue and taxes  for Arnold restaurants, stores and gas stations.

Arnold is in a prime location between St. Louis and numerous farmers, said Debbie Campbell, director of the DeSoto Farmer’s Market and the organization Get Healthy DeSoto.

The DeSoto market will begin its third year this summer, Campbell said.

The market's goal is to provide fresh, local vegetables to residents, and the DeSoto Farmers' Market has become a community gathering place, she said.

Location is the first market concern, Campbell said. An event on private property provides vendors in Jefferson County access to a kitchen and allows them to have food samplings. The property manager, however, faces customers’ or vendors’ personal injury risk or the possibility of building damage from an errant driver.

A large public park would allow more people to find parking spaces and attend the event.

Food quality and strict health rule enforcement are other concerns. Contaminated food sold at the market will kill the event and create a lot of bad press, Campbell said.

The health department prohibits the sale of acidic foods, such as salsa or pickles, she said.

“Success requires you to get the local farmers on board and supporting the event,” Campbell said.

Farmers can provide lists of seasonal foods to organizers and residents. Some shoppers may become upset that tomatoes, for example, are not at the market, Campbell said. “But if they are not in season, farmers can’t sell them.”

Only farmers within 50 miles of DeSoto, as the crow flies, are considered local growers and are allowed to participate in the Desoto Farmer’s Market, she said.

Federal law prohibits Illinois farmers from participating in a Jefferson County farmers market, Campbell said.

Organizers need to determine whether to open the market for a single day or to have multiple markets during the week, she said. 

Saturdays will draw the largest crowd from St. Louis and Jefferson County.  “No one feels rushed on the weekend,” Campbell said.

A smaller market during the week in the afternoon may appeal to Arnold residents, Campbell said. 

Marketing, fundraising and membership fees are other concerns, she said. A strict deadline allows organizers to plan for the number of tables and chairs needed for an event, Campbell said. “It prevents people from randomly driving up and setting up on the event day.”

The effort researching laws, setting deadlines  and enforcing guidelines allow the DeSoto market to sell live chickens, pigs and ducks, Campbell said. "This year will be the first year Desoto will sell meat."

“A farmer’s market is a lot more complex than we thought it would be,” said Arnold’s City Administrator Matt Unrein.