With the increasing consumer interest in purchasing food grown close to home, producers at local farmers’ markets like Havelock Farmer & Artisan Market are growing their sales with the help of agricultural programs supported by Peterborough County.
According to Farmers’ Markets Ontario (FMO), sales at farmers’ markets across the province have increased by 10 to 12 per cent annually over the past decade, reaching approximately $800 million.
Elmer Buchanan, who manages Havelock Farmer & Artisan Market and is also chair of the FMO board, says the trend is a result of the continued desire for consumers to know where — and who — their food is coming from.
“It’s the chance for a direct connection between the producer and the consumer — there are still a lot of people who enjoy the opportunity to talk to the person who produced or grew the product,” Buchanan says. “It’s part of the growing local food phenomenon, and farmers’ markets are where the rubber meets the road and you can actually do it and not just talk about it.”
Connecting local producers with consumers is one of the reasons Buchanan helped establish the Havelock Farmer & Artisan Market in 2018. A farmer himself, he also brings his past expertise as Hastings-Peterborough MPP from 1990 to 1995, when he served as Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture and Food and was widely praised for his handling of the agriculture portfolio.
The Havelock Farmer & Artisan Market runs on Fridays annually from the Victoria Day long weekend in May through the Thanksgiving long weekend in October. Located on the south side of Highway 7 in the Village of Havelock in Havelock-Belmont-Methuen Township, the market is open from 1 to 6 p.m. during the summer, with food vendors on-site beginning at 11 a.m. On the last Friday of every month, the market also features a farm display.
Visitors to the market will not only find a range of locally grown produce, meats, maple syrups, and baked goods, but artisan products as well, including jewellery, fibre arts, bath and body products, and more.
Many of the farmers who attend the Havelock Farmer & Artisan Market are members of the Kawartha Choice FarmFresh economic development initiative. Supported by Peterborough County along with the City of Peterborough and the City of Kawartha Lakes, the program provides a brand identity for local producers, a network for members to share and access resources, and an online database for consumers to find local producers.
While Buchanan says farmers’ markets are a great way for local producers to meet customers, he points out many farmers don’t have the resources or time to expand beyond farmers’ markets and make connections with local food buyers, such as restaurants, food retailers, tourist attractions, golf courses, and more.
That’s why Peterborough County has also partnered with the City of Peterborough and the City of Kawartha Lakes to deliver the Kawartha Local Food Wholesale program, which aims to increase the capacity for local food distribution by connecting local food producers with wholesale buyers through the Green Circle Food Hub developed by Graze & Gather.
Buchanan says the two agricultural programs supported by Peterborough County are important because he believes local farms are the future when it comes to food security.
“Developing those kinds of networks is where we’re going to get our food security from,” Buchanan says. “I applaud the work that people have put into making it happen.”
To learn more about the Havelock Farmer & Artisan Market, visit www.havelockmarket.ca.
The Local Advantage in Peterborough County is a branded editorial feature series celebrating the farmers, food producers, food retailers, and agri-tourism businesses that make The Kawarthas thrive, created in partnership with Peterborough County’s Economic Development & Tourism Division.
Agriculture is a key economic driver and a point of pride for Peterborough County, with local farms producing a wide variety of high-quality goods, from traditional crops and livestock to organic and specialty products, reflecting the strength and diversity of this vital sector. With a growing focus on sustainability, local food systems, agri-innovation, and agri-tourism, agriculture offers strong potential for growth and diversification.
The Local Advantage with Peterborough County series spotlights the Kawartha Choice FarmFresh and Kawartha Local Food Wholesale initiatives, which aim to strengthen connections from farm to table across our region.
For more information about economic development and tourism in Peterborough County, visit www.ptbocounty.ca/ecdev and The Kawarthas Tourism at thekawarthas.ca.
