The Shacktown Farmers' Market is located at Billet-Doux Farm, 2816 Shacktown Road, Yadkinville, NC (just off of US HWY 421 at Exit 253)

Market News: updated weekly by Thursday evening

Vendors attending on July 5

• NEW! Arlene Frazier of Boonville (BLUEBERRIES)
• Melba Eagle Melton of Granite Quarry & Lone Hickory (bedding plants)
• Frances Casstevens, Yadkinville (local author and historian bringing books and bluegrass CDs)
• Marti Utter, Billet-Doux Farm (CHERRIES by the pound: Blackheart & Ranier, picked July 4) eggs, cut flowers, herbs, folk art and cedar/redwood bluebird boxes made by Mark Eagle of Lone Hickory)

Coming soon: Bonnie Robinson (felted wool items, nifty aprons & more); Janice Conrad (baked goods) and Shane & Misty Matthews (slumped glasswork and mosaic bird-baths) all of Shacktown

The Market was featured on a flyer that was distributed at our state's first Got to be NC Festival which was held at the State Fairgrounds last weekend (June 5-8). Thanks to Martha Glass, Manager of NCDS&CS's Agritourism Office, & volunteers from the NC Agritourism Networking Association for representing us at this event. Special kudos to vendor Veta Hemric for hand-delivering the flyers to Martha and for representing Yadkin County agritourism at the NCANA booth!

Remember, the Shacktown Farmers' Market is on the lookout for vendors of produce, plants and traditional crafts....we need you!

"Anyone who believes you can have infinite exponential growth on a finite planet is either a madman or an economist." Kenneth Boulding

For Your Information

Words of wisdom from the LocalHarvest website: "Many of us live lives that are overly determined by convenience. Day to day decisions are made as if expediency and ease were our highest values. So habituated are we to these conveniences, so dependent on our luxuries that the idea of going without them actually makes us feel afraid. But fear - of scarcity, of change - is a terrible master. It makes us forget our own creativity and adaptability. We mistake the way it is for the way it has to be.

In that mindset, there is no way to discover something that might be better. Last month LocalHarvest was featured on a radio program out of Sacramento. The host started with the usual questions about how to define 'local' and how the website works. Once the conversation turned to actually buying local food, though, it became personal and he was stumped. Northern California offers astounding agricultural abundance, but this fellow could not see his way to buying this extraordinary produce directly from a farmer. He was used to shopping at Safeway, and the idea of deviating from the safe way (ironic, isn't it?) made him tense. Shopping at a farmers market requires too much trust, he said, plus it's an extra trip and the veggies would sit in the frig drawer and rot anyway. Hmmm...

That interview stands out as an example of the kind of thinking we as a nation need to leave behind. If we greet every new idea with excuses that aim to defend our old ways, we will be lost. The future belongs to those who can walk lightly, willing to shift as needed, alert for the next ingenuity. If we let ourselves be afraid of this rapidly changing economy, it would be easy to lose site of the great beauty and new opportunities that surround us. If we keep ourselves relaxed and open, we will find ourselves reveling in the great gifts of this life: the beauty of nature, the comforting joy of friendship, the spark of creativity, and the civility of true community. And then we will be fearless."

Yadkin County's Farmland Preservation Ordinance

Help spread the word about a local food eating contest, "Eat Carolina Food Challenge", to take place this July. To get started, those interested may visit Carolina Farm Stewards' website at www.carolinafarmstewards.org then contact the Program Director, Kari Brayman.

Interested in the "how-and-why" of grass-fed/pastured dairy or meat products? Click here for basic information, and here for a comprehensive technical report...

Vanity Fair article about MONSANTO...

Interesting article about raw milk from the Rodale Institute...

July 1... The House Health Committee has approved a measure that will require warning labels on containers for unpasteurized and unprocessed milk . North Carolina law prohibits the sale of raw milk for human consumption because of health concerns, but the product can be sold for use by pets. The Board of Agriculture had approved a plan to dye all raw milk charcoal gray to make the milk unappealing to people, but raw milk advocates said their animals wouldn't drink such a product, either, and that no organic dye was available. A compromise bill (H2524, passed last week) would require milk containers to bear warning labels saying that the products aren't for human consumption and that selling raw milk for human consumption is illegal.

2008 Shacktown Farmers' Market Information

Season: May 3 through November 22

Every Saturday from 8am until 11 or "sold out"(whichever comes first)

The SpringGreen Festival will open the market each spring. Other marketing opportunities will include activities in observance of National Farmers' Market Week (August 9), National Herb Day (October 11), "Melloween" (A Mellow Halloween, October 31) & the Halcyon Days Festival (Dec. 6-13).

Guidelines For Farmers/Crafters:

• Sellers must reside and produce the items they sell within a 50-mile radius of Yadkin County.
• Sellers must be the original producers of all items being sold. No buying and reselling of produce or other products is allowed.
• Representatives of certified farmers/crafters (defined as a person verified by the manager of the market) may sell that farmer/crafter's product at the market.
• Sellers pay a daily selling fee of $5.00 for one space. No additional fees will be required of sellers for 2008.
• Set-up should begin no earlier than an hour before market.
• Sellers should provide whatever is needed to sell products (i.e. tables, canopies, shopping bags, etc.) Be prepared to anchor your canopy in the event of strong wind conditions.
• Signage displaying growers' name or name of business is encouraged.
• Each seller is responsible for cleaning the area around his/her booth.
• All produce must be of top quality.
• Prices must be posted for all items sold.
• Any vendor selling meat, dairy, poultry or other animal products that are regulated by the NCDA and/or USDA are responsible for satisfying any regulatory requirements prior to selling of product. Vendors must keep a copy of the license with them at all times while selling at the market.
• No animals may be sold or given away at the market.
• In response to customers' requests, this market is "smoke-free".
• Products which can be sold include:
• Any vegetable grown by the seller from seeds, sets, seedlings, or other propagation method
• Any meat, dairy, poultry or aquatic products produced by the seller
• Any fruits, nuts and berries grown by the seller from trees, bushes, or vines on the seller’s farm
• Any plant grown by the seller from seed, seedling, transplant, cutting or other propagation method
• Eggs produced by the seller’s poultry
• Honey produced by the seller’s bees
• Food products, such as preserves, pickles, relishes, jams, jellies, baked goods, wine, etc. made by the seller.  Processed foods must comply with NCDA regulations; a copy of any certification or license must be on file with the Market Manager.  No low-acid canned foods such as green beans, corn, peas, carrots, etc. may be sold.
• Cut or dried flowers grown by the seller
• Non-food animal products, including fiber, fleece, hides, pelts, feathers, yarn, beeswax, etc. made from seller’s animals

If you are interested in becoming a vendor or have questions, please contact Marti Utter at (336) 391-8459 or (336) 961-3035, or use the form on the "Contact Us" page. Don't hesitate to offer suggestions that you think will improve the Market.

Thanks in advance for your participation!

Locally grown food tastes better - Food grown in your own community was probably picked within the past day or two. It's crisp, sweet and loaded with flavor. Several studies have shown that the average distance food travels from farm to plate is 1,500 miles. In a week-long (or more) delay from harvest to dinner table, sugars turn to starches, plant cells shrink, and produce loses its vitality.

Local produce is better for you - A recent study showed that fresh produce loses nutrients quickly. Food that is frozen or canned soon after harvest is actually more nutritious than some "fresh" produce that has been on the truck or supermarket shelf for a week.

Local food preserves genetic diversity - In the modern industrial agricultural system, varieties are chosen for their ability to ripen simultaneously and withstand harvesting equipment; for a tough skin that can survive packing and shipping; and for an ability to have a long shelf life in the store. Only a handful of hybrid varieties of each fruit and vegetable meet those rigorous demands, so there is little genetic diversity in the plants grown. Local farms, in contrast, grow a huge number of varieties to provide a long season of harvest, an array of eye-catching colors, and the best flavors. Many varieties are heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation, because they taste good. These old varieties contain genetic material from hundreds or even thousands of years of human selection; they may someday provide the genes needed to create varieties that will thrive in a changing climate.

Local food is GMO-free - Although biotechnology companies have been trying to commercialize genetically modified fruits and vegetables, they are currently licensing them only to large factory-style farms. Local farmers don't have access to genetically modified seed, and most of them wouldn't use it even if they could. A June 2001 survey by ABC News showed that 93% of Americans want labels on genetically modified food - most so that they can avoid it. If you are opposed to eating bioengineered food, you can rest assured that locally grown produce was bred as nature intended.

Local food supports local farm families - With fewer than 1 million Americans now claiming farming as their primary occupation, farmers are a vanishing breed. And no wonder - commodity prices are at historic lows, often below the cost of production. The farmer now gets less than 10 cents of the retail food dollar. Local farmers who sell direct to consumers cut out the middleman and get full retail price for their food - which means farm families can afford to stay on the farm, doing the work they love.

Local food builds community - When you buy direct from the farmer, you are re-establishing a time-honored connection. Knowing the farmers gives you insight into the seasons, the weather, and the miracle of raising food. In many cases, it gives you access to a farm where your children and grandchildren can go to learn about nature and agriculture. Relationships built on understanding and trust can thrive.

Local food preserves open space - As the value of direct-marketed fruits and vegetables increases, selling farmland for development becomes less likely. You have probably enjoyed driving out into the country and appreciated the lush fields of crops, the meadows full of wildflowers, the picturesque red barns. That landscape will survive only as long as farms are financially viable. When you buy locally grown food, you are doing something proactive about preserving the agricultural landscape.

Local food keeps your taxes in check - Farms contribute more in taxes than they require in services, whereas suburban development costs more than it generates in taxes, according to several studies. On average, for every $1 in revenue raised by residential development, governments must spend $1.17 on services, thus requiring higher taxes of all taxpayers. For each dollar of revenue raised by farm, forest, or open space, governments spend 34 cents on services.

Local food supports a clean environment and benefits wildlife - A well-managed family farm is a place where the resources of fertile soil and clean water are valued. Good stewards of the land grow cover crops to prevent erosion and replace nutrients used by their crops. Cover crops also capture carbon emissions and help combat global warming. According to some estimates, farmers who practice conservation tillage could sequester 12-14% of the carbon emitted by vehicles and industry. In addition, the patchwork of fields, meadows, woods, ponds and buildings - is the perfect environment for many beloved species of wildlife.

Local food is about the future - By supporting local farmers today, you can help ensure that there will be farms in your community tomorrow, and that future generations will have access to nourishing, flavorful, and abundant food. Adapted from ©2001 Growing for Market