Looking at a Farmers Market Vendor’s “Offseason”

With October ending next week, most remaining farmers markets are hosting their final market this weekend which means vendors will a little more free time on their hands.

Sue Flatau of Flatau Farms said that means she’ll be busy doing what she calls the three R’s; Review, Renew and Rest.

“What worked this past season? What didn’t work? How do we want to plan for next year? What do we want to do differently? What do we want to keep doing the same?”

There is also a lot of bookkeeping that needs to be done for new equipment, a lot of work in the farm to make sure the crop next year grows at a high quality, but there is also some time to rest without the pressure of harvest.

Sam Weaver of the Ahtanum Berry Patch in the Yakima area said they have to do a lot of financial planning because farmers markets are not year round.

“You have to make enough in the farmers market season to sustain you through the winter months when you are pruning and doing the work that’s required in the berry patch.”

Weaver said he does get to take much of December off, but he will begin working the fields in February for a mid-May harvest of strawberries and full-time work at various area farmers markets.

If you have a story idea for the Washington Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail krounce@cherrycreekradio.com.