THE GREELEY TRIBUNE —
GREELEY — The Greeley Farmers Market opened this morning with a new insurance requirement that some fear could discourage small-scale growers from participating.
The city of Greeley, which operates the local farmers market, is requiring vendors to carry a minimum of $600,000 in general liability and product liability insurance — a decision that comes less than a year after cantaloupe grown at Jensen Farms in southeastern Colorado was discovered to be the source of a listeria outbreak that killed 32 people in several states.
Many are concerned the new requirement for vendors could hinder the diversity — as well as the affordability for consumers, and the growth — that’s long been a trademark of the downtown food affair.
Carrying such insurance will have no effects on some local producers — the farmers who grow and sell enough food to require them to already carry insurance.
But it’s a different story for gardeners and other small-scale growers who don’t produce the quantities to warrant paying the premium.
“It’s certainly a concern,” said Larry Buxman, a Greeley resident who grows 3 acres of peppers, vegetables and fruits — placing him in the gray area of the situation.
Buxman said this week he’s never had to carry insurance for what he grows, but plans to go ahead and pay for the insurance required by the city, hoping he’ll sell enough this year to make it worth the investment.
However, paying the premium for a policy — $420 for a year is so far the cheapest Buxman can find — will make him raise prices on his goods, and he’s convinced many growers smaller than him won’t be able to afford taking their products to the local farmers market.
“I understand the need for it,” Buxman said of the city requiring insurance. “But it is a sad thing. I know we’re going to lose a lot of our local, small gardeners because of this.
“They really bring a lot to the event, and have helped this grow over the years … but I just can’t see them paying for this. It’s frustrating, and it’s another example of the little guys getting squeezed out.”
Some small food growers who were considering taking their crops to the farmers market in the future already have said it’s not going to happen now.
The outdoor Greeley Farmers Market opens today at the downtown historic Union Pacific Depot, 902 7th Ave. The market will be open from 7:30 a.m.-noon on Saturdays through Oct. 27 and also on Wednesdays, beginning July 11 through Sept. 26, from 3-6 p.m.
