Dawn Troutner Toledo Market Master

The Toledo Farmers Market is over for the season. But this market manager is still thinking and talking “farmers market”. On Thursday, Nov, 12, 2015, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Golden Girls monthly potluck. The potluck was delicious with ham balls, a potato, parsnip, and sweet potato dish, garden corn, and plenty of delicious salads and desserts.

The company over lunch was enjoyable. After lunch I had the pleasure of talking about farmers markets. But first a joke: Why do potatoes always argue? Because, they can never see eye to eye.

No one knows exactly how many farmers markets are in the State of Iowa. We do know that there are around 135 registered farmers markets. Those markets are able to participate in the farmers’ market nutrition program. That program provides a supplemental source of fresh fruits and vegetables in the diets of women, infant, and children who are determined by the state to be nutritionally at risk.

This program also provides the senior checks to senior citizens. This program is federally funded, through the farm bill for the low income seniors. It enables seniors to purchase fresh locally grown fruits and vegetables along with honey.

In order for the participants to know who accepts the checks, the State issues signs for the vendors to put at their tables. In order to be a certified market, the market needs to have a certain number of vegetable vendors/growers. For the vendor to be able to accept the checks, they must be a grower that resides and grows in Iowa or counties that touch Iowa’s borders. The majority, 51 percent, or more of available produce each day must be personally grown by the certified vendor. All produce available for sale each day must be 100 percent locally grown, 20 percent of all products available each day on their tables must be eligible products. Being a certified market you need to have set hours to start and finish the market, along with set dates. This is why we blow the whistle at 5 p.m. every Friday night during market season. There are a totally around 180 farmers markets in the State of Iowa.

I told the Golden Girls I started selling in 1996 when I had some extra green beans. Around 1999 or 2000 I was asked to be the manager of the Toledo Farmers Market. The rest is history.

After that I was hooked. love playing outside in the dirt, just like being a kid again. The best part is I get paid for it now. Many family members got or still get involved in helping me. Everyone from my kids when they were younger helping at markets, to my mother the bean Sheller, nieces that have helped me, and the grandbabies coming and helping out at market now. But most of all, the biggest help is my husband that tolerates me through the market season. See, when market season starts, my favorite saying is: “Just stay out of my way”!!! Poor guy.

In 2002 I was approached by Barbara Lovitt who worked for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. She was getting together a group of nine market managers from around the State of Iowa to form the Iowa Farmers market Association. I was one of the chosen ones.

I still serve on that board today. In February we put on a workshop in Des Moines for market managers and vendors. One year we will have a speaker from other markets or a motivational speaker and the next year we will have the Department Leaders from the Department of Agriculture speak. This year it will be the Departmental leaders speaking about rules and regulations. To have a successful market you must have rules for the market to follow. These workshops give you that opportunity to form those rules. It’s a great workshop.

For more information on this workshop visit our website at iowafamersmarkets.org

I enjoyed my day with the Golden Girls. Have a safe holiday season and I hope you have some sweet potatoes or squash you purchased from your favorite vendor at the Toledo Farmers Market.