The Seymour Area Farmers Market will be open Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon in the Walnut Street Parking Lot located south of the railroad tracks near the Jackson County Public Library. The market also is open from 8 a.m. to noon Wednesdays.
Here’s a look at two of the vendors and their products.
Plumer and Bowers Farmstead
Butch, Dennis and Tricia Bowers
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Seymour Area Farmers Market vendor for four years
What items do you sell at the farmers market?
We sell 100% grass-fed and grass-fed/non-GMO grain-finished beef, eggs, whole-wheat flour and homegrown non-GMO popcorn.
How long have you been farming/producing the items that you sell at market?
Butch and Tricia were raised on the farm and have worked alongside family since before they can remember, so it’s hard to say when their careers began, but Butch started planting solo in 1959. He married Mona in 1964, and she joined the team. Dennis and Tricia moved home to farm in 2006.
Do you farm full time or is this a side business for you?
We farm full time.
What made you want to start farming?
It is a treat for us to raise foods that nourish our family. A wonderful byproduct of that is utilizing the farm’s bounty to feed our customers. Our family treasures working and learning together, and we love enjoying and sharing good eats.
What about the market makes it beneficial to you as a farmer?
Our market has a passionate and dedicated committee and manager who want the market to succeed. It is a good feeling to have those folks working hard behind the scenes to seek opportunities for vendors and shoppers, to advertise and make the market run smoothly. That takes a lot of worry out of our jobs.
In the past, communities worked together to raise, harvest and preserve nutritious foods. This created amazing bonds and accountability between neighbors. We find that the market gives us those bonds and that accountability. It also affords us the chance to know and serve our customers and for them to encourage us as we transition to becoming a local-focused business.
What do you enjoy about selling your goods locally?
We love knowing our customers. Because our customers are so supportive, we are regularly able to transition more of our farm away from synthetics and chemicals and toward a biological, regenerative system. That means we, our farm and our customers can be healthier.
Why do you think folks should shop the market?
Shopping the market encourages more farmers and artisans to have a local focus for their goods. In addition, our market has an amazing selection of veggies, fruits, meats/eggs, dairy, grains, handmade items and baked goods. You can find everything you need to feed your family well. Shopping local fosters neighbors who love and serve one another.
More Than Just Soap
Debbie Sisson
Seymour Area Farmers Market vendor for four years
What items do you sell at the farmers market?
I sell handcrafted soaps, bath bombs, beard oil and balm, lotion sticks and lip balm.
How long have you been producing the items that you sell at market?
I have been making soaps and other bath products since 2011.
Do you produce your wares full time or is this a side business for you?
Right now, it is a side business. My goal is to have a freestanding store.
What made you want to start your business?
I’ve always been intrigued by handcrafted soaps. I finally jumped into making them once my youngest child was about to graduate.
What about the market makes it beneficial to your business?
I can get my soaps and business out there to work toward my goal of owning a freestanding store. Also, I can educate others about handcrafted soap and how it is better than the commercial stuff you can buy.
What do you enjoy most about selling your goods locally?
I love interacting with customers and meeting new people.
Why do you think folks should shop the market?
People are supporting the local community by shopping at our market.