Farmers market planning underway

The location of a certified farmers market in Glenn County remains undecided following a packed meeting of potential vendors Thursday in Orland.

Glenn County Resource Conservation District manager Kandi Manhart and market coordinator Claudia Street received plenty of feedback in the Carnegie Center, but did not finalize a venue.

Growers and advocates from both Orland and Willows suggested it might be best to hold two farmers markets each week with one perhaps in Orland's Library Park on Tuesday evenings, and the other Saturday mornings in Willows.

This would allow both communities to participate in the program and spread the buying opportunities to residents in both areas, Willows Mayor Heather Baker said.

The RCD has a United States Department of Agriculture grant to spearhead a farmers market in Glenn County by marketing it and developing a growers' marketing association that will sustain it when the grant runs out in two years.

However, where to locate the market is critical to its potential success, Manhart and Street said, so they want to get it right the first time.

Initially, the RCD thought it might be good to rotate the market between Hamilton City, Orland and Willows, but that met with survey concerns changing venues could confuse consumers.

One location and date is deemed by some to be the best strategy since people can get used to it. Another is to have the market in Willows during 2010 and Orland in 2011.

The women will analyze the information and look at surveys competed during Thursday's meeting before narrowing in on a final choice, they said.

An online survey of consumers through the University of California Cooperative Extension Service in Orland also may be used in the decision.

Jody Samons of the Cooperative Extension office said she could place such a survey on to the Glenn County Cooperative Extension Web site to see what consumers think. It would be free and might provide useful data.

Street also plans to schedule a marketing association meeting soon, so growers and producers wishing to participate can join and help organize the market.

Ultimately, the marketing association will decide which dates and venues to use, she said. A tentative schedule is to run the market from June through September during the summer harvest and tourist seasons.

"We only have a month or two to make a decision," Street said, "so we can start advertising before June."

Questions about where to draw buyers were raised at the meeting.

Some attendees said the market should be placed on a main street rather than a downtown park since they need to be drawn off of Interstate 5 and or highways 162 or 32.

Community advocates like Baker said having the market downtown would benefit other merchants and create a meeting place for locals and visitors like the farmers markets do in Chico.

Others in attendance suggested the market could draw buyers from Corning, Colusa and cities along the I-5 corridor depending on where it is located.

Chico buyers might also come, but a few producers said they were skeptical about Chicoens driving to Orland or Hamilton City because of the distance and the bad reputations the communities have with some Chico residents.

"There is money in the budget for a billboard on I-5," Street said, and money for banners in which ever city is chosen that will direct people to the market.

For more information, call the RCD at 934-4601, ext. 126 or e-mail Street at Claudia.Street@ca.nacdnet.net.

Contact Rick Longley at 934-6800 or rlongley@tcnpress.com.