Farmers Market Board Considers Waitlists, Foraging, Fair Pricing 

MOSCOW – Coming up on its 50^th anniversary in 2026, the Moscow Farmers Market is more popular than ever; in fact, market vendors were waitlisted during 72 percent of the 2025 market. Managing this abundance of vendors, as well as addressing issues around pricing and foraged, value-added and short-term products, comprised most of the Farmers Market Commission’s regular meeting last week.

The board voted to task its Policy Subcommittee with reviewing and editing parts of the 2026 Market Handbook that address these issues. The subcommittee tentatively will meet Nov. 17 and report at the next regularly scheduled commission meeting on Dec. 2.

“It seems unfair to add new vendors if our current vendors often are on waitlists,” said Commissioner Kassie Smith. “Ag vendors are exempt from waitlists, but maybe we should accept no new vendors for 2026.”

“There also seems to be a lot of the same type of crafts vendors,” said Commissioner Jodi McClory. However, the six ceramic vendors, for example, all are quite different and distinct, said Amanda Argona, city community events manager and staff liaison for the commission.

“I worry about closing the door on new vendors,” said Commission Chair JT Manning. “We want growth, but at a sustainable pace. It is more about a good product mix.”

Preliminary discussion of expanding the market east on Fourth Street to Washington Street, which would add 14 vendor spaces, might be a partial solution, Argona said. Limiting some factor of the craft-vendor pre-season jury process also might help, she said; for example, the three juries might be decreased, or the number of vendors accepted by each (15, for a total of 45 craft vendors for the season) might be limited.

Updating vendor orientation requirements also was sent to the Policy Subcommittee for review and recommendation, as were: 

* Issues of private v. public land foraging

* Determining acceptance guidelines for foraged non-plant materials like skulls, hides, driftwood, seashells, etc. 

* Addressing protocol for vendors adding products mid-season; for example, a vendor with a short-term abundance of backyard eggs or asparagus – who doesn’t usually sell those items – might sell them cheap, undercutting fair-market pricing of other vendors.

“We might consider allowing those sales for a short window of time and of limited products,” Argona said, but care should be taken in pricing. “I would encourage a soft approach,” she said – “the products are OK, but let us know ahead of time that you are bringing them.”

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Farmers Market Commission will be 4 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, in the City Council chambers in City Hall, 206 E. Third St.