New market banners celebrate growing locally
Visitors to the Peterborough Farmers’ Market should have an easier time identifying locally grown foods starting Saturday as a result of a new banner program created by the Peterborough Regional Farmers Network.
Vendors who sell 100 per cent of what they sell will display “verified-farmer banners” that state who they are, where their farm is located and their certification from agencies including My Pick, Organic Certification, Egg Farmers of Ontario and Chicken Farmers of Ontario.
To qualify, farmers must operate in parts of Peterborough County, the City of Kawartha Lakes, Durham Region, Hastings County and Northumberland County that are 75 kilometres or less from Peterborough city, organizers said.
About 10 vendors will have the banners this weekend and many more farmers are interested, network co-facilitator Joshua Blank said.
Controversy has swirled around the Saturday market for years, with complaints that some “truck farmers,” who ship in produce from the Ontario Food Terminal in Toronto, are receiving preferential treatment over local growers.
Conflict over the issue and others has led the city to state it may re-examine its arrangement with the market board, which leases the publicly owned space each Saturday.
Blank said the issue has continued for years and that development of the new program began in the spring because the network – which is not affiliated with the market itself – has identified that it is important to come up with a solution.
The idea is to celebrate farmers in this region, he said. Studies have shown that patrons expect what they buy at the market to be local and direct, that simply knowing that products are from Ontario isn’t good enough, Blank said.
Some of the market’s farmers grow 100 per cent in-season produce and resell some items that are not seasonally or locally available.
The advocacy group wants to ensure it doesn’t exclude anyone, so Blank said a similar banner system for these farmers, supported by a verification system, is being developed for clear and transparent representation to the consumer.
Farmers who are actively direct-to-market-farming in the area and want to participate in the program can contact the network at ptbofarms@gmail.com.
The relatively new farmer-driven organization hosted its first event June 8. With support from the National Farmers Union Local 345, it hosted Perspectives on Growing and Improving the Farmers’ Market, a conversation focusing on best practices that support vibrant markets.
The gathering at Emmanuel United Church included speakers with experience managing Ottawa’s By Ward and Parkdale markets, among others.
NOTE: For more information, visit www.ptbofarms.com.