Webster County
Farmers market resources
Farmers market location
Marshfield Farmers Market
When: Every Friday, April 26 through October, from 3 to 7 p.m.
Where: Young's Shopping Center parking lot at 900 W. Washington St. in Marshfield, Mo.
Contact: Therrin Dickinson, manager, Phone: 417-920-8774, or email [email protected], or see Facebook page.
Produce auctions and locations
C Highway Produce Auction, State Highway Short P, Seymour, MO
When: The auctions are held Fridays starting April 19(?) through May, and Tuesdays and Fridays in June, July, August, September and October. Auction start time is 10 a.m.
Where: Go north of Seymour, Mo. on Highway C about 5.5 miles, turn east on Highway P (“Short P”) and go about 1/4 mile. The 60 ft. x 153 ft. open-air auction barn is on the south side of the road.
Terms and Conditions: Sellers that do not grow their own produce or are outside the 50-mile zone need prior approval from the auction board. There is an 11% commission rate, and there will be packaging restrictions to keep the product as uniform as possible. Ask for our packing and Grading Guide. New and used boxes will be available at the auction. Consigners will be assigned permanent numbers, enabling buyers to buy more consistently. Buyers need to have their sales tax number in our file or pay sales tax. New boxes are available at the produce auction. Not responsible for misplaced items.
Contact: Sammy J. M. Schwartz, manager, 4773 Hazelwood Rd, Seymour, MO 65746; or Steve Cantrell, auctioneer, 1056 Homestead Rd, Seymour, MO 65746, Phone: 417-859-3509 or 417-380-0562
Webster County Produce Auction, 801 Berry Road, Seymour, MO
When: The auctions are held Tuesdays and Fridays from April 16 through October 18. Auction start time is 10 a.m.
Where:
- From eastbound on U.S. Highway 60 from Springfield, take Short Road/Killdeer Road median crossover (at west Seymour city limit sign), turn north, then go back westbound on U.S. 60, 0.3 mile to Berry Road (at Schrable Fertilizer), then north 0.8 mile to auction barn at 801 Berry Road.
- From west Business 60 exit at Seymour (near McDonald's restaurant), go west on U.S. Highway 60 about 2.1 miles to Berry Road (at Schrable Fertilizer), then go north 0.8 mile to auction barn at 801 Berry Road.
Contact: Bob Crump, auctioneer, P.O. Box 575, Seymour, MO 65746. Phone 417-935-4039 or 417-464-4040, email [email protected], or visit his website at www.bobcrumpauctions.org/Produce.
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Business management
- MU Extension publication G6223, Starting and Operating a Farmers Market: Frequently Asked Questions — Covers a wide variety of issues to make a market successful and legal
- MU Extension publication MP906, Community Gardening Toolkit — Resources to help those interested in starting a community garden
- MU Extension publication G6222, Selling Strategies for Local Food Producers
- MU Extension publication G6221, Marketing Vegetables in Missouri
- AgSquared — Record-keeping software tailor-made for small farms. See Missouri Beginning Farming's review of AgSquared.
- Small Farms and Alternative Enterprise Budgets — Know your costs for small-scale fresh-market farming. These budgets are based on 100-foot row gardening.
- USDA Farmers Marketing Fact Sheets — Many resources for growers wanting to direct-market their products
- Whole Animal Buying Guide for Consumers — This Iowa State University Extension and Outreach publication explains buying pork and beef as whole animals (or portions thereof) from local producers. Covers marketing terms, information on storage and handling, meat inspection, meat cut out weight, and includes color photos of common retail beef and pork cuts.
- "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" Program (PDF) — A USDA-wide effort with case studies about better connecting consumers with local producers.
- Farmers Market Terminal Prices — USDA listing of current wholesale prices for fruits and vegetables
- Missouri Alternatives Center — Information on alternative agriculture enterprises. Click on the "Link List - Extension Information on Alternatives" to search for a particular enterprise, or call 636-797-5391.
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Food safety and defense
- Free water analysis to comply with Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule water testing requirements. Here are the instructions and the water sample submission form.
- Food Safety After a Flood (PDF) — Kansas State University
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Frequently-Asked Questions About Handling Flooded Produce (PDF) — Kansas State University
- MU Extension publication MP914, Food Defense: Protecting the Food Supply from Intentional Harm — This guide helps train food producers, processors and retailers to minimize the risk of intentional contamination of the food supply by developing a food defense plan for their operation. Food defense is not the same as food safety or biosecurity, which both mean protecting the food supply from unintentional contamination.
- Food preservation resources
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Laws and regulations
- FAQs for Sales by Farmers at Farmers Markets — Answers about sales taxes from Missouri Department of Revenue
- Guide to U.S. Organic Certifiers — Select and compare those who do organic certification and the kinds of services they provide
- Missouri Department of Revenue Form 149: Sales and Use Tax Exemption Certificate (PDF)
- Missouri Revised Statute 261-241: Sellers of honey — Health standards exemption and labeling requirements
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Market directories and associations
- Missouri Farmers Market Report — Pricing information and market trends for food products around the state
- AgriMissouri Buyer's Guide — A Missouri Department of Agriculture outreach program that promotes Missouri-grown and Missouri-made items, representing food and non-food products, retailers, farmers markets, agritourism and agricultural experience destinations
- Mid-America Organic Association — Lists news, events, resources and a buyer's guide for organic products in Missouri
- Missouri Farmers Market Directory — Search for the Missouri farmers market nearest you
- Missouri Produce Auctions — Search for the Missouri produce auction nearest you
- Farmers Market Online — Market your home-crafted and home-grown products online
- National Farmers Markets Directory — Searchable USDA listing of contact information for farmers' markets throughout the U.S.
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Pest management
- Ordering information for pest management reference books (PDF)
- Identifying Diseases of Vegetables — Pennsylvania State University reference book that is applicable to Missouri
- Bugs and Other Insects from the State of Missouri — Insect identification database
- Insects in Kansas — Kansas Department of Agriculture reference book that is applicable to Missouri
- Japanese beetle management
- Midwest Vegetable Production Guide for Commercial Growers
- Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide
- Spotted Wing Drosophila monitoring (PDF)
- Spotted Wing Drosophila detection and control (PDF)
- Stop Brown Marmorated Stink Bug — The site includes information on how to identify the stink bug, where it has been found, and steps to help manage this bug that damages a huge range of fruit, vegetable and ornamental crops.
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Product handling and storage
- Produce Fact Sheets — Great resource from University of California on post-harvest handling of fruits, vegetables and flowers
- The Commercial Storage of Fruits, Vegetables, and Florist and Nursery Stocks (PDF) — USDA Ag Handbook #66 is a 130-page guide that discusses factors that affect the maintenance of quality during cold storage
- Small-Scale Postharvest Practices: A Manual for Horticultural Crops (PDF) — A 267-page manual of postharvest practices for a variety of crops, published by the University of California-Davis Postharvest Technology Research and Information Center
- Low-Cost Cold Storage Room for Market Growers — A 4-page design guide from the University of Kentucky
- Small-Scale Cold Rooms for Perishable Commodities (PDF) — A 11-page design guide from the University of California-Davis
- On-Farm Cold Storage of Fall-Harvested Fruit and Vegetable Crops (PDF) — An 8-page overview of an 84-page University of Wisconsin handbook
- Build your own cooler — Resources from the makers of the Cool-Bot air conditioner controller