Shelton Farmers Market Changes Proposed

One Shelton farmer wants to see some changes to the city’s twice-a-week Farmer’s Market. 

Stacia Monahan, who owns Stone Gardens Farm with her husband Fred, said she wants the market to become more transparent” and to operate in the winter months. 

To implement those changes, she has asked the city to form a subcommittee to oversee the farmer’s market. 

But other city farmers don’t think there need to be any changes to the system in place — where the farmers operates under one volunteer market master,” Guy Beardsley.

The two groups converged at the Conservation Commission meeting in early September to hash out the proposed changes. 

If any such farmers market committee was formed, it would likely be a subcommittee of the Conservation Commission. 

Commissioners at the meeting Sept. 7 said they had not been notified of the subcommittee proposal, but planned to talk with Mayor Mark Lauretti about it in the upcoming days. 

The farmers market is not run by the city now, but operates out of a city building on the Riverwalk. The building was constructed specifically for the farmers market, but is also used by other groups throughout the year. The city manages the use of the building.

The Problems

Monahan’s proposed changes stem from her long-time frustration with out-of-city food being sold at the farmers market. 

Stone Gardens Farm used to participate in the market, she said during the meeting, but pulled out because they felt sell what you grow” rules weren’t being enforced. 

I’m looking to make sure people are selling what they are growing,” Monahan said. 

If it’s being brought in from other places, how is that helping agriculture in Shelton?” Monahan asked.

If the market allows people to sell items from other Connecticut farms, Monahan said she thinks customers should be notified. 

She said a farmers market committee that includes consumers would help keep things transparent.”

The Farmers

About a dozen farmers and their supporters crowded the Conservation Commission meeting Wednesday to counter Monahan’s proposal. 

PHOTO: Jodie MozdzerThey said they’re not necessarily opposed to a winter market, but don’t want to change their group or lose the leadership of Beardsley, who started the farmers market in 1993 and has volunteers countless hours running it for more than a decade. 

I think we feel we would lose control, as the farmers, of our own farmers market,” said Linda Hooper, who owns Hubbell Farm. 

The farmers themselves can police themselves,” said Edward Wittkofski. I don’t see how having a city committee take over will do anything but add another level of bureaucracy.”

The farmers said their rules encourage farmers to sell what they grown, and only bring outside food if all other farmers have sold out of the crops. It’s enforced on the honor system, because the market is run by volunteers who don’t have time to be policing other farmers. 

It would require a police officer,” Beardsley said. We’ve tried to run our market on a friendly basis. We could not enforce that rule.”

Winter Market?

The Shelton Farmers Market runs from early summer to the end of October. Farmers tried a winter market one year, Beardsley said, but the weather prevented many customers from coming to it. 

Monahan said she thinks expanding the time frame of the market could attract new customers, especially because there are only a handful of winter farmers markets in the state. 

She said farmers could plan ahead and keep carrots, potatoes and beets stored over the winter to sell. Dairy and meat farmers could come in to sell other items. 

Monahan approached Mayor Mark Lauretti about the proposal for a winter market, and he said he wanted the city to have only one market. 

We’ve got a beautiful facility,” Lauretti said Thursday. There’s no reason why we can’t take advantage of it.”

He said he suggested they look to start a subcommittee of the Conservation Commission so they have a starting point from which to talk” about the winter market. 

They’re a very responsible group,” Lauretti said of the existing farmer’s market. And so is the Conservation Commission. And I’m probably going to go along with what they want to do.”

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