Last night’s Market Committee meeting was cancelled due the extraordinary weather situation. Councilor Kelly Murphy stated that there will be no make-up meeting this month.

Here is another article that deals with the question of “are there too many farmer’s markets?” This is from Milwaukee Public Radio station, WUWM-FM

What’s New At The Marketplace?

By Susan Bence, September 2, 2011 | WUWM | Milwaukee, WI

Over the last few years, farmers’ markets around the country have mushroomed.

In some cases, the “eating local” movement is feeding the fervor, while other communities hope to lure more shoppers downtown during the economic funk.

We checked the pulse of market scene in southeastern Wisconsin.

She found farmers being spread thin, as markets bump into one another.

Kristin Krokowski knows a thing or two about farmers’ markets.

As a horticulturist with UW-Extension, she consults with farmers and markets around southeast Wisconsin.

At home, outside Mukwonago, her husband is raising 40 acres of vegetables.

Krokowski says challenges abound on the market scene.

Number one – she says – at least in this region – nearly half the vendors are not professional farmers.

“They’re hobbyist or they have another job; they don’t rely on farmers’ market for their income,” Krowkoski says.

She says although they add to market offerings, the dichotomy between professional and hobbyist occasionally breeds tension.

‘There was actually a fight that broke out at the West Allis farmers’ market; I think two years ago and one of the farmers got arrested because a hobbyist was selling her strawberries for a buck less a quart then anybody could even bring them in for and it really got people upset, I mean that’s their livelihood and their livelihood is being threatened because somebody has a hobby,” Krowkowski says.

Krokowski says because Wisconsin’s southeast region is densely populated, it can support plenty of markets, and farmers should be able to make money.

“Because you can do multiple markets and they’re different days of the week.

The problem is that not all markets stagger their schedules.

For example, Brookfield’s Saturday morning market dates back two decades; but a couple years ago, food enthusiasts opened shop just seven miles east in downtown Wauwatosa.

Krokowski says the two markets operate concurrently.

“I really tried hard to get Tosa to do it in the afternoon. You’re coming home from whatever you did in the morning and you can stop at the farmers’ market before dinner; I thought that would be really great idea and then farmers could kind of go from one market to the next,” Krokowski says.

Krokowski’s husband is one of the farmers who decided to take on the extra market.

She says that translates to an extra truck, more gas and additional hired help, but not additional income.

“We’re making now the same amount at Wauwatosa and Brookfield combined as we used to do at Brookfield,” Krowkowski says.

In between sales at the West Allis market, farmer Cindy Chapman has not allowed herself to be lured in to other markets.

“They all want Saturday markets; you can only do so many at time,” Chapman says.

Her blond hair pulled back, the East Troy farmer darts from customer to customer – a bag of fresh corn for one; humungous orange peppers for another.

“We come here Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. We pick Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the market. That’s how you keep it fresh and you keep your customers coming,” Chapman says.

Chapman and her husband farm 50 acres.

She says there’s nothing else she’d rather be doing, despite challenges.

“People don’t want our prices to go up but everything for us keeps going up; health insurance is one big one; half of our income goes for health insurance,” Chapman says.

Chapman says 44 years ago when she started working at her grandfather’s side, he got more for some produce than she does today.

“Eggplant is a good example: A dollar eggplant that we used to get $2 for. Our prices are not keeping up with the economy,” Chapman says.

I intercept customer Robert Gladstone as he hauls a heavy load of corn to his car.

He’s here every market day and purchases religiously from two particular vendors.

“Their corn is excellent and the tomatoes are out of this world and so are the melons, so I stick with what I get and I like,” Gladstone says.

Gladstone calls prices reasonable, and until I ask, says he had not thought about whether he’d be willing to pay more.

“I probably would be willing to pay more. Yeah, I love it. I love this produce,” Gladstone says.

It’s this level of customer loyalty that farmers and markets must feed, according to Young Kim.

He’s executive director of the Fondy Farmers Market six miles northeast of West Allis and just wrapped up a cooking demonstration – this week’s recipe is Szechuan green beans.

“This market’s been around since the 1930s. It’s had some dips and lulls, but one luxury that we’ve had is a pretty dedicated core of farmers here,” Kim says.

Yet Kim senses a growing tide of competition – as markets have multiplied.

“If we can get all of the farmers’ markets to stop viewing each other as competitors and more as allies, then it would be a much better environment to run things; More cooperation, more sharing of stories and more emotion support; I mean running a farmers’ market it hard – there’s always something going on,” Kim says.

Organizers of the newly formed Wisconsin Farmers Market Association hope it can start breaking down rivalries and help producers flourish in the process.

Last winter, all the state’s markets were invited to join. So far 35 of 215 have jumped on board.