Welcome! We’re Getting Better
Welcome to the first edition of The Farm’s Reach, the seasonal newsletter of the Peterborough Farmers’ Market.
The Farm’s Reach is the market’s way of reaching out to you, our community and customers. A place where we can let you know what’s happening at Peterborough’s original,
historic Farmers’ market.
There have been many changes at the Market in recent times. In the spring of 2017 we introduced vendor signage. The new signs allow customers to identify where the food they’re buying comes from. This was our initial response to community concern about food origins and security.
Soon after, the Market adopted a new set of by-laws which brought the Market into line with Ontario’s soon-to-be enacted (2020) Not-for-Profit Corporations Act. Good governance is key to our operations. The Market has established a 5-year Strategic Plan which sets out its mission, values, and direction. It has also recently made clear its pledge to local food and local farming through recruitment of new farm vendors. With new signage and by-laws, a renewed commitment to local food and local farming, and a plan which tells us where we’re headed and how we’re
Local Food
Don Brown, Brown’s Farm, November 2018
Photo: Julia Luymes
What is local food? It seems a simple question. However, there’s no simple answer. According to Ontario’s Local Food Act (2013), local food is characterized as “food produced or harvested in Ontario, including forest or freshwater food.”
Most people in the community have a different understanding of local food. Conventionally, “local food” is defined as grown within 50kms of point of sale. And sometimes, “local food” is defined as produced by a “small” or “organic” farmer. The Peterborough Farmers’ Market supports two definitions of local. We promote farmers who are within 50km of the Peterborough Farmers’ Market and, we allow our local and Ontario farmers to sell the produce of other local and Ontario farmers.
By supporting both definitions of local we provide our customers with the widest choice of best quality local and Ontario fresh food and produce. We are inclusive and we aim to suit every customers’ budget, from pensioners to doctors, from students to teachers, and everyone in between
