{"id":57188,"date":"2024-08-12T01:00:35","date_gmt":"2024-08-12T09:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/?p=57188"},"modified":"2024-08-14T13:25:56","modified_gmt":"2024-08-14T21:25:56","slug":"farm-stops-create-new-markets-for-small-farms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2024\/08\/12\/farm-stops-create-new-markets-for-small-farms\/","title":{"rendered":"Farm Stops Create New Markets for Small Farms"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/div>

At Argus Farm Stop, the shelves are full of locally raised vegetables and fruit, herbs, beef, chicken, fish, and more. Beets from one local farm snuggle up against sunchokes from another, across eggs from yet another. Above many of the market\u2019s displays hang smiling pictures of farmers alongside their produce.<\/p><\/div>

\n

And when these same farmers make a delivery to Argus Farm Stop<\/a>, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the staff treat them like minor celebrities: free coffee, shout-outs from the owners, the works. \u201cThey are like rock stars,\u201d says Bill Brinkerhoff, Argus\u2019 co-owner, a tall, friendly businessman with a passion for local food. \u201cIt\u2019s like, \u2018Farmer John is in the house!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Argus represents an emerging business model, the farm stop, which connects consumers and farmers in a local food web. A farm stop sells food on consignment from nearby small and medium farms, landing it somewhere between a grocery store, a farmers\u2019 market, and a food hub<\/a>. Here, farmers deliver freshly harvested produce to a brick-and-mortar retail shop with a full staff. The farmers set their own prices and keep the bulk of the revenue.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Bill<\/a>

Bill Brinkerhoff, Argus Farm Stop co-owner. (Photo credit: Paige Hodder)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Farm stops operate quite differently from typical mainstream grocery stores like Kroger or Albertson\u2019s, which rely on industrialized food systems and complex supply chains. They are also distinct from a farmers\u2019 market, which requires farmers to either be there for sales or hire someone to sell for them. With farm stops, retail consumers have better access to local food, and farmers can spend more time farming.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a small but expanding niche. At least six farm stops operate in the Midwest, and many of them opened over the past decade, including Bloomington Farm Stop Collective<\/a>, in Indiana, and the Lakeshore Depot<\/a>, in Marquette, Michigan.<\/p>\n

At Argus, the hope is to make life easier for farmers. Too many small farmers quit, Brinkerhoff says, because \u201cthere is not enough money and it\u2019s too hard. We are trying to change that narrative: to make it sustainable, economically, to be a small farmer.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Niche for Smaller Farms<\/h4>\n<\/div>

Smaller farms in the U.S. are buckling<\/a> under the weight of financial, legal, and logistical challenges.\u00a0A farm could try to supply a grocery store, but the major chains don\u2019t pay enough to cover the higher costs of independently grown produce. Even if a store did pay adequately, a small farm might struggle to meet licensing and regulation requirements designed with industrial farming in mind.\u00a0 <\/p><\/div>

\n

\u201cWe have to trust that they are going to supply us, and they have to trust that we are going to take good care of their products.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

As a result, smaller farms are disappearing. From 2012 to 2022, the number of farms in the U.S. decreased by almost 10 percent, according to the USDA\u2019s 2022 Census of Agriculture<\/a>, while the average farm size increased 6.7 percent, from 434 acres to 463 acres. That has created a food system that may be more efficient, but is also less resilient. During the Covid-19 pandemic<\/a>, the complex supply chains of large-scale systems proved vulnerable<\/a> to shock, while smaller-scale operations were able to adapt and pivot. Such adaptability will prove essential as climate change continues.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, the current industrial system is hard on smaller farm operators, who are forced \u201cto be price takers instead of price makers,\u201d says Kim Bayer, the owner of Slow Farm<\/a>, which sells organic produce at Argus.<\/p>\n

Farm stops can change the equation. Slow Farm, based on the north side of Ann Arbor, typically makes two deliveries a week to Argus from May to October: a small run on Wednesday, directly to the market, and a larger one on Sunday, for Argus\u2019 community-supported agriculture program (CSA), with customers picking up their weekly boxes at the store. And, like all of Argus\u2019 farm suppliers, Slow Farm earns 70 percent of the retail price for their food, at prices Bayer herself sets. That\u2019s a significant difference compared to the average of 15 percent of retail going to growers who sell to supermarkets.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Kim<\/a>

Kim Bayer, owner of Slow Farm, with farm managers Zach Goodman and Magda Nawrocka-Weekes. (Photo credit: Paige Hodder)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

The model relies on a \u201cmutual trust relationship\u201d between the food stop and the farmers, Brinkerhoff says. \u201cWe have to trust that they are going to supply us, and they have to trust that we are going to take good care of their products.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Better Food, Better Access<\/h4>\n<\/div>

For customers, meanwhile, farm stops supply ultra-fresh goods that are otherwise hard to come by.<\/p><\/div>

\n

In Michigan, corn and soy farming dominate the agricultural economy, and smaller vegetable farms are less common, says Jazmin Bolan-Williamson, the farm business coordinator at the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems. So large grocery chains in the region often fill their shelves with heavily processed foods that are transported from thousands of miles away.<\/p>\n

Farms supplying Argus, by contrast, produce a wide range of crops, including heirloom varieties. All of it travels only a few miles to arrive on the shelf. The food is not only fresher, but its carbon footprint is lighter, another boon.<\/p>\n

The benefits of farm stops extend to larger groups, too. Argus hopes to become as a single point of contact for school kitchens in the community, making it easier for them to source locally grown food. This creates a network of support for a resilient local food system.\u00a0And not just in farm country. The model can also help create those networks in cities, too.<\/p>\n

In Rock Hill, South Carolina, for example, FARMacy Community Farmstop<\/a> provides quality food to the city\u2019s lower-income residents. A farm stop\u2019s flexibility, size, and community-centered focus are uniquely suited to help, FARMacy\u2019s founder, Jonathan Nazeer, says.<\/p>\n

FARMacy employs a pay-what-you-will system, where lower-income customers pay what they can and others pay above sticker price to compensate. The\u00a0farm stop has received funding from the South Carolina Dept of\u00a0Local Food Purchasing Assistant for produce at the market and in weekly boxes.<\/p>\n

FARMacy also cultivates learning and gathering around food, Nazeer says. In the seating area outside the store, FARMacy hosts concerts, workshops, and cooking classes. Here, people connect more deeply with what they\u2019re eating, while they create community. When people value and understand their food, he says, \u201cwe empower them to take charge of their health and feel good about how they are participating in this system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paving a Path for Farm Stops<\/h4>\n<\/div>

Creating alternative food systems comes with its own set of obstacles, some of which are regulatory.<\/p><\/div>

\n

Farmers\u2019 markets typically work under cottage food laws<\/a>, which allow farmers to sell unregulated food as long as they are present for the sale. Farm stops, however, operate outside of this regulatory system, which can create some unusual challenges\u2014and ad hoc solutions.<\/p>\n

For example, in 2016, after receiving a complaint, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) cited Argus for selling eggs from small farms that hadn\u2019t processed their eggs in a licensed facility.\u00a0Under Michigan law, unlicensed egg producers can only sell their eggs directly to consumers. An inspector visited the farm stop and seized 90 dozen eggs, according to the MDARD.<\/p>\n

Over the following weeks, Argus worked with the department, local farms and experts, and elected state officials to find a way for the unlicensed farms to sell directly to customers. Now, Argus merely holds the eggs (in a distinct refrigerator) but takes no money; customers pick up the eggs they\u2019ve purchased from farmers.<\/p>\n

\u201cMDARD has been working in collaboration and partnership with Argus Farm Stop for many years,\u201d says Jennifer Holton, a spokesperson for the department. \u201cIt is a success story in Michigan from a farmer perspective, in that they provide a way for farmers to get their products to an enthusiastic, supportive customer base in an economically viable way that respects the limited time farmers have for selling their products away from the farm.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Eggs<\/a>

Eggs from Shady Glade on display at Argus Farm Stop. (Photo credit: Paige Hodder)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Other challenges are financial and practical.<\/p>\n

Establishing and maintaining a farm stop takes a lot of time and money, says Michigan State University\u2019s Bolan-Williamson. It can be tricky to find the right building for a market, and it can cost millions to build a grocery-ready facility from the ground up, she says.<\/p>\n

Getting a bank loan could prove difficult, too. It\u2019s likely a bank would want to see local interest in a farm stop before lending funds, Bolan-Williamson says. She suggests that farm stops hold town meetings, gather signatures or even seek donations as proof of that interest.<\/p>\n

Despite these challenges, Brinkerhoff says, if you find the right niche, a farm stop can be entirely supported by consumer demand. He and his partners founded Argus roughly 10 years ago with $180,000. Argus now operates two markets and two caf\u00e9s, employs 65 people, and partners with roughly 200 local farmers, food producers, and artisans. In 2023, the store made $6.5 million in sales.<\/p>\n

Argus is now taking a leading role in expanding the movement. Its success, and its galvanizing effect on local farms, provide a beacon: In the past decade, the acres of farmland in Washtenaw County\u2014where Argus is located \u2014 actually grew, according to the USDA census of agriculture.<\/p>\n

In March, Argus held the first-annual National Farm Stop Conference<\/a> in Ann Arbor. The conference hosted roughly 120 participants from across the country, including existing farm stops, representatives from communities looking to adopt the model, and policymakers hoping to understand more about it.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re learning from each other. Nazeer, who attended the conference on behalf of FARMacy, says different cities can adapt the model to their needs, and each has unique strategies to share. In fact, after the conference, Argus visited FARMacy to learn more about its approach.<\/p>\n

Senior representatives from the USDA were also at the conference; they connected with Argus and expressed interest in using the model to grow local food systems.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Tess<\/a>

Employee Tess Rian checks new herbs on display at Argus Farm Stop. (Photo credit: Paige Hodder)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Rebecca Gray, director of The Wild Ramp<\/a> farmers\u2019 market in Huntington, West Virginia, felt energized by the event. She says she recognized the chance to learn from successful, long-running farm stops, and appreciated how a span of a few days helped bridge the gap between politicians and small farmers. \u201cIt was a really great opportunity for these two groups of people to connect and learn about each other\u2019s operations,\u201d she says, and \u201cfor policymakers to see what their policy is actually doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Besides hosting the farm stop conference, Argus also offers monthly hour-long webinars<\/a> and sells three-day online courses for anyone interested in starting their own farm stop, plus private consulting.<\/p>\n

Brinkerhoff is not looking to open more farm stops, but he remains committed to helping other communities do so.\u00a0Farm stops are \u201cefficient, effective, enjoyable, and affordable,\u201d he says. \u201cAny town that has a farmers\u2019 market can do one.\u201d<\/p>\n

This article was updated to correct one of the sources of FARMacy’s funding.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/div><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

And when these same farmers make a delivery to Argus Farm Stop, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the staff treat them like minor celebrities: free coffee, shout-outs from the owners, the works. \u201cThey are like rock stars,\u201d says Bill Brinkerhoff, Argus\u2019 co-owner, a tall, friendly businessman with a passion for local food. \u201cIt\u2019s like, \u2018Farmer John […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1332,"featured_media":57200,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4368,4479,3259,521],"tags":[],"coauthors":[43506],"class_list":["post-57188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-farming","category-food-and-farm-labor","category-local-food"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLike Farmers' Markets? 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