RICHMOND COUNTY — Unseasonably warm temperatures not withstanding, we’re still a few months away from locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables being available, whether from your garden or the farmers market. Rest assured, however, farmers and gardeners everywhere are already preparing for the growing season. Transplants are being grown and soil is being prepared for planting. It takes a lot of planning, work, money, and, yes, love, for farmers and gardeners to do what they do. Without their work and dedication, we would be more dependent on food grown in other parts of the county, or even other parts of the world.
Think about that for a moment. What are the implications of relying on food sources that may be hundreds – or even thousands – of miles away?
Of course, freshness is one thing to consider. A tomato grown locally has less distance to travel to reach your sandwich than one grown in Mexico or Canada, for example. It means that a tomato will be riper when picked, fresher when purchased, last longer on your kitchen counter, and taste better when placed between two slices of bread and slathered with Duke’s mayo.
Will that tomato – locally grown versus not – cost more? Probably not significantly. Unless…say for example, the price of gas suddenly went up significantly. Then, it might cost a lot more for a tomato to travel thousands of miles to your kitchen rather than 20 miles.
The problem is: life is unpredictable. We can’t plan ahead to know that a food outbreak might take imported tomatoes off the market (as happened about 10 years ago). We can’t know when a global crisis may result in the price of gas going up. In January, farmers planned what they will grow this year, based on how things went the previous growing season, and what new markets they are anticipating. It’s a gamble to gage how much produce they need to grow to meet what they think will be the demand.
My point is: farmers rely on anticipated demand to grow enough product; they can’t turn on a dime to meet a sudden increase in need in the event of a crisis. This is why it is important that, as a society, we make the effort to support our local farmers markets and farm stores on a regular basis. By doing so, we ensure that they stay in business and are growing essential food day in and day out. The North Carolina Farmers Market Network is a statewide resource for farmers markets. Their 2024 Market Survey shows how important farmers markets are, both for farmers as a critical source of income, and for customers, as a source for fresh, healthy food. An interesting highlight of the report is the distribution of farmers markets throughout the state.
Divided into five regions – West, North Central, South Central, North East, and South East – the report shows how varied the impact of farmers markets are across the state. In the West and North Central districts, there are 26 farmers markets in each. In comparison, there are 11 markets in the South Central, 9 in South East, and just five in the North East. The western part of the state has long had a culture of supporting local food, numerous small produce farms, and many farmers markets both large and small. The North Central district includes some of the most populous counties in the state. Both districts also host large, regional state farmers markets. In contrast, the other districts have many fewer farmers markets, fewer opportunities for farmers to sell and consumers to buy. In Richmond County, old Highway 220 used to have numerous produce markets lined up all the way through the county. Most of those markets are now closed (the Berry Patch is a happy exception), due to the opening of the by-pass in 2008 as well as changing habits of eating fresh produce. Farmers will often comment that “back in the day,” buyers would purchase large quantities of sweetpotatoes, sweet corn, half bushels of peaches, etc. – for canning, preserving, or simply feeding large groups of people for Sunday dinner. Those habits have changed, with people now purchasing just a few of each item, just enough to make one meal. It’s harder for farmers to sell what they need to be economically sustainable.
The Richmond County Farmers’ Market Association is having its 2026 Planning meeting on Tuesday, March 31, at 4 p.m. at the Ag Services Center (123 Caroline Street, Rockingham). Former vendors or those interested in being a vendor are welcome to attend. The meeting is for planning market days, hours, and developing the market rules. The Rockingham Farmers Market, held Saturdays at the former Food King parking lot in downtown Rockingham, has been suffering from what I call “Chicken and Egg Syndrome”: there’s not enough vendors at the market, because there’s not enough customers at the market. And there’s not enough customers at the market because there’s not enough vendors at the market.
At some point, there may not be enough of either for the market to continue. There must be a commitment by everyone – farmers, market gardeners, crafts people, as well as customers, to support the local market and make it a success. It won’t turn around in just one season, it will take time. When the market opens in May, come out and support local!