(Ana Daniels of Snow Creek Farm sells flowers at Sisters Farmers Market. A misting station helps her bouquets, customers and herself thrive on days with adverse conditions | Photo by Emily Green/provided by Sisters Farmers Market)
Wildfire. Smoke. Heat. How do the farmers, food purveyors and makers who sell at Sisters Farmers Market deal with increasingly difficult conditions? A new grant helps
them — and their customers — navigate changing times.
Fires can hammer sales and distribution for local farms. As Rainshadow Organics farmer Sarahlee Lawrence explains, smoke from the Flat Fire affected essential points of sale including farmers markets and restaurants, along with the farm’s on-site store. Many roads were closed.
Sisters Farmers Market had to cancel one Sunday. Manager Willa Bauman reports that over a dozen vendors were evacuated, along with board members of Seed to Table, the nonprofit organization that runs the market.
The fire itself loomed very close to Rainshadow. “It was in August, which is our most abundant month, so it was a pretty big hit,” Lawrence says. “We still had to pick produce because it was ready; that was its moment. When the fire takes that moment, that’s the biggest financial piece for us.”
Even when conditions are safe for Sisters Farmers Market to stay open, increasing heat, fire and smoke affect visitor attendance and vendor health. A Climate Resiliency grant from Oregon Farmers Markets Association (OFMA) is helping the market mitigate climate change and raise awareness.
Among other things, the grant funds Special Thanks Days to motivate shoppers when less-than-ideal conditions are expected. Coupon vouchers worth $5 off at any booth are given to 150 shoppers.
“If it’s hot or windy or smoky at farmers markets, turnout can be pretty poor. That can be challenging,” explains farmer Lawrence.
Bauman says Special Thanks Days are helping already. Several market days this year, “We saw great attendance from folks who had seen the announcements and enjoyed the vouchers.”
Additionally, the outreach effort concerning Special Thanks Days educates people about the importance of supporting farmers and vendors even during tough times, and how climate and fire issues affect local growers and purveyors.
Misting stations around the market cool vendors and shoppers. Ana Daniels owns Snow Creek Farm in Tumalo, a market vendor specializing in flowers. The grant-funded equipment “helps the flowers to keep them fresh and it helps us to keep us cool, too, when it’s really hot.”
Fir Street Park, the market’s location, sits at the doorstep of The Hub community building. Grant funding helps the market expand indoors, where vendors sell temperature-sensitive wares like fresh pasta and cheesecake. The market’s free workshops are held indoors as well.
The indoor space attracts customers like Liza Myers, who owns a house in Black Butte Ranch. “I think it’s a nice option to have. It provides more room and frankly it’s nice to get out of the sun,” she says.
Thanks to the OFMA grant, Sisters Farmers Market is serving the community’s comfort, safety and small business viability, bringing more income security to farmers, makers, artists and bakers from Sisters and around Central Oregon.
The market runs Sundays, 10am-2pm in Fir Street Park through the end of October, except for September 28 and October 5.
