Idaho’s small farmers are struggling. These markets may be keeping them alive
With farmland disappearing rapidly in the Treasure Valley, many farmers and ranchers are feeling the pinch.
High land prices, the ripple effects of a trade war and low unemployment rates are making it even more difficult than usual to fill labor-intensive agricultural jobs. Those elements can also make farming a difficult industry to make a living, even in agricultural Idaho.
Small farmers and ranchers often bear the brunt of these problems — as well as the temptation to sell family land to eager developers. The Treasure Valley’s remaining farmland is often surrounded by encroaching development and subdivisions, making it more difficult to take tractors down the road, use heavy farm equipment or safely retrieve escaped livestock.
“The things that make it good are also the things that make it hard,” said Ariel Agenbroad, a University of Idaho extension educator who focuses on small farms. “We have this increase in demand for local and sustainable products, but because we have this increased population, you’ve got to go further and further out.”
Despite the myriad difficulties facing people trying to make their living from family farms and ranches, the 2017 Census of Agriculture shows Idaho has actually added farms since 2012 — about 180, to be exact. Even Ada County saw a 6% increase in the number of farms over the same time period, although nearby counties like Canyon, Payette and Owyhee lost farms.
About 80% of Treasure Valley farms are 50 acres or smaller, according to the 2017 census data. Half of Ada County’s farms — 1,304 in total at the time —were 9 acres or smaller.
Although the last two years of rapid development and shrinking farmland acreage means things may look a little differently today, a robust network of farmers markets — especially in the Treasure Valley — may be helping small producers thrive. And Treasure Valley locals seem even more interested in supporting the farmers in their area.
“The consciousness around local food is shifting, and people are paying more attention to it,” said Tamara Cameron, the market manager of the Boise Farmers Market. “I also think that people are starting to understand that farmers markets are not an expensive place to shop. It’s not just for the wealthy.”
Farmers markets in Idaho and the Boise area
There were 47 registered farmers markets in Idaho this year, according to the Idaho Farmers Market Association. From Moscow and Hagerman to Boise and Donnelly, markets who join the association can receive marketing help and other types of support.
“We’re trying to provide our farmers with as much income as possible through the farmers markets, to support those small farms,” said Denise Dixon, the program manager of the Idaho Farmers Market Association.
Dixon, who also runs the Homedale Farmers Market, said even the smaller markets can be incredibly helpful to producers who have products to sell but lack the stability to get into the often-expensive wholesale market.
“We have had such growth this last year,” Dixon said. “It’s been wonderful. We are all seeing small farms join. We really provide an avenue that gives them a weekly outlet to sell their produce. They get to sell in the town they live in.”
Chelsea DeFriez and her mother Candy Jenkins of Valli-Hi Angus Ranch in Caldwell said that participating in the Nampa Farmers Market definitely has an impact on their sales. They run a year-round meat store on their ranch, but said roughly a quarter of their 2019 summer sales came from the Nampa Farmers Market.
“I would say that it helps us get our name out there,” DeFriez said. “We have a lot of repeat customers that came from finding us at the farmers market.”
The Boise Farmers Market is on the other side of the spectrum. Founded in 2013, the market now based on Americana Boulevard, north of River Street, had 115 vendors that make roughly $1 million in sales every season. Roughly 4,400 people visited the market every Saturday this summer, and shoppers were still able to buy produce and other local products from about 50 vendors at the indoor winter market, which runs until the end December.
The market’s bylaws require that 51% of their vendors be Idaho farmers selling produce or other agricultural products. Food vendors have to use local ingredients in their products, and even the artists and craftsmen generally focus on agricultural themes.
“We’re a traditional ag farmers market, and we are about helping farmers and enhancing the local food system,” said Cameron, the market manager. “We will always be predominantly agriculture because that’s our mission.”
Lyndsey Mulherin of High Noon Farm, who sells a variety of vegetables from her Dry Creek area “micro-farm” at the Boise Farmers Market, said the market’s move to a new, larger location was a “boon” for her farm and seemed to be popular with customers, too.
“We’re lucky to have such a strong, farm-focused market in Boise,” Mulherin told the Statesman in a text. “But I think there’s room for more!”
A community gathering place and resource
Shoppers at many Idaho markets — like the ones in Homedale and Boise — also strive to help members of their community in poverty or facing food insecurity by accepting EBT and SNAP. The Idaho Farmers Market Association is even working on a pilot program in two different Idaho markets that allows local doctors to prescribe and provide vouchers for fresh produce to patients who need it.
“It’s really created a community gathering place that didn’t really exist before,” Dixon said. She told the Statesman the Homedale Farmers Market hosts nutrition classes for kids and is working on a community garden.
Consumers aren’t the only ones who benefit. Many producers say the markets not only allow them to meet customers face-to-face and test products, but also connect with other local farmers facing the same struggles they do. DeFriez and Jenkins of Valli-Hi Angus Ranch said the Nampa Farmers Market allows them to participate in a unique community of local farmers.
“I really enjoy meeting the other people who come to the farmers markets and learn about their wares as well,” said Jenkins, who uses the market to sell ribs, tri-tip, hamburger meat and more from their registered Black Angus ranch. “We interchange with each other in beautiful ways. It’s good to get out there and meet with other farmers.”
That interchange can be especially helpful for small farmers. But Mulherin of High Noon Farm said farmers markets are especially helpful to new farmers facing a lot of pressure to succeed in their first years.
“Overall, I think markets are a great entry point for new farmers,” Mulherin of High Noon Farm told the Statesman. “It’s a low-risk way to test farm enterprises and get immediate, face-to-face feedback from customers. There’s not the stress of committing to wholesale accounts and worrying if you can live up to your promises as a brand-new farmer.”
Agenbroad from the University of Idaho said there are many other resources available to small or new farmers who need help getting their produce into a local market. The UI extension office and other organizations are hosting classes starting January 2020 for people interested in starting small farms, living sustainably on small acreages or growing the farms they have.
Learning how to balance urban development while ensuring small farmers can still thrive in the area will be crucial for the future of the Treasure Valley, Agenbroad said. Local farmers markets will likely play a big part in that.
“I hope we can find this balance between having this urban customer that is going to drive these markets, but also have the access to land for small farms,” Agenbroad said.
This story was originally published December 23, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
