The Weblog

This weblog contains LocallyGrown.net news and the weblog entries from all the markets currently using the system.

To visit the authoring market’s website, click on the market name located in the entry’s title.



 
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The Cumming Harvest - Closed:  Newsletter - January 14th, 2015


Market News

A couple of things before I get into the second issue of how the market works.

Ancient Awakenings unfortunately will only be able to do deliver to the Cumming Harvest market every other weekend for the time being. This weekend they are out of town, but will be back next week and then every other week there after.

Indian Creek Angus has added a half and quarter cow to the market this week.
1/2 Hanging Weight, 429lbs – Bone In Steaks (Rib Steaks, T bones, and Sirloins). It also includes ground beef, cube steak, boneless stew, roasts, short ribs and soup bones. Approximately 139 lbs of beef.

1/4 Hanging Weight, 429lbs – Bone Out Steaks (Ribeyes, Filets, NY Strips, and Sirloins). It also includes ground beef, cube steak, boneless stew, roasts, short ribs and soup bones. Approximately 64 lbs of beef.

Both of these are listed online.

2B Whole is selling this week, gluten free breads, cakes, cookies and donuts.

My Daily Bread is offering a sale on some of their Jam and Jelly, now only $5. They also have their Sourdough and Multigrain bread loaves on sale for $6.50.

Farm Fresh Foods is taking this week off, she’ll be back next week.

Cheese and Butter I will be sending in a group order of Raw Cheese from Meadow Valley Farm in Indiana and of Raw Butter. The cheese is between $7.25-$8/lb and comes in Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Havarti, Jalapeno Cheddar, Colby, Gouda, Baby Swiss, Mozzarella and Sharp Cheddar. Place your order online.

Farmer of the Day We have a new vendor coming to the market, Snack N Joy, offering a line of gluten free items. She is currently a “grower” with Mary Beth at Joyful Noise Acres and is currently a vendor in the Atlanta area with Whole Foods Markets. Her gluten free items are milled in small batches with nutrient rich organic grains into flour which are then baked into muffins, cookies and breads. Organic fruits and nuts are used whenever possible. Preservatives or fillers are never used and all dairy is from cows not treated with rBST.

Now, back to the market detail…last week I reviewed legal issues and how the money is transferred. This week we’ll go over finances. This is pretty lengthy and much of it is copied from our mother market manager, Eric Wagoner, at Athens Locally Grown. He’s got this market thing down since this is his 15th year. We’ve been in business going on 5 years this coming August and even though I should have it down, I still need to refer to the mother ship from time to time.

First off, we’re legally an LLC, and the market is owned and operated by me. You may have heard the market described as a co-op but it has never legally been one even though it’s run in a cooperative spirit.

We’re not a non-profit, either, but we’ve structured things so that over time the market can just barely cover its own expenses. Just like all of our member farms are sustainable growers, the market itself needs to be sustainable. So how do we cover its expenses? One small way is through the memberships you pay. The $25 a year you give to the market is enough (to put it bluntly) to cover most of the costs of having you as a customer: banking fees from depositing your checks, paper and ink for printing, web hosting fees, and that sort of thing. There really isn’t much left and I’m happy to provide those that ask, a copy of our budget. We currently have 190 paid members out of the 1552 active accounts on the website.

By far the bulk of our funding comes from the growers themselves. They pay a 10% commission on their sales through the site. This money covers the storage we use, the tables and shelves used to spread out and organize your orders, the food allowance we offer our volunteers, rent and utilities, etc. During the slow parts of the year, the sales are usually not enough to cover our weekly costs, but in the busy times (late fall and early spring, for us) there is extra. If we plan things out well, it pretty much all evens out in the end.

Last year, the total sales and memberships combined through the market amounted to $168,509.00. 90% of the sales went straight to our growers, and the rest went to a food allowance for our volunteers ($50 a week), rent ($120/month), web hosting ($5,140/year), transportation, insurance and various small business expenses. The “profit” gets counted as personal income on my tax forms, and comes out to roughly $3000/year.

The growers get paid out of the shared cashbox for their previous week’s sales when they drop off their items, during the hour before we open the market. Then, you arrive and pay into the cashbox for your order. We used to then rush to the bank to deposit the money to cover the checks we just wrote to the growers, but now the growers get paid the following week (money you pay via credit cards takes up to a week to reach our account). As explained elsewhere on the website, you are really ordering directly from and paying the growers yourself, but our shared cashbox system makes things convenient for you and them. (Imagine if you ordered from ten growers having to write ten checks when you picked up your items!) This shared cashbox system has so far satisfied the tax man, but it does mean that if you place an order and then never arrive to pick it up, we’re left holding the bag. For that reason, you are responsible for paying for orders not picked up, and that amount is automatically added on to your next order for your convenience.

So, in probably far too much detail, that’s how we operate financially. Our market might be more expensive to run than a traditional “booths and tables” farmers market, but that price buys a system that’s simple, time-saving, flexible, and in my opinion, just better. There’s no money in the bank, but the market is paying for itself and that’s my primary financial goal. If you’d like to talk with me in person about this or any other aspects of TCH, just pull me aside when you come by to pick up your order.

LOCATION
Building 106, Colony Park Dr. in the Basement of Suite 100, Cumming, GA 30040.
Google Map

PICK UP HOURS
Saturday from 10-12pm.
106 Colony Park Drive, Suite 100 Cumming, GA 30040
Please contact me if you have any questions, problems or suggestions. EMAIL ME

To view the harvest today and tomorrow till 8pm, visit “The Market” page on our website, The Cumming Harvest

We thank you for your interest and support of our efforts to bring you the healthiest, the freshest and the most delicious locally-produced foods possible!

Champaign, OH:  Show Us The Love!


Just a reminder that you have one hour to get your orders in!

Don’t miss out!!

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam

ALFN Local Food Club:  Weblog Entry


Step right up and place your order! The Market is still open and ready to fulfill all your local foodie needs. From arugula to zucchini, we have all the hardy winter produce and frozen fruits and veggies you could want, along with a few delicate greenhouse-grown goodies, too. And don’t forget the fresh herbs! Just a pinch each of fresh parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme is enough to make any dish sing.

For those of you who prefer to leave the cooking to other folks, you’ll be pleased to hear that Drewry Farm & Orchard is back in action with their Arkansas black apple and sweet potato pies. I won’t lie, these are tasty pies, but I like to hoard Arkansas black apples in their unadulterated form to munch on for months to come.

Whatever you fancy, you should know that we’ll be here for the Monday pickup in spite of the holiday. If you won’t be around and need to make other arrangements, just reply to this weblog and we’ll do our best to make sure you can take advantage of this mid-winter bounty.

-Rebecca Wild
Program Manager

Do you have questions or comments about this, or any, weblog? Thoughts on local food, goods, or events? Reply to this email and let us know what’s on your mind. Your feedback is always greatly appreciated!

Citrus County Locally Grown:  Market Thursday January 15, 2015


Our growers thank you for supporting local growers and businesses. Your orders make a real difference

Thank you for supporting your On-Line Farmers Market. Your purchases have made a difference to many families

Your CCLG Team

THE MARKET IS OPEN
The link below will take you there.

www.citruscounty.locallygrown.net/.*

Russellville Community Market:  RCM Order Reminder


Hey everyone! Just a quick reminder that we’ll be closing for orders tonight at 10:00 p.m. Get your orders in soon!

Happy ordering!

We hope to see you on Thursday for the market pick-up!

Check out our Facebook page for great info on local foods issues and upcoming events.
Be sure to click on the “Like” button at the top of the Facebook page to get automatic updates. Thanks!

FRESH.LOCAL.ONLINE.
Russellville Community Market

Champaign, OH:  Greens!


Just an announcement that Strive Growes has added greens and lettuces!

Don’t wait…they will be gone, quickly!

Get your greens while we have them!

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam

Champaign, OH:  Taking Care Of Business


And we be takin’ care of business every day…
Takin’ care of business every way…
We’ve been takin’ care of business, it’s all mine…
Takin’ care of business and working overtime…
(Bachman – Turner Overdrive – Takin Care Of Business)

Well….A big, huge, standing ovation to your Buckeyes!! They went, they took care of business, they left with the victory!! The kind of heart warming, adrenaline pumping story of victory that makes it all so sweet. No matter who your team is, what school you usually cheer for, during the season, there was no denying that last night was simply amazing!

I am always about the under dogs, the ones who just kept the focus and let it lead them to success or victory.

This little market of love was the underdog. The little one that had the naysayers, the doubters, the, dare I even say it? The haters? Every solid team goes through this. The difference is how you show up, how you keep your vision, your focus, how you play it all out, how you take care of business.

I hope that everyone is basking in the victory, recovering from fun, proud to be a part of this state, of this community.

Today is Tuesday…the market will close, tonight, at 10pm. How about taking care of some business, right here? Show some love, right here? If you order, now, you will be ready for an early night to relax after last night’s crazy fun.

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam

South Cumberland Farmer's Market:  Agenda for Today's Annual Meeting


This is the location of the online agenda for today’s annual market meeting:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pICSaKD6DcJpRU_2eNUtQmvdtJKRpFPzRVzkTjULlXw/edit?usp=sharing

If the link is broken, just copy and paste it into your browser window.

See you there!
Kir and Linda

CLG:  Tuesday Reminder - Market Closes Tonight at 10pm.


Hello Friends,

There’s still time to place your order for pickup on Friday, January 16th. The market closes TONIGHT around 10pm.

How to contact us:

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL. Instead…

Phone or text: Steve – 501-339-1039

Email: Steve – kirp1968@sbcglobal.net

Our Website:

www.conway.locallygrown.net

On Twitter: @conwaygrown

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Conway-Locally-Grown/146991555352846

Middle Tennessee Locally Grown:  Manchester Locally Grown market - Just a Short Time Left to Order!


Manchester Locally Grown Farmers’ Market

How to contact us:
Our Website: manchester.locallygrown.net
On Facebook: Manchester Locally Grown Online Farmers’ Market
By e-mail: tnhomeschooler@yahoo.com
By phone: (931) 273-9708
On Thursdays: Here’s a map.


Good evening!

Don’t forget to place your order on Manchester Locally Grown market by Tuesday evening at 10 p.m. for delivery fresh from local farms on Thursday.

Remember that we are a year-round market, not subject to seasonal closings like the local farm stands. You will find special items here – honey, jellies & jams, herbal & handmade products, & more – as well as winter vegetables, eggs, and baked goods. And gift certificates are available in any denomination. Give the gift of good healthy eating!

Pickup of your order will be at Square Books, 113 E. Main St, Manchester, from 3:00-4:30 on Thursday. We can also hold your order in the refrigerator till Friday morning, if that’s more convenient for you. Square Books will be open on Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Just make a note on your order, or text or call (931) 273-9708 if you prefer to utilize this free service.

Thanks for your orders last week! Please encourage your local friends and family to shop at our year-round market and support local farmers!

Blessings,
Linda


Here is the complete list for this week.