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Winter farmers market grand opening held

Jonathan Wright, The Ledger Independent

The grand opening for the Mason County Farmers Market’s winter market began Saturday morning in the Old Washington meeting house.

Andy and Tracy Hosfelt, co-chairs of the Mason County Farmers Market, said this is the first year in market history that a winter market has been held.

Several vendors set up at the grand opening, selling a variety of products to customers seeking locally produced goods. Among the products sold on Saturday were beef and pork products, produce and baked goods.

Several other activities took place throughout the day, such as face painting for children, door prizes and complimentary foods to celebrate the grand opening.

Due to farmers utilizing technology like high tunnels, Tracy Hosfelt said people are able to grow crops even in colder weather, which created a necessity of starting a winter market in the area.

“People have high tunnels, and now they’re able to produce vegetables through the winter time,” she said. “And so we decided we needed a winter market, so we could just let people know we are here.”

“It’s hard on the meat vendors if they don’t have some place to sell their meat through the winter time,” Andy Hosfelt said. “It makes it easier for them to sell their meat year-round.”

Andy Hosfelt added that having a winter market makes the lives of farmers much easier, as it allows them more time to sell their products and not feel like they are under a strict time restraint.

“The normal farmers market runs roughly 20 weeks, so you’ve got 20 weeks to make your living,” he said. “This way, it extends it to where it’s not such a big push to make all of your money in 20 weeks, you can spread it throughout the year.”

Ella Bowling, one of the vendors, has been running Diamond B Farms in Brooksville with her husband, Lance, since 2003. From their farm they sell pork and chicken. While not their sole source of income, selling at farmers markets does help supplement it.

“It’s been a big income producer for us on our farm,” she said, “it’s allowed us to diversify our operation. Before we started doing pork and chickens at farmers markets, we primarily were a cattle operation; we raised beef cattle and sold them at auction — cow calf operation.”

Having a winter market to sell her products, Bowling said it is easier to keep selling as well as provide a reliable time and location for customers to meet her to buy her products.

“We’ve been doing this for five years, and the winter time that’s usually the biggest slump for us where we don’t sell as much, just because a lot of folks don’t want to come out to the farm to pick up products,” she said. “So if we can bring stuff to where the folks are that are our customers, then it makes them happy and it allows us to keep moving product off the farm.”

The Mason County Farmers Market’s winter market will continue to meet at the Old Washington meeting house every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. until May 16, 2020.

The Ledger Independent is online at: http://maysville-online.com