After all the mayhem at the Market on Wednesday which rolled into Thursday it was hard for me to get away for long. We have a new vendor who wanted to start coming to the Market this week so I really wanted to get out to his farm today. New vendors, in the farm category must be checked before they are allowed to sell at the City Market. Basically I am checking to see if they have a farm or large backyard garden and if they are harvesting the produce they listed on their application. I also ask about their water source and growing practices. I always find that farmers love to talk about their farms.

I was able to break away for a few hours and drive up to Rosendale, Missouri which is just north of St. Joe.  Jaylon Sybert is fairly new to growing for a farmers market so has started off fairly slow and hopes to build up as time goes by. He currently has a small plot behind his brother’s home where he has planted tomatoes, chili peppers, squash, okra, and green beans. Jaylon plans to supplement his stall with sweet corn from Randy Roberts in Rea, MO. Jaylon will be selling at the City Market on Sundays as a waiting list vendor so his location will vary from week to week.

I will be attending an AgriMissouri conference next week so will not be out checking farms. I will however be touring urban farms and community gardens. It should be an interesting week.