Opening BELL and thank you note :)

Read on for a thank you message :)
*Skip if you saw it in the last email

The market is now OPEN for orders. Click here to start shopping: *https://conway.locallygrown.net/market

It is Tamales Week
Use this link to order
*https://forms.gle/B8TLG3sz3bRNYYkQ7

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for all you do to support the local food system, small farmers, and our community. You may not realize it, but each time you make an order from CLG, you are supporting an essential part of the local food ecosystem.

As you know, CLG is not a huge market, we don’t sell thousands of pounds of food each week, and sometimes you may notice we have a limited offering. Nevertheless, it is important that we exist, and your continued support makes a big difference. If you have time to continue reading this email, I will try to explain why.

CLG is one of the first stepping stones for small and beginner local farmers. There is a very low barrier for entry to our market. Beginner farmers can list as much or as little as they want while they are learning best growing practices, how much they can expect to harvest, what customers want, etc. Small farmers can conveniently drop off what they already know has sold and then get right back out to farming—no need for them to wait around for hours without knowing how much they will sell.

CLG often sees farmers grow big enough to start selling to restaurants or retail stores, or even open their own on-farm stores. Sometimes this means that they list items less frequently on our market or stop coming all together because they are able to sell bigger and more consistent quantities elsewhere. This is bittersweet for the market. While on one hand we are happy to see farmers succeed and flourish, on the other, we are sad to see them go and have to work very hard to find and recruit new farmers.

Nevertheless, small markets like CLG, and customers like you who are consistently willing to shop for what we have available, are the breeding and nurturing grounds for small local farmers. Your support sustains the first wrung in the ladder of the local food system—a system that is striving to provide fresh and healthy food, be friendlier to the environment, keep local jobs and local dollars in our community, cultivate relationships, foster resilience, and much more.

You may not realize it, but you are a part of a global movement struggling to make a positive impact on our world, one meal at a time. Thank you for being part of this community and supporting the work we do.

Your friendly market manager,
Sandra