Rising Gas Prices Impact NorCal Farmers Markets
Inflation has hit Northern California businesses and customers. Now, with rising food and gas prices, Sacramento-area farmers’ markets are being hit. . But recently, the markets look very different. “We know it’s not a busy day, or a good day if you can look through and be able to see your neighbor,” said saleswoman Billie Jeansalle of Salle Orchards. “On a good day, you should look through and be people, not empty cubicles. So people just don’t come.” Jeansalle said the farmers’ market was their only income and it had been an incredibly difficult year for them due to the weather and the economy. In addition to people not going to the market as often, she said petrol costs twice as much to get to the market. “It’s twice as much money to take their crops to the markets and if people don’t come, you take them home and it becomes cow feed,” she said. “We only pick and sell fresh, we don’t store.” A family business that sells beef, lamb and pork weekly at the market says it has noticed inflation impacting its sales. “I’ve noticed that we still have a lot of our regular customers, but their budgets have gotten much smaller with their weekly meat purchases,” said Taylor Zapata, owner of Wheatland Natural Beef. “We’re still seeing a lot of familiar faces, their budget has just come down drastically.” | Interactive Map | Interactive: A county-by-county look at gasoline prices in the Greater Sacramento area. “We raised our prices a bit, we got a few complaints, but a lot of our customers are here for it and know we’re all fighting together,” Zapata said. These local family vendors said they couldn’t survive without people’s support, as some say it’s their only income. They say just showing up at the market helps business. “We appreciate the people who come, we try to give them a product that is worth coming. Come, try us and you will see that it is worth going out and buying fresh products from your producer local,” says Jeansalle.
Inflation has hit Northern California businesses and customers. Now, with rising food and gas prices, Sacramento-area farmers’ markets are being hit.
Sunday market vendors at Arden Fair Mall told KCRA 3 that they are usually packed with customers, to the point that it is sometimes difficult to see neighboring stalls. But recently, the markets look very different.
“We know it’s not a busy day, or a good day if you can look through and be able to see your neighbor,” said saleswoman Billie Jeansalle of Salle Orchards. “On a good day, you should look through and be people, not empty cubicles. So people just don’t come.”
Jeansalle said the farmers’ market was their only income and it had been an incredibly difficult year for them due to the weather and the economy. In addition to people not going to the market as often, she said petrol costs twice as much to get to the market.
“It’s twice as much money to take their crops to the markets and if people don’t come, you take them home and it becomes cow feed,” she said. “We only pick and sell fresh, we don’t store.”
A family business that sells beef, lamb and pork weekly at the market says it has noticed inflation impacting its sales.
“I’ve noticed that we still have a lot of our regular customers, but their budgets have gotten much smaller with their weekly meat purchases,” said Taylor Zapata, owner of Wheatland Natural Beef. “We’re still seeing a lot of familiar faces, their budget has just come down drastically.”
| Interactive Map | Interactive: County-by-County Look at Gas Prices in the Greater Sacramento Area
Zapata said rising gasoline prices have also impacted his business due to the use of diesel fuel for hay and grain.
“We raised our prices a bit, we got a few complaints, but a lot of our customers are here for it and know we’re all struggling together,” Zapata said.
These local family vendors said they couldn’t survive without people’s support, as some say it’s their only income. They say just showing up at the market helps business.
“We appreciate the people who come, we try to give them a product that is worth coming. Come, try us and you will see that it is worth going out and buying fresh products from your producer local,” says Jeansalle.