Farmer's markets fail to reap benefits from harvest

If you can't say anything nice about the weather, well, you may just be a farmer.

"It's horrible, it's cold and the nose never stops running," Carol Bisson of Arkansas, Minnesota said from her stand at the Farmer's Market on the U of M campus Tuesday.

First it was a deluge of rain and then, last week, it was snow.

It's too late for an apology from Sven and Belinda, the damage has been done.

"We can't sell anything, people just think it's too cold to come out," Bisson said. It might surprise you to know in these last days of farmers' markets produce is alive and well and awaiting your purchase.

Pumpkins and squash, peppers, and potatoes.

Gil Miron harvests potatoes in Scandia and he's trying to unload what he can get out of the ground.

As far as what he can't, well, he says he will lose about 200 bushels due to the wet weather in late summer early fall.

"The rainy weather was really bad for digging. I couldn't dig for a week," Miron said.

Yes, for those who work the land for a livin' times are tough. "We've thrown a lot more away than we normally would, like melons. Who wants to buy a melon when it is 20 degrees out?" Bisson said.

It's a loyal fan base that made it out for the last minute fruits and vegetables today. Trying to get that last bit of summer before winter, takes over.

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