Farmer's Markets - who owns them?

I'm Ian Brown a third generation tenant farmer from one 'limb' of the Brown family which goes back to Elsdon, Northumberland in the reiving 1600's but I am the first generation to see myself as a businessman and land manager.

Of course surviving in Rennington - or indeed anywhere else where the concept of public transport is just that a concept and where 'log on' tends to refer to a roaring open fire rather than wifi enabled laptop - is not easy but I am going to let you see the truth behind the green curtain. Although my feet are now rarely in wellington boots I am still 'hefted' to rurality - see my website for more understanding of the complexity Lee Moor Farm.

My first blog is all about my yesterday - the last Friday of the month is of course Alnwick farmers market and I have indeed some thoughts that I want your comment on

As a tenant farmer I have grown up with a certain siding in the David and Goliath story and yet before I alienate supermarket bosses and large landowners I am now past 40 and so have a balanced and well informed view of the world...... in other words you learn to keep your principals but sometimes decide its better to live another day. So Alnwick Farmers Market is good and getting better and this is how yesterday went for me on the cobbles of Alnwick...

4.45am alarm and bath at Lee Moor Farm
5.30am arrive in Alnwick market place and meet Emma, the markets manager I will be shadowing on the market. Philip is already well on with the construction of the stalls
630am buy my Northumberland edition of The Journal..I would anyway.. and start putting up temporary signage around the town, banners and A boards
7.00am meet the Alnwick Lions to borrow some extra stalls which are used at there fantastic Alnwick Food Festival
8.00am stalls moved across town and erected
9.00 till 2.00pm market on, Emma will manage all the logistics in a busy and historic setting, deal with the logistics of those who pulled out because the weather forecast was worse than the reality, collect the money and prepare for emptying the market to allow the District Council staff in to set up for the lights switch on by Jane Northumberland in the evening
10am - called to do interview with Radio Lionheart
about the farmers market
3.00pm stalls to disassemble and take back to storage.

In the middle of the day Local Living Ltd (which I am a Director) carried out a markets survey to count people through the market place and survey them as to what more we can do to improve it.

The point of this diary entry is to say that local food and crafts are a good thing and buying them is likely to help the area economically, environmentally and socially.

A conversation needs to happen about the role of market towns and the rolling acres around them. In a city centric world what role the bits that are not concreted over?

And finally the debate about Heinz calling a soup Farmers Market - let the consumer be educated and have freedom of choiceI say!

Lastly can I thank Heather from Wiggly Wigglers for inspiring me to blog.... the first of many and I'm sure events will encourage me out of hiding?

Ian

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