No help for farmers, but a boom to farmers markets

Here we are looking at the upcoming signing of the farm bill and it's focus on Food Hubs....that meaning Farmers Markets. While the markets are a huge resource in getting organic and what some deem as local grown it does not address the real sources that need development, small local farms and urban growing opportunities.

Lets put it this way, the cost for a small farm to get product to these farmers markets often exceeds what they make on a typical Saturday or weekend. If small farms were set up in urban areas then transportation costs would be negated because of close proximity to those markets. Not only would it reduce overhead for the farms, it potentially would open up job opportunities since many small farms do hire anywhere from 5 to 20 people to work the facility. They also could create educational and entrepreneurial opportunities in creating actual working urban farms on vacant city lots, increasing the tax base for municipalities for lots that currently sit dormant and unproductive.

Current questions are being raised in the City of Troy.  A small post industrial city in eastern NY, on the shores of the Hudson River.  The local farmers market is poised to receive a financial boost with a new development that would present them a permanent home in the City. Kirchhoff Properties has applied for a grant to award the farmers market a permanent home with this new development, that is already shrouded it nondescript designs, salesman double talk and public promises of good use of a public space for private development.  According to the farm bill Kirchhoff potentially could apply for upwards of $25 million in financial rewards from the USDA, because they would have provided subsidies to the current farmers market, but none of that money from the USDA, goes directly to the farmers market.  Again we look at that city and of the 80 something properties for sale by the city more than 75% of those are vacant lots.  Wasted opportunities.

U.S.D.A. to Start Program to Support Local and Organic Farming?