Farmers markets face anxiety from Delta variant, local cases

Farmers markets throughout the county are coming into the final months of their 2021 seasons, and while they’ve seen great progress compared to 2020, and even 2019, more uncertainty lies ahead. With the increasing prevalence of the Delta variant causing COVID-19 cases in the county to spike, market leaders are wary of another round of tight restrictions hindering what’s left of this season and into next.

Around the county, farmers markets have seen a significant boost in sales this year. At the Ithaca Farmers Market, for example, David Stern, president of the Board of Directors and owner of Windsong Farm, said that so far this year, the sales numbers have been even higher than pre-pandemic figures.

“People’s habits may have changed,” he said. “During the pandemic, some people learned to cook for the first time in their lives. … So, I think people are looking to do a little bit more of their own local shopping and cooking. And I think that’s rubbed off on the vendors. And I think they missed the market, wanting to come back and enjoy the products.”

Natalie Baris, market manager for the Trumansburg Farmers Market, has seen similar progress.

“The beginning of this market season, we were still wearing masks and just following the state guidelines for outdoor activities,” she said. “But in June, I would say everything really opened up like normal, and it was wonderful to have that feeling back of we’re what we’re meant to be, as a place to gather, a place to hang out, to support local farmers and local artisans, have food and have drink and listen to music. And we’ve been doing a really good job this year. We’ve had a lot of traffic.”

The Freeville Farmers Market, while a bit smaller in scale, is also celebrating a significant increase in attendance and vendors.

“Last year, there were six of us in the line, and we kind of looked at another and said, ‘Hi,’” said Madi Alridge, organizer for the Freeville market and owner of Jasper Meadows Farm. “This year, I looked down, and we’re going around the corner. We’re along the whole front of the elementary school and then we’re starting to go up and around the horseshoe drive. So, it’s very exciting to all of us that we’re just seeing interest and folks wanting this in this community.”

The Ithaca Farmers Market has another reason to celebrate, as it recently filed its plans for expansion and remodeling with the Ithaca Planning Department. Changes to the market’s plans since last year include the removal of the community kitchen and the inclusion of more ways to improve waterfront access, Stern said.

Groundbreaking on the early stages of the improvements like the parking lot isn’t expected until next year, and the entire renovation will have to be done in pieces, Stern said.

“It costs extra, but the other thing is the vendors, all of us are concerned about disruption to the market,” he said. “Of course, we want to disrupt it as little as possible. So, even the pavilion could be built in phases to allow us to occupy one part while the other part is being built, but again, [it’s] very inefficient and cost intensive.”

Also within the past year, the Ithaca Farmers Market created Friends of the Market (ifmfriends.org), a nonprofit expected to work on “food sustainability issues, education issues, things like that ancillary to the market operations, and they’d cooperate with the market itself on running the market,” Stern said.

While the idea for the nonprofit has been kicking around for 15 years or so, it was Executive Director Anton Burkett who pushed to make it a reality. He described the benefit the nonprofit will provide to the market and those it serves.

“Many farmers markets our size are organized and run by 501(c)(3) nonprofits or by municipalities. … But the farmers market in Ithaca is cooperatively run by the vendors,” he said. “And so, we want to, like other farmers markets do, be able to contribute in ways that are actually charitable to our community. And we do some of this already. The farmers market has been doing this, but we’ve been doing it without that 501(c)(3) status, which makes it difficult to get grants and funding and donations.”

While markets have had a lot to be thankful for in the past few months, all sources expressed some anxiety toward what may lie ahead. Crystal Van Gaasbeck, member of the Ithaca Farmers Market Board of Directors, explained how increasing COVID-19 cases have affected visitors and vendors alike.

“The biggest thing is this kind of unpredictability; nobody knows what’s going to happen. Will there be another lockdown?” she said. “People are kind of wary, but I think in general, people feel like it’s a little bit of a safer place because it’s outdoors, for one, and also, especially with your local groceries, like farm produce, your food is being touched by fewer hands when you get it at market than at a grocery store. So, I think that kind of sets people at ease too, but I definitely think there’s mixed feelings.”

Stern added that he’s started to notice a significant increase in mask wearing at the market since earlier this year, which can likely be attributed to the new guidance released by the CDC last month along with the Tompkins County Health Department issuing similar advisories.

Alridge reported a similar mix of anxiety and optimism at the Freeville Farmers Market.

“The anxiety surrounding what’s happening with COVID, it’s definitely prevalent, I think, for everyone; I don’t know if there’s anyone that’s not thinking that, honestly,” she said. “But what we’ve seen is that folks have enjoyed being able to be out and in the fresh air. They’ve enjoyed being able to see each other. We really tried to bring as much of the Freeville community that we can together.”

Baris said that though “it is absolutely way too soon to have any idea of what’s going to happen,” she also has some reservations about what the rest of this season and the beginning of next could look like.

“I feel we’ll be back to wearing masks and that whole thing,” she said. “We’re waiting for the state and local authorities to tell us what to do, essentially. As of right now, there’s been no change. … You’re going to have to live by the seat of your pants, and bend and flex as quick as possible.”

With all this anxiety, then, it’s no surprise that sources’ expectations for this year and next are essentially hoping and planning for the best, while preparing to change at a moment’s notice.

“I’m going to plan for the best,” Baris said. “I would rather over plan and overbook and then have to scale it back a little bit. I’m sure vendors will understand [that] … if things change drastically with the coronavirus, things are going change everywhere in every situation. So, I feel like I don’t want it to come to next year and be like, ‘OK, yay, everything’s great. Now, let’s have this great market,’ but I’m not ready for it. But I want to plan for a great market and hope that we can hold a great market.”

Van Gaasbeck also shared her thoughts about the coming months.

“I hope we don’t have to have another lockdown,” she said. “I hope we can be the safest place you can go and buy your vegetables. I’m not sure. If things change for the worse, we might have to go back to the lines and maintaining a lower number of people under the pavilion. I think it might be too early to tell.”

Sources said that the best way to help them weather whatever the coronavirus throws their way over the next several months is to simply attend and support local producers.

“Please come and visit us,” Alridge said. “We have a really fantastic group of people. For us, it’s almost like a second family, and it’s fantastic to be able to be part of this with other folks that are in this local area.”

Visit the Ithaca Farmers Market at Steamboat Landing, 535 Third St., Ithaca on Saturdays and Sundays, at Dewitt Park in Ithaca on Tuesdays and on East Hill at 330 Pine Tree Rd., Ithaca on Wednesdays; the Trumansburg Farmers Market at 69 W. Main St., Trumansburg on Wednesdays; and the Freeville Farmers Market at the Freeville Elementary School, 43 Main St., Freeville on Sundays.

For a full list of hours and vendors, visit the Ithaca market website at ithacamarket.com, the Trumansburg market at tburgfarmersmarket.com and the Freeville market at freevillefarmersmarket.org.

The Brooktondale Farmers Market, which was not available for interview, is held on Tuesdays at Brooktondale Community Center’s Old Fire Hall, 522 Valley Rd., Brooktondale. Visit the market’s website at bccmarket.wordpress.com.