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Downtown Waterville Farmers' Market

APRIL MEETING AGENDA

Interview New Applicants

Review Market Voids Spreadsheet (Shannon)

Vote on New Applicants

Approve Buy-Ins

Approve Amendments to By-laws, Rules, and Application

Accept formal relationship between DWFMA and WMSt

Budget Allocation

Food Stamps? (Hanne, Dylan, Shannon)

Secure Farm Visit Volunteers

Budget: WMSt has secured $5,000 from Maine General. While this seems like an excessive amount, it will not be spent all at once and will be money the Market can keep in the bank for any future needs.

The Net Profit of 2006 was $3,326.87.

The Budget for 2007 is expected to include the creation of more signs, paid advertising, posters/ brochures, etc. Also included will be the fee for contracting the services for WMSt. The Steering Committee also thinks it would be beneficial to commission KVCAP, a local transportation service, to add a Thursday Market circuit from local neighborhoods, especially Senior Centers. This would allow those with limited access an easy way to patronize the Market. Shannon will research this.

RETURNING MEMBERS (17):

Kenerson Farm: Bison Meat. Electricity needed.

A Page-N-Thyme Farm & Soap Company: Eggs, Chicken, Goat Products (meat, soap, and body products). Possibly honey and cut flowers.

Raini Ridge Farm: Eggs, Alpaca yarn, yarn products, and fiber products. Possibly vegetable seedlings, flower seedlings. Buy-In Maple Products.

French Hill Farm: Tree fruits, jams/jellies/relishes, lamb, sausage.

Brighton Farm: Organic. Mixed vegetables, sweet born, potatoes, tree fruits, raspberries, jams/jellies/relishes, maple products, eggs. Possibly apples, honey. Buy-In strawberries, blueberries.

Sherman Farm: Goat products: goat milk, goat cheese. Possibly baked goods, eggs.

Crown Point Farm: Vension. Electricity needed.

Grassland Farm: MOFGA certified organic. Mixed vegetables, dairy, beef.

Living Earth Farm: Organic. Mixed vegetables, sweet corn, potatoes, vegetable seedlings, flower seedlings, annuals, perennials, baked goods, jams/jellies/relishes, herbs/herbal products/herbal medicines. Possibly tree fruits, cut flowers, dried flowers, mushrooms, arts & crafts, massage/shiatsu. Buy-In blueberries, honey.

Albion Bread Company: Hand-made, wood-fired breads featuring heirloom wheat and Albion-grown grains.

Fail-Better-Farm & Baxter-Furner Bakery: MOFGA certified organic. Mixed vegetables, potatoes, baked goods (cookies, scones, hearth breads), herbs. Possibly Cut flowers. Buy-In blueberries.

Tangled Oak Farm: Mixed vegetables, eggs, pork. Possibly sweet corn, potatoes, cut flowers, and herbs. Hormones, antibiotics, and chemical fertilizers are not used.

Eagle View Gardens and Haunted Trail Pumpkins: Mixed vegetables, potatoes, eggs. Possibly sweet corn, apples, strawberries, cut flowers, and herbs.

Fox Hill Farm: Pasture raised, hormone/antibiotic free. Baked goods, herbs, chicken, beef, pork. Possibly mixed vegetables, cut flowers, jams/jellies/relishes, and eggs. Buy-In blueberries. Electricity needed.

Cornerstone Farm: Eggs, Beef, Pork. Possibly mixed vegetables, fresh roasted coffee.

Snakeroot Farm: Mixed vegetables, potatoes, vegetable seedlings, annuals, perennials, herbs. Possibly apples, raspberries, grapes, and seeds.

100 Acre Farm: Mixed vegetables, apples, strawberries. Possibly others tree fruits, honey, vegetable seedlings, flower seedlings, cut flower, herbs, maple products, eggs.

2006 MEMBERS NOT RETURNING

Fieldstone Gardens: Perennial plants

Flying Fox Nursery: Potted plants

Whole Earth Recycling: Original hand-made clothing

Sunset Greenhouses: Trailer of potted plants

NEW APPLICANTS (16)

Borealis Breads: Wells, ME. Offers Baked goods and possibly sandwiches. They craft a wide variety of artisan breads, many using Maine-grown grains. They have been a leader in developing grain agriculture in Maine for nearly a decade, working with farmers to create a sustainable economy in healthy local grains. Breads are made with a natural, pre-fermented starter and long rising times, shaped by hand and baked on a stone hearth for a rich, distinctive flavor. Planned attendance May and October.

Peacemeal Farm: Dixmont, ME. MOFGA certified organic. Offers mixed vegetables, bulk storage vegetables, and vegetable seedlings. They farm 10 acres of vegetables. They attend Orono, Belfast, and Camden markets. Planned attendance Early May to November.

Echo Ridge Farmstead: Mt. Vernon, ME. MOFGA certified dairy. Offers baked goods such as whey breads as well as organic cows milk cheeses. Cheeses include mozzarella, mold ripened cheeses (camembert, brie, etc), and aged cheeses. Cheesecakes on occasion. Possibly offering planted and unplanted garden troughs. Licensed member of Maine Cheese Guild. Attends Belgrade farmers market. Planned attendance Early May to November.

Diversity Farm: Troy, ME. MOFGA certified organic. Offers Eggs, Turkey, Beef, and Pork. Possibly offering strawberries, baked goods, and butter. Certified organic grass-fed, raw milk cheeses will be available by this summer. Buy-In chicken and some beef. Planned attendance Early May to Late October. Electricity requested.

Winterberry Farm: Belgrade, ME. Organic. Offers cut flower bouquets and baked goods such as fresh fruit pies. Possibly offering honey, jams/jellies/relishes, herbs, eggs, and mixed vegetables. Planned attendance Late May to Late October.

High Lonesome Acres: Harmony, ME. Offers mixed vegetables, sweet corn, potatoes, honey, vegetable seedlings, flower seedlings, hanging baskets, annuals, perennials, baked goods, jams/jellies/relishes, herbs, eggs, blackberries, and fiddleheads. Possibly offering raspberries and blueberries. Buy-In butter. They farm about 8 acres of vegetables. Planned attendance Early May to Late October.

Trees to Please: Rome and Norridgewock, ME. Offers honey, annuals (mums), perennials (burning bush), and small live potted trees. Buy-In Apples. Planned attendance Early September to Early October.

B&F Vegetables: Winslow, ME. Buy-In Cheese and Seafood. Planned attendance Early May to Late October. Electricity requested.

Pudleduk Family Farm: Vassalboro, ME. Offers Baked goods, jams/jellies/relishes, eggs, pork (in the fall), and craft items (patchwork clothing, quilts, soaps, and herbal tea blends). Will attend market as long as it is open.

Better Way Farm: Windsor, ME. Organic. Offers mixed vegetables, jams/jellies/relishes, pickles, and dilly beans. Possibly offering sweet corn, potatoes, vegetable seedlings, cut flowers, herbs, and eggs. Planned attendance Early May to Late October.

Heald Farm LLC: Troy, ME. Offers sweet corn. Many varieties of highest quality sweet corn. Attends Fairfield and Brewer markets. Planned attendance Late July to Early October.

Worcesters's Wild Blueberries: Orneville, ME. Offers blueberries, honey, baked goods, jams/jellies/relishes. Planned attendance Early July to Late August.

Greensweet Orchard: Fairfield, ME. Offers apples, other tree fruits, garlic, and pumpkins. Possibly offering potatoes and jams/jellies/relishes. Planned attendance Early August to Late October.

Kennebec Nursery: Skowhegan, ME. Offers trees and shrubs in 3 gal. pots: approx. 7000 mixed hardwood and shrub varieties. 1500 ready for sale in June.

Carl Basgall: Waterville, ME. Offers birdhouses and country crafts. All materials are Maine-made with recycled materials. Runs a craft shop in Saco. New garden possibly offering mixed vegetables, flower seedlings, hanging baskets, cut flowers, dried flowers, and herbs. Planned attendance Early May to Late October.

Roger Collins: Waterville, ME. Blacksmith. Planned attendance Early June until Late October.

The Membership will be voting upon the new applicants at the meeting on April 12 at 5 p.m. at the WMSt office. Before the vote we will review each application and have an opportunity to ask the new applicants questions. All 16 of the new applicants are expected to attend so that they have an opportunity to represent themselves in person before the voting membership. It would benefit the group if everyone came to the meeting with firm ideas concerning the new applicants, questions that need to be asked, and a good idea of how to expand the market in a positive manner. We do have market voids that need to be addressed; we should also consider how many vendors the market can support. If all the new applicants were accepted, we would number 33--much larger than last year. We need to consider our options: those that would benefit not only the individual farms in the market but the market as a whole. A crowd draws a crowd, and variety in products encourages consumers to choose our market over the corporate supermarket. I will contact Shannon to find out how much space the City is willing to let us use, as this will help us determine the capacity of the market, keeping in mind that all of the vendors will most likely never be there on the same days. Please take a look at the web page, http://www.WatervilleFarmersMarket.org -- we've covered a lot of new ground in the last few months. The Steering Committee Minutes are online as well as the Minutes from the January Meeting and other informative documents. In the Steering Committee Minutes are the proposed Amendments to the Rules and By-laws. In an effort to keep this meeting as short as possible, it would be helpful if problems were identified before the meeting. We may find it necessary to schedule an additional meeting if the new member approval involves a lot of discussion to keep the vote fair and informed. Feel free to email me with questions, concerns, or additional items for the agenda.

Coco courtney.page@gmail.com