Notes from the August 11 meeting (only marginally better attended than community gardening meeting a few weeks earlier). Many thanks to Monica for taking and sending notes. More market musings anon. I also have planned an educational series on market questions. Feel free to submit yours.
Steering committee members and interested readers are welcome to question, research and comment on any points raised in meeting notes. Ditto come to meetings and volunteer. Above all ~ support our weekly local market as vendor, shopper or visitor. Tell others about the market and ask them to support it too.
Jubilee 2011 Market, photo by Tamra Hays
Attending:
Nancy (chair), Rebecca (market manager), Vanessa (social media) and Monica (note taker)
Issues discussed:
- Nancy said our bank account is up to $ 200. What do we want to spend the money on? Should we reserve the funds for advertisements and emergencies? Types of advertisement with costs associated include: posters, banners and reusable shopping bags. Vanessa already posts our activities on the web. The group decided that placing ads in area news weeklies was not the best use of money since most of our customers were in the local area.
- Does the market owe money for the liability insurance through NMFMA?
- Plant Health Inspection Certificates: the market can purchase a blanket certificate for individual vendors selling vegetable plants and herbs to be in compliance with federal law. Since all vendors contribute equally to the general fund, it has been questioned as to whether the market should bear the expense of paying for the permit when it does not pay for other permits.
Other
- Should the sale of dry staples be permitted (rice, beans)? Rules posted (website) for all members of the NMFMA state that there shall be no resale of goods. [NB: this misstates the rule as posted on the website and previously addressed. Said rule actually reads, "no resale of agricultural products." See comments at end]. Our rules state that sale of goods not grown or made by the vendor require prior approval of the Market Manager. It is unclear as to which State or Federal permits are required. Another question is what restrictions, if any, should be placed on the vendor. Can we only allow only one vendor to do this?
- What became of the simplification of the State's Food Program Inspection Certificates?
Decisions
- Keep some reserved funds in our account just in case. Confirm that no other money is owed for liability insurance (Nancy).
- Create a gift basket and card for Chris (T & C Auto) where all vendors contribute something as a Thank You for allowing us to use his property for our market (Rebecca). Post Thank You on the webpage (Vanessa).
- All vendors wishing to sell vegetable and herb plants next year will contribute money in advance so Nancy can pay for the permit (the expiration date for permits is the end of September. Rebecca will get a head count).
- Color posters will be printed and posted (Rebecca and Nancy). Research the possibility of having shopping bags made for our market (Monica).
- Research the status of the "simplified" Food Program Certs and requirements for the sale of dry staples (Monica)
NB ~ Editor's Notes
"Vegetable plants and herbs" should be changed to current phrasing on NM Farmers Market site,
live plants and cut flowers. Dried herbs are not mentioned anywhere and may be another matter
Dried fruit, beans, chicos, posole - specifically listed - falls under processed, home processed OK, requires NMED license. Not mentioning other dried vegetables seems a gap (one hopes an oversight straightened out by contacting NMED)
Member markets are prohibited from allowing the resale of agricultural products. Reselling is defined as agricultural products purchased by market vendors for resale to market customers. Agricultural products may be sold by a farm representative. A farm representative is a party that has the authority to act for the farmer so as to bring the farmer's agricultural product to market.
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