A Conversation With ... Don Bauer

The Greater Springfield Farmers’ Market … encompasses Greene County and the 11 counties that touch Greene County. We are governed by a board of directors that sets legislation.

I served as president of the board of directors for about eight years. The president of the organization (which I am now) is more of a figurehead position. We had set our mark this year at 90 growers – previously, we had been as high as 105 – (but) this year, we have 96 growers participating. We start at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays approximately from April 15 to Oct. 31 in the parking lot at Battlefield Mall.

Our contract would allow us to stay the entire day, but usually, the vegetable and berry sellers, when they’re out of produce, they pack their empty boxes and go home. You must be there early for the high-demand items. We just do retail, no wholesale, on the lot.

What are the market’s most popular items, and what can people find there beyond the fruits, vegetables and flowers?

Any fruits and berries are always on the top of the list, and the first tomatoes of the season. Right now, we’re beginning to see them.

We are a Class-A, growers-only market, so what you sell at our market must be grown by you. There is a clause in our rules … that states that (vendors) must be actively engaged in the production of (their products). There are several ladies who make jewelry … (we have) meat that is generally hormone-free. We’ve got buffalo, beef, pork, chicken. This year, we added a dairy, so they bring cheese, and I believe they sell milk as well. There are several people who do baked goods. One lady is doing pottery. Garden produce is still king. You will see things, seasonally, for sure, simply because we’re limited by the weather.

What effects are you seeing at the market from the January ice storm?

There will be very few apples. There will be no blueberries that I know of from our growers.

There will be blackberries, and there will be some raspberries. But as far as stone crops (such) as peaches, there will be none of them. (Visitor numbers) have been off a little bit (so far) because strawberries were way short, although, mercifully, there were more than we expected to see.

This is the 30th season for Greater Springfield Farmers’ Market. Can you give us some history?

It originally began on the north side of town. They used to set up … on the Commerce Bank parking lot on Boonville Avenue. That was before my time, but we still have members who remember that. From there, we went to the Plaza at Glenstone and Sunshine. That was when there were 40 (members), and that’s (where it was) when I became involved with the organization. It took off from there, as far as I was concerned. I negotiated (the mall) contract in the winter of 1994–95, and we began there in the spring of 1995. It’s turned out to be a really good situation for us. The parking is very good all around. People don’t have to walk very far, and there’s enough space to accommodate our needs.

What fees do your members pay to participate in the market?

They pay a yearly membership fee (of) $75, and then they pay a parking fee of $10 a space on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On the weekends, we charge $15 a space, and that all applies to our lease agreement with the mall.

What do you take to the market?

My wife and I recently gave up doing field-grown cut flowers … and we do greenhouse crops.

We’ve done vegetable production and we’ve done dried flowers for quite a few years. We are Bobtown Blossoms, a farm in Polk County. The farm came with the Bobtown name.

Tell us about your family and what you do outside of farming.

My wife Sandy was my high-school sweetheart, and we’ve been married 26 years, but we grew up together in Lockwood. My son, Ben, also helps on occasion, but he’s employed at a heating-and-air firm. He’s 24. I substitute-teach at Pleasant Hope High School, and I’m pursuing a teaching degree at Drury. I’m four courses short right now.

Interview by Features Editor Maria Hoover. You can e-mail her with suggestions for future installments of this feature at mhoover@sbj.net.