Farmer’s Market Prices

[RiverRat1]

I've always thought the same thing...Here's my thoughts although I understand and agree with other people's thoughts as to why they are higher also.

When any store buys a product there are huge markups and waste. Not sure on food but most things are marked up at the very least 40%..Then there's shipping etc. So if a farmer is selling organic meat (as example) to a store like HEB they should be able to sell it cheaper at a farmers market or at least the same as HEB sells it for.

But it's the allure of fresh *organic food that gets a lot of city folks paying high prices. And as mentioned I bet a lot of them are getting the same non-organic food as sold in HEB.

When I say organic I use that to sum up all the other words also (all natural, grass fed, cage free, blah blah blah)

I could not imagine how much it would cost to eat mainly all food from the farmers market.

[RiverRat1]

we had 150 chickens in Frisco couple years ago and sold eggs for $5 a dozen, sold everyone we had every week. Folks could actually see our chickens out running around as we free ranged every day. My buddy said I was crazy, no way anyone was going to pay $5 a dozen when cheaper at the store, he was wrong. We had customers with standing orders every week.

So what happened? You still sell eggs, move, or not enough profits?

[glen]

I had about 20 chickens. Folks gave my kid $5 a dozen and he was always sold out. I can’t say they were organic. They ate anything and everything. Mostly what they found in the yard. When I was processing deer they ate that- leftover Dominos the kids threw that out in the yard. They had the dark orange yolks and people could not get enough.

[brokeno]

Yep. Most the stuff is wAy over priced

[coachmas]

Dang what farmers market? My boys sell our extra eggs to neighbors and friends at church for $3/doz just to recoup some feed money.

[TXHunter12]

Yea seriously don’t believe the HEB commercials of them hand selecting the beef, eggs, etc.

You really don’t know what you are getting.

Others have already explained grass fed beef. If you have ever seen a commercial feedlot for cows prior to butcher you would understand.

[Stuck]

I had about 20 chickens. Folks gave my kid $5 a dozen and he was always sold out. I can’t say they were organic. They ate anything and everything. Mostly what they found in the yard. When I was processing deer they ate that- leftover Dominos the kids threw that out in the yard. They had the dark orange yolks and people could not get enough.

You have a rooster?

[Smell the Glove]

We go to farmer’s markets probably twice a month. It’s a great way to get the kids out of the house on Saturday morning and they seem to eat more when we let them pick out their own food.

Part of the appeal is supposed to be (or I thought so anyways) lower prices because you’re buying straight from the farm. That doesn’t seem to be the case though.

The going rate for eggs at the two markets we go to is $6 per dozen (and they always seem to sell out) while organic free range from H-E-B are under $4 per dozen. Grass fed filets are $25-30/ lb, sometimes more, and are always very lean. The big H-E-B has grass fed filets that sometimes rival their prime filets in marbling at $23/ lb.

Anybody have an explanation for this? What am I missing?

I think you are in Houston. Which market are you going to?

[Mike]

I remember going to the big market in Houston, on the North side just inside the loop. It was a big place, part enclosed and then the back was trucks backed into the open air loading docks. We went every other month or so and it was a neat experience, that was in the mid 70's - early 80's. There are a couple of local trade days held in vacant parking lots around here and it seems to be all local growers.

Regarding eggs, there are several ladies in the area that deliver for $3 per dozen and run a route every few days.

[Stoof]

I’m gonna go back to the fact that we put how much money into putting deer in the freezer?
I’ll gladly pay a buck more for a head of lettuce that I know was grown in Fredericksburg over some crap grown in crap in Mexico or trucked in from California any day.

[friscopaint]

So what happened? You still sell eggs, move, or not enough profits?

Moved, it was pretty much all profit. Folks went nuts over the eggs, multi colored and speckles. Like said by another we never claimed organic just free range, they were our disposal since we didn't have one.

[TXHunter12]

I remember a relative telling a story of driving out to the farmers market in Hempstead. Deoria Farms or something like that. They drive out of the big city. They got there early and the lady working there says it will be a little while because the truck coming from Houston is running late.

[More Liberty]

I remember going to the big market in Houston, on the North side just inside the loop. It was a big place, part enclosed and then the back was trucks backed into the open air loading docks. We went every other month or so and it was a neat experience, that was in the mid 70's - early 80's. There are a couple of local trade days held in vacant parking lots around here and it seems to be all local growers.

Regarding eggs, there are several ladies in the area that deliver for $3 per dozen and run a route every few days.

When I was a kids in the 80s my we went to that market as well. It's still there and hasnt changed. It's a NAFTA market meaning most of that produce comes from Mexico.

[MetalMan2004]

I think you are in Houston. Which market are you going to?

Yep I’m in Houston. Sometimes we go to the one off I-10 and Bunker Hill. It’s the expensive part of town so no surprise things are expensive there. They seem to have a better selection and more product than the other one we got to, Downtown Humble. A couple weeks ago we got to the Humble market at 11 because it had been a cold morning and almost everything was sold out. Pricing seems to be the same at both markets.

[RWB]

Some of you guys are like some of my sales guys. What they make it/produce it for has nothing to do with the price. The price is set by what people will pay for a product.....not what margin I make on it. Reason prices are higher is because people are paying them right now.