HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?: FARMERS MARKETS OFFER RETAIL SALES WITHOUT THE MIDDLEMAN

Farmers markets are something special.

There are two in Cape Girardeau and more than 65 officially recognized in Missouri. Unofficially, there are many more when you count all the roadside stands and truck tailgates in Missouri towns where surplus produce from family gardens is sold.

"Shoppers can snatch up some of the freshest produce ever, at the best price," said Jim Welker, a founder of the market held each Thursday in Plaza Galleria parking lot along Independence. "Many customers enjoy shopping here."

Welker, an agriculture supervisor for the Missouri Department of Education, said many people visit the outdoor market just to stroll and chat with friends and vendors.

Farmers have been told for generations that they overproduce, get too much in government handouts, and are victimized by taking whatever they're offered for their products.

"It's different at farmers markets," said Welker. "Products there are always in demand and seldom in surplus. Consumers scramble for the vegetables."

"The vendor sets the prices," said Welker. "There is no middleman. What a vendor sells and what he gets depends on the seller and their products. If the price is too high, people will pass the stand."

If the prices are too low, consumers will rush the stand like a bargain day in Macy's basement. "They'll clean you out in a hurry," said Welker.

Gene Dillow agrees.

"We've been setting up here since it opened," said Dillow, of rural Jonesboro, Ill. "We started out with flowers and plants. Now we have a variety of vegetables. The market is great. Most of what we sell here is clear money.

"If you sell wholesale you have container costs and shipping costs. About the only expense here is the labor involved."

Consumers who show up late may see some vendors carting away sacks and boxes that once bulged with shiny green peppers, baseball-size onions and blushing tomatoes that actually taste like tomatoes.

"Much of the bountiful vegetables and flowers disappear quickly," said Welker. "Last week all the sweet corn was gone the first 15 minutes, but there was still a good variety of other vegetables."

The Galleria market was designed for vendors who have produced fruits, vegetables, plants and flowers. Producers who sell jelly, jams and baked goods must have produced the principal ingredient included in the product, said Welker.

Farmers markets are not just for small farmers and hobbyists. Many operators of medium and large farms have turned to the "no-middleman" marketing activity.

"It's a low-capital activity," says one farmer who turns to farmers markets for immediate cash flow. "The biggest expense is time, and it's worth it: you may lose the family farm buying cattle, but you won't lose it by planting a few acres of vegetables and flowers."

The majority of farmers doing direct marketing view it as a supplement to traditional marketing outlets or a nonfarm job in towns.

"You may not build up a $30,000 business," said an executive of the National Farmers' Direct Marketing Association. "But it's not all a hobby thing either; some produce a good chunk of cash."

The Peters of Cape Girardeau (Gene, Marilyn and children); the Newcombs of Cobden, Ill., (Charles and Bonnie); the Holcombes of Patton (Gary and wife, Jane, and children, Alan and Ann) and John Knaup of rural Cape Girardeau are typical hobby-type vendors who have established market stands at the Galleria site and the downtown market sponsored by the Downtown Merchants Association each Friday and Saturday morning.

The Galleria market is held each Thursday, May through October, starting at 3 p.m. The downtown market runs from 8 a.m. to noon Fridays and Saturdays during the same months.

The Holcombes raise organically-grown vegetables.

"We use only natural fertilizers and chemicals," said Gary Holcombe. "We use a lot of manure as fertilizer and use natural chemicals for protection against insects and plant diseases."

The Holcombes have offerings of cucumbers, green beans, and other vegetables.

"We have a good variety of vegetables at this time of year," said Marilyn Peters, who helped establish the Galleria market in 1987. "Right now we have watermelons, cantaloupe, tomatoes, pumpkins, green beans and other vegetables."

The Peters have a small farm in Mississippi County.

"We've been growing our own vegetables a number of years," said Marilyn Peters. "We've had a lot of help from our children since we started selling at the farmers market in 1987."

A son, Scott, is a senior agriculture major at Southeast Missouri State University. Daughter, Jenifer, is a sophomore at Murray State. Another son, Christopher, has completed college and is working in Gulfport, Miss.

"The farmers market has been a major factor in financing the children's college educations," said their mother, a schoolteacher here. "The children became interested in growing vegetables at an early age. They still help out and one or two of them can be found at the market here each week."

The Peters also participate in the downtown market and at a farmers market in Carbondale, Ill.

"The Carbondale market has been in existence a number of years, and is a much larger market," said Bonnie Newcomb. "We participate in the Galleria and Carbondale markets. The Carbondale market, held each Saturday morning in a parking lot along Route 13 in the eastern section of the city, was founded several years ago.

The Newcombs raise vegetables as a hobby.

"We have a small plot of vegetables," she said. "We raise tomatoes, potatoes, all kinds of peppers sweet and hot and other vegetables.

"It's fun. We meet a lot of people, and it's a source of extra income," said Newcomb. "It's more of a hobby with us, however; we like to plant seeds and watch the plants grow."

"The markets are good outlets for us," said John Knaup of Knaup Greenhouses along E. Jackson Blvd. "We enter the market in early May and will be there in late October."

Knaup raises flowers, plants and some okra.

Howard and Jo Ann Bock of Cape Girardeau are typical farmers market customers.

"We come by the Galleria market every Thursday," said Jo Ann Bock. We see a lot of our friends and neighbors here. This year we had to add tomatoes to our list of purchases."

The Bocks, who have a small garden, "usually have plenty of tomatoes," she said. "This year we flunked out on the tomato crop."

The Bocks say they enjoy walking around the market. "The atmosphere of the farmers, their fresh vegetables, and other shoppers make it all worthwhile. The selections are good, and coming here is so much easier than having your own garden."

Making their first but not last appearance at the Galleria market last week were Mr. and Mrs. Jim Bright of Cairo, Ill., and their grandson, Robert Ebbert.

"This is great," said Bright. "We'll be back."

"That's the secret of the weekly market," said Welker, who was doing some shopping of his own Thursday. "We see a lot of repeat customers."