Lynda V. Mapes,
Seattle Times staff reporter,
Aug. 2, 2000, permission to use story granted

CARNATION – The cackle and squawk of indignant hens fill the barn as Blake Johnston, 14, gathers the organic, free-range eggs that sell out every week at farmers markets throughout Seattle. This is agriculture at its most up close and personal: just Johnston and his mom, Michele Blakely, against the weeds and the bugs, nurturing three acres of vegetables and 350 laying hens. The hens are the closest things to employees at Growing Things farm.

An alternative to wholesale
Blakely is one of a growing number of small growers in this area who stay in business because of the booming success of urban farmers markets. As the network of markets grows in the city, so does the prosperity of small growers such as Blakely, who couldn't make it any other way. The reason is price. If Blakely sells a head of lettuce to a wholesaler, she's paid about 18 cents. But a big head of organically grown specialty lettuce will fetch as much as $1.50 when sold directly to a customer at a farmers market. "I don't like wholesaling," Blakely said. "You are dealing with people trying to get the lowest price possible at the best quality so they can make money. That's one reason why farmers are where they are. I'll give my food away to the food bank before I'll sell it for pennies a pound. "Farmers markets are a good deal. We can actually get paid for our work."

Farm Consolidation
Across Washington, agricultural production is consolidating into bigger and bigger farms. During the past 15 years, the number of commercial farms in Washington has shrunk by one-fifth, to about 29,000, while the average farm size has increased by 15 percent to 525 acres, according to a September 1999 consultant's report prepared for several state agencies. Meanwhile, opportunities for small growers to sell direct have also mushroomed. While still tiny in the context of the state's $6 billion agricultural economy, revenues from sales at farmers markets have more than doubled from $5 million in 1997 statewide to up to a projected $12 million this year. "There's a trust factor that appeals to people," said Zachary Lyons, director of the Washington State Farmers Market Association. "At a big grocery store you have no idea how the produce was harvested, how long ago, how long it's been stored, or what was sprayed on it. "At the markets you get to support local farmers, keep your money circulating in the community, and meet the person who grew your food."

There are 18 farmers markets in the Puget Sound region and more than 80 statewide. The number of markets statewide has nearly doubled since 1994. Growers like Blakely can make $600 to $1,200 in a five-hour day selling at a farmers market. She has to pay either $25 a day or 6 percent of her gross sales, whichever is higher, to rent a space at the University District, Columbia City or West Seattle markets. Otherwise the money is all hers: no marketer, wholesaler, distributor, shipper or retailer taking a cut.

Growers big and small
Growers selling at the markets run the gamut from the smallest operators like Blakely to growers like Jeff Miller, Monroe, who sells about half of his produce at Seattle farmers markets and most of the rest to a wholesaler. Baby salad greens have been good to Miller, who no longer does the day-to-day work on his farm. A full-time staff of seven - a farm manager and six Hispanic laborers – were topping onions, washing and bagging the lettuce and picking raspberries on a recent weekday. Miller expects to gross $200,000 this year, up from $8,000 when he started out 14 years ago, he said. He'll make about half of that at farmers markets. He can make $2,300 in five hours at a rocking and rolling farmers market - including the market on Saturdays in the University District, widely regarded as the best venue for small growers in the region. The University District market opened in 1993 and has seen sales grow as much as 40 percent a year ever since, with total revenue expected to top $1 million this year, said Chris Curtis, market coordinator. Growers must produce the food they sell themselves, a policy enforced by the honor system. "Farmers know each other, and they know their locale. If someone says they grew something but their neighbor knows it had to come from a wholesaler from California, I hear about it," Curtis said. "Do I ever!"

Markets have opened in West Seattle and Columbia City, and the Pike Place Market has added an organic growers day on Wednesday, as well as Sunday. Markets in Ballard and in Lake City are being developed. Direct sales through subscription farming are growing as well. Customers pay local growers at the beginning of the season and in return get a fresh bag of produce every week throughout the summer.

State's interest aroused
The popularity of direct sales with customers and small growers has caught the attention of the Washington State Department of Agriculture. The department used to employ a full-time staff to nurture direct sales, in addition to its efforts to increase agricultural sales internationally. Talks are also under way to restore funds for direct-marketing assistance, said Jim Jesernig, department director. The money was eliminated in 1993 budget cuts.

Bonnie Rice of the Washington State Sustainable Food & Farming Network said the trends toward bigger farms make direct-marketing assistance important. "All of the department's marketing funds are going to export and overseas markets," she said. "We should have at least as much going into local agriculture as international marketing." Meanwhile, the markets are selling themselves. Steve Garrett, a Pierce County extension agent, thinks there is something about farmers markets that touches people, and it's deeper than mere entertainment. "Really knowing where your food comes from is a luxury anymore," Garrett said. Blakely and Miller said they have many regular customers, and that their exchange goes far beyond money for produce. "They trust me. People thank me for it. I used to be a teacher, and I thought teaching kids was fun. But feeding people is even better," Blakely said. Lynda Mapes' phone message number is 206-464-2736.