The shutdown was precipitated, the owners say, by the persistent opposition to them by local farmers and the Marquette Food Co-op at the Farmers' Market.
Farmer Q's sold produce from downstate. Their fruit and vegetables were attractive and popular but they weren't technically "local." Foul, cried the local farmers. Unfair!
Well, they won. Farmer Q's has pulled up stakes and abandoned Marquette and the Farmer's Market.
Which means, according to one wag on Facebook, that we'll now have a scintillating selection of cucumbers, zucchinis and handmade soap to choose from at the Farmers' Market. A bit of an exaggeration, perhaps, but there's some truth to it.
Farmer Q's plentiful and colorful fruits and vegetables drew many of us to the market on Saturday mornings. Now, that draw will be gone, the crowds could very well shrink, and the market, which the Downtown Development Authority has turned into a remarkable success, could suffer in the short run.
The question that has to be asked: Who is supposed to benefit from the Farmers Market?
1) The local farmers, who are from outside the city and don't pay city taxes? They pay less than three dollars a day for a booth at the market.
2) The local merchants (like Farmer Q's) who do pay city taxes?
3) Or the customers, who reside mostly within the city?
The answer is probably all three but the emphasis should be on local merchants and customers. They're paying the taxes.
We all love local farms and local produce, but something got out of whack here. We needlessly lost a taxpaying vendor that many of us loved.
And then there's the case of Garden Bouquet, the downtown flower and art store that's noticed a big decline in sales on Saturdays when the Farmers Market is up and running. The store hasn't been able to get a booth yet so it finds itself paying taxes for a market (featuring out-of town-florists) that is actually hurting its business.
Ironic, frustrating, and yes, out of whack.
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We're barely halfway through winter, and already Marquette Area Public Schools have used up eight snow days. They're allotted six for the year.
No reason to panic yet. Last year the district used ten snow days (Was the winter that bad?) and had to extend the school year by three days in June.
This year, the district might be able to squeeze in another school day or two during President's Day weekend in February or on Good Friday. The administration will talk to the union about that.
But otherwise, the school year will just be extended beyond the official last day of June 10th. More snow days to come? If so, just tack them on to the end and hold off on the family vacation.
The recent days off, of course, have been for "cold," not snow. If the National Weather Service predicts a wind chill of minus 25 degrees or colder at the bus stops, that's enough to cancel school, per administration policy. Fifteen minutes outside in that kind of cold can give Junior frostbite.
Better safe than sorry even if it means delaying summer vacation.
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Are you looking for a local business success?
Look no further than the Blackrocks Brewery. The brewery opened three years ago and quickly became a favorite among craft beer afficionados.
Then last September, it began mass producing its Coconut Brown, Grand Rabbits, 51K, and a specialty brew...and the beer was flying off the shelves.
Merchants couldn't keep it in stock.
That early fever has abated somewhat but demand is still outstripping supply. Blackrocks is now distributing to stores from Munising to Bessemer with the expectation that it'll be the entire U.P. within months, and then it's across the bridge to the Lower Peninsula.
The brewery recently acquired some new fermenters so production, which is now at about 20,000 cans a week, will increase to 30,000. Eventually, it expects to reach 50,000.
By the way, Blackrocks will release a new beer, unidentified so far, this summer.
The lesson here: Brew a good beer, market it properly, and people will drink it. By the case.
You got news? Email me at briancabell@gmail.com
What, no dirt on the local TV station?
ReplyDeleteKudos for your opinions on Farmer Q's and the farmer's market. It's a sad situation. I remember being in retail in downtown Marquette and having to fight with the DDA and DMA about policys that had no impact on the "suits" on their board but much impact on my small shop. I wondered why I had to fight with the people who supposedly were representing me.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to really talk economic impact, look at what LifePoint has done in Marquette and Ishpeming since taking over. Bell alone is probably down 100 employees since the process started and local vendors like Dalco and Vast are being replaced by national ones so the ripple effect will be really felt by the region as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI agree 100% on the hospitals being taken over by Duke LifePoint. Knowing several employees who have been let go, hours cut, over time not being allowed and nothing given to the dedicated hard working staff who keep the place running, yet they are spending big bucks recruiting new doctors and on commercials that "brag" how those doctors children will go to OUR schools and how wonderful THAT is... How about they pay the employees who work hard a fair wage and reward THEM so they can in turn put that money back into this community!
DeleteI agree 100% Life Point is not good for this area. They are from Tennessee and in my opinion they can go back. I know that the employees there have not gotten a raise in the last 6 years and by the sounds of it they won't get one either. They don't care about the people they are all for corporate and that's pretty sad. I just wish someone would call them out!!!
DeleteOnly recently "discovered" your blog and am enjoying it very much. Thank you.
ReplyDeletei like this website too seems like you get better news here then you do on the local news. Keep up the good work.
DeleteSo by your logic - retailer paying taxes = space at the Farmers' Market?
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see Shopko selling their scented soaps and candles...
So by your logic, the crappy musicians should stop playing at the Farmer's Market unless they write their songs & make their instruments in the UP? That'd be awesome to lose them!
DeleteThe bullying and outright threats towards a Marquette resident bringing produce from his family farm was outrageous. The whole city has lost because of the creeps.
No one likes bullies. I'll just go to the truck at Pat's & skip the market. Why do city tax payers have to subsidize these outsiders?
There's a bit of irony in the fact that you are crying about bullies but you use adjectives like "crappy" to describe local musicians.
DeleteDon't see to many farms in the city limits. Where do you think these people spend their money? So sick of hearing if you don't pay taxes here you don't belong. Have lived close to Marquette for many years, spend my money there and still not wanted. And don't forget it's called FARMER'S market.
ReplyDeleteHogwash! Those folks at Farmer Q's never opened their doors to the local farms and never attempted to nurture relationships with the locals. In fact, they did just the opposite by repeatedly calling the Health Department and the Labor Department on several local farms that I will not name here. One particular farm got harassed at least three times that I know of by the HD due to calls from those folks. Farmer Q's even called the Health Department on the Farmer's Potluck at the Ore Dock, without any justification.
ReplyDeleteNone of these calls had any kind of fact backing them up and nothing was ever found by state officials to cause these farms to be fined or punished in any kind of way. It was simply harassment. If you don't believe me that Farmer Q's was behind the whole thing then go use the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) yourself to find out who did.
Am I glad they shut down? No. On the contrary, I am personally upset that Farmer Q's never once reached out to shake hands with local farms and utilize their store front as a conduit for local goods. Instead, they badmouthed the local producers while tricking innocent locals into thinking they were "farmers" themselves. Sadly, it was all a con and, in the end, they simply got what they deserved.
You reap what you sow!
Maybe if Farmer Q's were actually farmers they would understand a little more about that whole reaping and sowing thing.
DeleteTom's father was 2009 National Cherry Farmer of the year. They currently grow: apples, cherries, and peaches. Q's has always informed the customers of who and where the produce products came from.
ReplyDeleteQ's has donated items or products to the following vendor to help them overcome difficulties that they have faced: those vendors are Spiessels, Greg Wixtrom, and Seeds and Spores. In all the farm market rule meetings Q's has never been against including anybody.
Who cares what anybody's father did or what they grow down state? If those people were all about the community, then why didn't they carry any real local produce in their store and why did they repeatedly harass local farmers, as well as the Marquette Food Coop, with unfounded complaints called in to the likes of the Health Department? That stuff wasn't made up!
DeleteThere are two sides to this story and there are facts of the matter that can be produced in the form of FOI'd papers that show how Farmer Q's dug their own grave in regards to the way their store was perceived by the local farmers, as well as informed local consumers like myself.
I wish them the best of luck down state. Maybe that's where they belong!
I have talked to several former employees of Farmer Q's that have said they watched the owners list stuff as organic even though it was grown conventionally. The real word on the street is that some people were planning a sting operation in the works to prove it. Looks like that won't happen now. I for one would've been glad to see the outcome of that!
ReplyDeleteTo all of the Anon peeps out there... let me get this straight - a family opens a storefront to sell it's produce. They are the first downtown local produce shop on Washington St., who happens to want a farmers' market in the city. They petitioned the city, got approval from the DDA, became a constant fixture at the market, and thus became a threat to "local" produce? First off, they could be in business without the market... Second, how weird would it be if the only business that had FARM in the name could not be included in a "Farmers' Market".
ReplyDeleteThe food co-op sells your produce, does econo/SuperOne/Wal-Mart/Target/Valle's/etc? If not, then why the uproar? Just because a business does not want to sell your produce, they are evil? And before the reminder about the phone calls.... let me ask you this: Do you believe we in the UP are NOT supposed to follow health requirements? I could care less if the farm I buy eggs from is expensive or not, just make sure (yes this means calling in a higher authority, which is why there is an EPA... to keep DDT out of our food supply) it's clean and edible.
There are many things I wish Farmer Q's sold, but in the end, it's not my shop, I have to deal with their product. Ask the co-op how many Dr. Bronners soap products are made in the UP, by UP workers... ask if that coca, or peanut butter, or Ocre, was produced up here. If not I can GUARANTEE that some union somewhere made money on the transportation of that product, thus out of that 2 dollar candy bar, 40 cents goes to the farm. Which would have had 25 cents if they sold it to Hershey.
I can say this for Farmer Q, they stayed as local as they could. The used their own product from their own contracted farms, drove their own trucks, paid for their own gas. They sold to individuals, not corporations, they worked to inform their customers of the product, and sometimes the customer asked for products they didn't carry originally.
As for reaching out to local farmers.... please come to the next city council meeting on Feb 10 and join with me to get Founders Landing and other existing vacant land in the City of Marquette turned into a community garden for ALL local growers, not one farm, but a community space. We own the land, how come there are not more residents asking to use it?
The complaint made against our farm by them last year was simply due to the location of the labels on the cartons. Please explain to me how that petty complaint is about following "health requirements", keeping "DDT out of our food supply" or for the safety of Marquette area consumers? Also, the complaints are made to the MDARD not the EPA.
DeleteAlso, good luck at the City Council meeting. It would be great to see more urban food plots established.
DeleteIt seems to me that everybody sticking up for Farmer Q's won't address the question as to why Farmer Q's kept making complaints to the Department of Agriculture or the Health Department when there was no basis for them. I occasionally volunteer at a local farm and I volunteered to help at the First Annual Farmer's Potluck at the Ore Dock. Both that farm and the dinner itself got called on by Farmer Q's. And guess what? There was nothing to substantiate their claims of food being sold illegally or in an unsanitary manner. Nobody got fined and operations continued as normal after dealing with the BS.
DeleteThe crazy thing is that Farmer Q's unfounded complaints didn't seem to stop there. The harassment continued, and it wasn't just the farms, but at the Marquette Food Co-op as well. That is common knowledge "on the street". In the years that they've been in business how many complaints have people filed on Farmer Q's? As far as I know there haven't been any because nobody was out to get them and nobody really cared about what they were doing in their little business. Everybody, except them, seemed to just mind their own business.
As a local consumer it sounds like bad business ethics to me.
Seriously, you are asking me to defend someone who is paranoid about the safety of food? This sounds petty to keep a grudge for that concern. Also, I didn't know complaints were tagged with the person who made the claim. How do you know "all" of these were from the company Farmer Q's? It's just how authorities work, they don't actively seek out every potluck in town, but when one is notified, they have to check it out. You even pointed out that nobody was fined... so you did your job, where's the beef?
DeleteBy the way local farmers... there is now a storefront open for your use! Make your own co-op and leave your mark. Or are you bound by contract exclusive to the new co-op?
Hey Matthew. First of all, citizens can obtain documents through the Freedom of Information Act. Secondly, when a branch of government gets tired of hearing from the same complainant, sometimes the name(s) get out. Thirdly, instead of looking for a back and forth comment session which gives off negative energy, would you please address my genuine concern and question about the complaint regarding the placement of the labels on our egg cartons? I would like to hear the justification for that complaint and how filing such a complaint is in any way a positive thing for the farm or the community? Or, would you agree that it seems petty and perhaps an unprovoked stab at a local farmer who had virtually zero interaction with Farmer Q's? Don't you think community minded people would utilize their energy in a positive manner rather than promoting conflict within the community in which they live? This blog tells a one sided story and that's exactly what it is, a fictional story. I would be embarrassed to have my name attached to this misrepresentation of the truth. Thanks.
DeleteFood safety laws exist for a reason. Individuals do not have the right to decide a rule is "petty" and thus not worth following. A proprietor should check into potential suppliers to make sure their products are all legal. If a local egg producer claims they don't need a license to sell eggs to a retail establishment then the retailer is only doing the responsible thing by looking into such claims before entering a business relationship. If the coop and local growers don't take food safety laws seriously, then who is really doing the duping of "innocent locals"? And by the way, local growers are hardly a major part of this community or the Upper Peninsula culture. If local growers were really farmers then they would probably have a better understanding of agriculture as a business instead of an fringe lifestyle.
DeleteHahaha, that's funny. We are talking about the placement of labels on a carton here. That has NOTHING to do with food safety. Yes, that is petty.
DeleteIs this the same Matt Luttenberger from the Mining Journal?
Delete@ Matthew - At some point it has to be considered harassment when one entity repeatedly makes unfounded complaints to governing agencies that causes undue stress upon another. It's just bad business, particularly in a small community. At the very least, it's annoying and a waste of time and resources. If that's how they want to play then I for one am glad they are gone. You would think they would've stopped calling after the first time nothing came of it but they didn't. It happened over and over again and there hasn't been one single argument here in favor of Farmer Q's that has used facts that weren't manipulated or misconstrued in some manner. Get it straight folks, the farmers are not the enemy. They are hard-working, family-oriented people that love their community.
DeleteAlso, what makes you think the coop and the farmers worked together against 'the Q'? That's just ridiculous. You do know that the coop has a Board of Directors and a GM that have other things to do than ban together with some local producers in a plot against a local small business right? Just as much, many of us, being farmers and consumers alike, are well aware of what the MFC's shortcomings are concerning the products they put on their shelves.
However, that is a completely different issue that has nothing to do with what we are talking about here so stop using the straw man argument please.
Just asking if there is a contract for food suppliers, like there is for Patagonia clothing. Only one store in the area is allowed to sell it, because of contracts. Nothing evil, just business. So if there is no contract, go where ever and that might include a new all-local market.
DeleteAlso, yes, label issues are an issue. If it were not, you wouldn't see the bar codes and numbers on every apple or pepper. I can not defend someone I am not a part of, so I will only say prudence covers some of the moments that have been brought up.
If the local "Anon" farmer here wants to sell eggs to econo, let me know how strict their label laws are compared to what Farmer Q asked. Business has a lot of "petty" issues to deal with, and to me, they are the ones who should be harassed by the various gov agencies - not the backyard pantry.
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ReplyDeleteHow many years is it going to take to get the Co-op to begin 'aggregating' enough locally grown produce to serve even a fraction of the needs of Marquette? Until that time, regional produce delivery is a far more sustainable option.
ReplyDeleteCloverland, redux.
Cloverland is an idea that's been tried before, and failed in the UP.
I worked for a decade at the Pike Place Market in Seattle, a permanent market. I sold produce, flowers, and promoted the market during a stint as editor of the market newspaper.
Let me tell the commenters and the community - Farmer Q's embodied the way businesses at the Pike Place Market grew, from farmers to highstallers to grocers. Their mercantile and grocery was true to the spirit of what farmers' markets are made of.
Their business growth echoed how the pike place market grew to what it is today and the embodiment of how real, sustainable farmer's markets work.
How they were rallied against rejects how markets work and is an affront to the sense of community and home grown economic development Marquette aspires to.
Come on farmers, fess up! You know you are nothing but happy to see Farmer Q's close. They stuck up to you and your antics and you didn't like it. I like the idea of the farmer's market, but don't like the farmers there, so I don't go there. They think they are better than everybody else and have quite the egos because they can grow carrots and make soap. And that is what is going to kill the farmer's market eventually.
ReplyDeleteWe are a local farm that hasn't ever participated in the Marquette Farmers Market, have never had any dealings with Tom and Susan at all (other than calling their store to ask if they might be interested in some of our products), yet our farm was involved with 3 different complaints made. Please explain to me how that is sticking up to us and how it is fair to a hard working local farm family? Yep, happy to see them go, as that means the drama might end. What's going to kill the farmers market is people believing the untruths that have been spoken against local farmers and not supporting the idea of a "sustainable" local food system. It might also, some day, "kill" your ability to eat...unless you are growing your own food. People need to lose the negativity and stop believing everything they read in the paper or on blogs or see on the news. Don't just listen to one side of the story and then pass judgment. Ask around, the truth is nearby waiting for you.
DeleteI'd like to hear more about the farmer's "antics".
DeleteThe Q's motto was "No politics. Just good food at good prices." They were one of just a couplel truly independent grocers in town, (and the COOP is not on that list). What's going to kill the farmer's market is high prices and limited selection
ReplyDeleteSo, calling governmental agencies on local farmers who had no interactions with them is considered "No politics"? I have also been told by someone that used to work there that they were fired for refusing to take produce that was obtained in a different state and put it in a Michigan box for the farmers market. Yep, honesty and integrity there. What I find humorous here is that nobody can/will respond to my questions about the complaints, but specifically the one about our labels on our eggs cartons. You are all quick to bash local farms, the farmers market, the co-op and such, but nobody is willing to take the opportunity to give sound reasons and facts pertaining to the unethical and unprofessional behavior of filing such a petty complaint.
DeleteI don't understand why people keep associating the Marquette Food Co-op with all the local farmers. It just shows how clueless and ill-informed you are here. They are not in cahoots together at all. They just happen to do business now and then, and,in fact, what you claim couldn't be further from the truth.
ReplyDeleteI know of at least one or two local farmers that have had a 'beef' with MFC as well over one thing or another. For example, the farmers are quite aware of the fact that MFC is carrying products on their shelves made with GMO's and shipped from God knows where, and some of them have raised the issue. Do you think it made a real difference?
To think that this is some big conspiracy where the farmers got together with the Co-op and said "hey, let's run Farmer Q's out of town" is silly. It just goes to show how little you all actually know about this issue.
Quit wrapping groups of people together and trying to make links that aren't there. It is simply ignorant. The truth is out there for those seriously interested in seeking it out, like a real journalist would.
ok...I'm soooo sick of the "poor me" attitude from the local "gardeners".
ReplyDeleteFYI, a farmer= someone that makes a "living" off of their farm. Not with assistance from the government, not food stamps, not subsidies......
Seriously!
Why should we, the consumer, feel bad for you when you try to sell us eggs for $5 a dozen? why dont you learn how to really run a business, within the rules just like everyone else! you cannot do $18,000/ year in sales on eggs, and infringe on the name of one of the most sacred bands ever (bless you Jerry, please forgive them), And expect to have a niche in the market! A sense of entitlement mixed with a heck of a lot of BS is what we get from the local gardeners.
Good luck at the market this year, ...Q's did you all a favor by exposing you to the consumers.... and now they will all be leaving you! HA! Oh, and keep planting that zucchini.......
I respect your opinion. But, if you're sick of the "poor me" attitude, then you should stop reading the stories about Q's leaving town, because that's all those stories are. FYI, a farmer is someone that grows food/raises animals and sells said products to the community. No minimum income required, no minimum size the farm has to be. Not sure why you would think we receive any assistance, food stamps or subsidies, but that couldn't be further from the truth. What you are saying there is that corporate agriculture, CAFO's, Feedlot operations that are largely subsidized by the government are not farms, and I agree...they are factories.
DeleteWho's asking any of you to feel bad for any of us? I believe that Q's are the ones looking for sympathy here. For the record, none of us TRY to sell eggs. Every local egg produced around here is gone shortly after being laid. There aren't enough local eggs to meet the demand. Again, what I see here in your remarks is someone bashing local farms, defending vindictive behavior, and who can't give an educated or reasoned answer justifying bogus complaints. You can keep badmouthing those of us that are doing our best to put top quality food into our community while you buy your $.99 GMO WalMart eggs and chemically laden produce. In the meantime, we will do our best to figure out how to produce enough food for the overwhelming demand for our products, i.e. - the only soy free eggs that come from Certified Naturally Grown chickens fed an all organic diet. Good food is not cheap - cheap food is not good.
I find it interesting that you know specifics about the placement of the labels complaint and which farm it was lodged against. Since the labels have been moved on the cartons, it really has helped the safety of the eggs and the health of the community.
DeleteiI love how people with no clue have to point fingers at Farmer Q's market for things theydidn't cause! The egg labels? Really? Why would they even waste their time on such a worthless topic?
ReplyDeleteAlso, if you really don't know the whole "collusion" between the local farmers, the food coop and the downtown development authority, YOU are misinformed. The co-op staged an active protest agains Q's this summer. ABby Palmer printed the fliers at the co-op and distributed them at the market. The DDA allowed the farmers to continue to participate in the market even after harassing Q's!
So now, they finally got their wish and Q's is gone. We are back to badly grown veggies and apples not good enough for deer bait for us to buy at the market. Oh and soap, don't want to forget the soap. Thank god for the soap.
We all got to experience the good stuff, grown below the bridge, Q's got us to know the real growing standards in the agriculture world. For this I want to thank Q's, for raising the bar that no one will ever achieve again!
Yes, really, egg labels. Not sure why they would waste their time, or ours, on such a thing either. The department of ag was wondering the same thing when I spoke with them. I am guessing they wouldn't lie about who a complainant is. The point here is that many of us know the truth. Many of you think you do, simply on hearsay and one side of the story. We aren't begging you folks to buy our products nor are we seeking or desperate for your support. Simply asking that you get the facts straight before passing judgment. For the record, Shady Grove Farm has never participated in the MQT market. So, I can't speak about what took place there.
DeleteIf Q's were such evil employers then why didn't that employee report them to the department of labor?
ReplyDeleteThe Marquette Area Farmers Guild members need to study agricultural economics. If you have to have fundraisers every three months then your business does not support itself. Why have all the other farm markets in the surrounding area tanked except for Marquette. Farmer Q's is that answer. The Guild has and still is running a smear campaign against Q's and they have closed. What is up with that? Selling illegal food at your own fundraiser is flat out stupid. After reading all of the ignorant posts; it is apparent that the Marquette Garden Club ought to read up on current food laws and take some economic courses. Also, a farmer is someone that earns their entire income from agricultural products and not a disability check.
ReplyDeleteThe Marquette Area Farmers Guild is not a business. Obviously, you are going to believe there is some sort of "smear campaign" no matter what, so go ahead, believe it, live it and enjoy the anger that you are stewing in. If you knew the laws, you would know that the food wasn't illegal. If it was, when the Health Department was called, they would have stopped it. But, they didn't because they couldn't, as our lawyers pointed out to them. Wikipedia: "A farmer[1] (also called an agriculturer) is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock." The co-op is correct, there isn't enough local food being produced. That's why many people are working hard to grow more and more people are starting to grow. You are obviously someone that knows me, but are afraid to put your name on here. And, real mature stab with the "disability" comment. Some of us are simply trying to point out the truth to you folks, which includes BOTH sides of the story. Not sure why you feel our finances are any of your business, but you obviously think you know way more than you do. Keep making your "Anonymous" comments and angry remarks. I hope they make you feel better at the end of your day.
DeleteRandy, one doesn't need to know you to know you "farm" while depending on disability. It's a small town, word gets around.
DeleteDisability is not something one chooses. Does it make you feel tough to "pick on" people with disabilities? Especially while hiding behind "anonymous". Yep, I have a disability and I receive disability payments because of it. I paid into the system for a long time and have earned the payments I get. I still make an effort with my family to make the best of it. We supply our family and many others with food grown with integrity. I don't need your blessing or support and I'm certainly not asking for it. And I won't waste any more energy on this dead end "conversation". Peace out.
DeleteBy the way Randy, why is the Co-op running around saying there is not enough food grown in the UP? Aren't they a customer of yours? How many people can your 6 acres feed? Can you even gross enough income off 6 acres to make a living? Based on the 2010 census only 22K of fresh produce was reported to be sold in Marquette County off Marquette County farms. Something smells here!
ReplyDeleteDear Randy- Slander can be disaster....you say you have the proof ? really? please stop picking on people and business.
ReplyDeleteFor many people, the coop's collusion with the farmer's guild, in the form of the obvious overlap between coop employees and market staff, is particularly offensive because the coop's getting tax exemption that robs the city of significant tax revenue. If you don't think the "farmer's guild" is seeking sympathy, perhaps you didn't notice when that farmer read a letter during public comment pleading with the city commission to the Q out of the Farmer's Market because "it's not fair" that local growers couldn't compete with real farmers. I suspect many of the people commenting here in support of Farmer Q are upset about an organized effort by bunch of anti-capitalist ideologues to limit our food choices and thus detract from our quality of life.
ReplyDeleteSo, let's limit the Q's because of some crazy hippy? i think not.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes to you crazy egg people. keep breaking the law and telling everyone about how you "got caught"
Well, if you can't make a point then you might as well just try to be insulting while hiding behind the guise of "anonymous". You secret defenders of "the Q" are ridiculous! This thread of comments has turned into the equivalent of a bunch of prepubescent high schoolers crying on facebook because their school removed the soda machine from the cafeteria.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, who's the real bully here?! I've read nothing but insult after insult by people that continue to take the low road in their arguments without making any valid points. Instead, you've attacked weak arguments, and, all the while, doing it from behind a curtain. It just makes you out to sound like a witless, ineffectual jerk. Mathew Lettenberger at least had the decency to use his name.
Overall, the first problem here is that this blogger never originally asked or sought ANY local farmer's side of the story in the first place, nor did he seem to do much research into the story at all. He should wipe the "news" portion off his tagline because it's completely misleading. News is suppose to be objective. This blog is anything but objective.
The second problem here is that nobody has given the local farmers, or those defending them, any ounce of respect in this argument. Many of you have grouped them all together in one clump as if they are all cut from the same mold and called them names or insulted their lifestyle. Doing that just weakens your own argument. Not to mention it shows your lack of intelligence and class.
Much respect to Mr. Buchler for not being afraid to stand up to you openly and honestly. Some of you could really take a lesson from him on how to get along and respect each other throughout the community. I won't even comment on the fact that some of you attacked him on being disabled. I wouldn't wish what he has gone through on anybody and to try to use that against him just shows more of your juvenility.
We don't all have to agree on things or even like each other, but we should at least show each other enough respect to converse without being insulting. Just as much, it would be nice if we could all conduct business without using gestapo-like tactics of harassing innocent people through governing agencies. Again, it's just bad behavior all-around.
In all, I am just sick and saddened by this public display of indecency by others that reside in this great community. You should be ashamed of yourselves.
Follow your own dharma and let yourself be free. Best of luck to the Farmers and the Farmer Q's as they head into their new futures and growing season.
ReplyDeleteRegarding Farmer Q's: There is a larger issue here and that is the constant butthurt expressed by any business owner who feels like they are entitled to success because they are pure natives - whether that means they are born, bred, raised, went to high school and university in Marquette/U.P., or whether that means that they adhere to some arbitrary standard set and enforced by themselves alone. In every industry space in Marquette (and the U.P. in general) there are one or two businesses at the top who are deathly afraid of any competition. And if they can't compete on a level playing field, they'll pull out all the stops to prevent anyone else from competing.
ReplyDeleteFarmer Q's provided produce that didn't overlap with most of what the other vendors were selling - seriously, who else at the Market was vending peaches, cherries or sweet corn? But woe be to anyone who should do well... It's called NIH (not invented here) syndrome - if I can't succeed in my own right, by god no one else should, either.
Hippie butthurt, plain and simple. If you guys can't understand the basic rules of a free market economy, then stay on the farm and feed the masses for free, and reap your reward in heaven.
I didn't see this article earlier, but now I can see where some of the inflammatory rhetoric is coming from: the author himself.
ReplyDeleteNot all local farmers tried to run Farmer Q out of business. And as far as local farmers not paying city taxes, the farmers market draws about 700/week to downtown businesses. According to the DDA's vendor survey, a majority are drawn to it for local food, and the vast majority also say they support downtown businesses when they go to the market.
Other cities widely recognize farmers markets to increase downtown business and invest in them. Muskegon pays $70,000 for its market and gets $10,000 in vendor fees. They, like many, many other places, do it because that is a good investment for what they get in benefits to the local economy and downtown. In most parts of the country with farmers' markets it's just common sense.
That is what Marquette downtown businesses, through the DDA, did, and it has paid off for them. This isn't about anyone getting freebies. The vendors chip in on the downtown's investment in luring more customers in. The market is an investment for downtown businesses just like new parking lots, tourism events, and other things. It's been a win-win and I am really not clear how the author can feel comfortable acting like anyone is getting a freebie at someone else's expense.