Tuesday Trivia Tie-in #17- Farmers

Welcome to Tuesday Trivia Tie-in, where I invite and encourage everyone to join, with a post about something they find interesting.

My posts are usually about one of the ties in my collection, but yours can be about anything! I only ask that you include some little known information that relates to your topic.

Last Thursday we were driving down the road and saw a sign advertising a new Farmers' Market that would be starting in our area Saturday. Friday, I went to the city offices and found some information and late Friday afternoon, I was finally able to get permission to be a vendor at the market, selling fresh cut herbs.

I debated whether or not to go, since I didn't really have much time to prepare, but Diann and I decided that it would be important for me to be there the first week, for the ribbon cutting ceremony, if I was going to make it work, so I got together what I could in such a short time, and went, knowing that if it worked out, I would be better prepared in the future.

I was surprised when I showed up, and saw several vendors selling such things as soy candles and fresh ground coffee, lamb chops and baked goods, but no fruits or vegetables. Apparantly there were several local farmers scheduled to be there, but they had each had a different issue come up and they couldn't make it.

After the ribbon cutting ceremony, the mayor came over and introduced himself and informed me I had the distinction of being the only farmer at the farmer's market.

I hadn't really thought of myself as a farmer, but Wikipedia says
"A farmer is a person whose primary occupation consists of producing and managing food, fiber, or fuel on a farm; generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops such as produce and grain."

I suppose that really has been my primary occupation, at least for the last little while, although the size of my "farm" is somewhat small compared to most people.

In honor of the Farmers' Market, I wanted to do a farming related tie this week.
So, I chose a Ralph Marlin original:

Designed in 1988, with artwork by Blaine Heilman.
Pictured here with my shovel tie bar, my most farming related tie accessory, it features various glamour shots of Holstein Cows.

Holsteins are widely recognized today as the world's highest production dairy animal.

My Grandparents had a small dairy farm, when I was a kid, and had mostly Holsteins.

Milk production varies, but a Holstein will, on average, give between 4 and 7 gallons of milk per day.

But, I'm not a dairy farmer, I'm just an herb farmer.

This week at the Farmers' Market, I sold Oregano, Tarragon, Sage, Marjoram, and Savory.

Farmers' markets are one of the oldest forms of direct marketing by small farmers. From the traditional mercados in the Peruvian Andes to the unique street markets in Asia, growers all over the world gather weekly to sell their produce directly to the public.

In a farmers' market, a group of farmers sell their products once or twice a week at a designated public place like a park or parking lot. Some farmers' markets have live entertainment. Shopping at a farmers' market is a great way to meet local farmers and get fresh, flavorful produce.

In the last decade they have become a favorite marketing method for many farmers throughout the United States, and a weekly ritual for many shoppers. Farmers' markets in the US have grown from 1,755 in 1994 to 4,385 in 2006 to 5,274 in 2009

So. let me just close with this thought, that my Grandpa had on a bumper sticker on his old red flatbed Ford haytruck:

"Farming is America's Bread and Butter".



(A very special thanks to my wonderful wife for taking my pictures for me today, she does so much better pictures than I do!)

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