When farmers markets are allowed to reopen, initially at least they won't look like they did previously, as here at the Capital City Farmers Market in Montpelier. Courtesy photos
by C.B. Hall, Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott's March 24 "Stay Home/Stay Safe" order suspended in-person retail commerce with an exception for "critical" businesses such as supermarkets, but it took another day before the state clarified that the "critical" category would not include Vermont's approximately 55 farmers' markets. But some limited re-opening could be announced as soon as Friday.
“Outdoor markets would likely attract large gatherings that would congregate close together,” Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (AAFM) Secretary Anson Tebbetts clarified on March 25, in an interview with Vermont Public Radio. “There is risk of person-to-person contact when exchanging goods.”
On April 10, over Tebbetts' signature, a clarification of the state order referred not to outdoor markets, but, without qualification, to "farmers markets" – which. he stated, "are still not permitted under the terms of the current Stay Home/Stay Safe executive order."
Some wiggle room was later introduced that turned farmers markets into outdoor pick-up sites fulfilling preorders – still a long way from what the markets normally are.
Burlington Farmers Market in October 2018. VBM photo.
On April 15, Tebbetts told VBM that, "We're just not quite there yet" with a broader opening of the much-loved marketplaces.
Governor Scott is expected on Friday to present rules to allow for a limited re-opening of farmers markets soon, with strict social distancing guidelines.
In Washington, DC, for instance, shoppers wait in line, six feet apart, put in an order, which is then handed to them, similar to how many restaurants are operating a curbside service here.
Vermont farmers and their advocates have objected as one might imagine, with the Northeast Organic Farmers Association – Vermont stating on its website that "it is critical that our farmers' markets be allowed to continue providing direct access to locally produced, nutritious food in ... an accessible way for Vermont communities."
Outdoor markets arguably allow for greater social distancing than even a large supermarket does – as those opposing the current ban have pointed out.
"As long as you take all precautions, you should open up as soon as possible," Joe Tisbert, an organic vegetable grower in Cambridge, and the president of the Vermont Farm Bureau, said in an April 16 interview. "Some of these markets have turned into social gatherings, but if the farmers' market proves that they can do things ... and not have hand-to-hand contact," they should be allowed to fulfill their "essential" role in the food sector, he said.
"Vermonters are sharp enough to make it all happen."
Working with AAFM through their representatives, the aggrieved farmers appear, as of this writing, to have made some progress in resolving the issue: Walking back the original ban, the state announced a new plan on April 17, whereby the markets will be allowed to operate as of May 1, albeit under clear restrictions that will probably require curbside service of the sort being used by Vermont's hardware stores and small groceries, for example.
The guidelines had not been specified in any detail as of press time, and it is not clear how much additional latitude they may provide relative to current practices.
"We are working on the final guidance," Tebbetts wrote in an April 20 email.
