Robin's favorite aspect of farming, is working at the Farmer's Markets. The reason she likes it is being able to connect to our customers. She also likes meeting new people and getting to know what products they like best. A lot of times we may not be able to remember our your name, but most of the time we can remember if you like jumbo eggs instead of large or your favorite cut of meat or cheese. We enjoy talking with our customers, getting to know their likes and dislikes. We often offer suggestions on how to prepare certain products for that special occasion or the all important family meal.

We always anticipate the opening of the Kershaw County Farmer's Market (KCFM) with joy. We like to reconnect with our regular customers, find out what has been going on in their lives and see how big their kids have grown. It is so rewarding to be able to offer products that you know benefits your customers' health. We have customers who have told us they were told they are lactose intolerant, but now than can drink the Happy Cow milk which we sell. There is also the customer who needs the milk to help with her Chiron's disease. Others were not able to eat chicken, until they tried ours. There are the customers who could not eat cheese, but for the first time in a long time they are able to. These are real people with real food issues, who are now able to eat real food.

As consumers, you have powerful choices that provide many different benefits to a lot of different people. Being a customer at the local markets, not only benefits your health, but the financial health of your county. In these economic times, we can not overstate the importance of money spent locally in any store. For every dollar spent locally gets re-spent over and over in our community. When you purchase directly from the producer you are not only helping the farmer but also every resident in the county. You are also helping to sustain apart of our county and state that is rapidly disappearing, our agricultural heritage. Agriculture was once a major economic and social force in Kershaw County. Many of you can remember when almost every family in the county had a garden. What you did not grow you may have bartered for from your surplus. What you do not grow or barter, for you could get at the little community store down the store. While you were there you could see friends and catch up on all the news and a little gossip too. We were a county of communities and farms that would come together for one week a year to have fun and celebrate our agricultural heritage, the County Fair. Remember the smells, the animals, the farm booths, the rides and all the fun. It is gone now and so is that put of who we are.

We know many of you may roll your eyes and think were are a bit over dramatic but we really aren't. Do you really want your healthcare, and that of your loved ones, in the hand of corporate America? Remember their decisions are based a bottom line of how much profit can they make. They do not ask will the farmer benefit from this, will this negatively impact the environment, will this be humane to the animals and most of all will this help our customer have a better quality of life. The question is will this maximize their profits.

Yes, we know we are on our soup box and we will be off it shortly but there are a few more things we need to say about this. Please, it will be short so don't skip to the next article yet.

Ask yourself this question, “If corporate America cared about me the individual customer then why are they taking all my hard earned tax dollars in bail outs”. Okay, I know your response, how about the farm subsidies handed out every year of many, many years now. We agree with that they should be stopped and the truth is most of all the subsidies go to corporate farms that are part of multi-national food companies such as ConAgr and their likes. All the farmers we know would stop farming first before they would take the money. All we ask is that we be given the chance to prove that our products are better in all aspects when compared to the food from the factory farms. The factory farm products that have devastated our health, taxed our healthcare system and promises to send our kids to the grave earlier then us. We said our peace and thanks for your patience.

There is a spark of hope for the return of agriculture, not agribusiness, to our community. The KCFM has been around for five years now and is becoming an important part of the county. Since Keith serves on the market's volunteer Board, we have people stopping us and calling to ask when the market will open. We have potential new vendors calling us excited about being able to sale the products of their hard labor. Many see it as a way to make extra money during these hard times to help support their families. We had two people within the last week that have been placed out of work due to the economic down turn. Their desire is to begin to grow seasonal crops to supply a number of the local farmers markets. This is great! They are using their assets as a means to provide for their families. Will it work? That decision is up to you.

If you support the local farmers market and roadside stands then it will create the need for more local producers of everything from apples to beeswax, from beef to lamb and from cheese to yogurt. Always remember to ask how it was grown and where it was grown. Visit the farm; know the farmer and you both will be better off for it. Come to the market, April 11^th, and enjoy the fresh fruits, vegetables, jams, jellies, honey, milk, eggs, butter, cheese, goat, lamb, pork, baked goods, bedding plants, wool products and much more. Come to the market, buy what you need (you don't have to buy from us), enjoy seeing your friends you missed all winter, have fun, make new friends and feel good about helping your community regain a since of it's heritage. Who knows, may be one year we will get agri-CULTURED enough to have the County Fair again.