JFM & the Region’s Agricultural Economy

Jamestown Farmers Market staff recently attended the Farmer-Neighbor Dinner, a fantastic initiative from Cornell Cooperative Extension that invites the county’s agricultural community to a shared meal featuring local ingredients. The dinner took place at the Grandview of Ellington, affording us a beautiful view of a Chautauqua County valley checkerboarded with farms and fields and forest. Awards recognized contributions to agriculture, including work in conservation, legacy production, and supporting industries.

As is traditional at the Farmer-Neighbor Dinner, master of ceremonies (and one of JFM’s original founders back in the 1970s!) Dennis Webster presented a farm report, gathered from both measured data and statistics as well as conversations with the county’s farmers. Some of the news was grim: the abrupt cancellation of all local processing contracts with Refresco has left county grape producers with no market for their fruit. The county, mirroring national trends, continues to lose farms, especially in the dairy sector. Inflation and tariffs continue to make prices unpredictable for everything from fuel and fertilizer to beef cattle.

But there was good news too: new channels are opening to market grapes. The dairies that continue to operate are improving in efficiency. And Chautauqua County is still home to over twelve hundred farms.

The evening’s festivities gave us plenty to think about, including our role in the county’s agricultural economy. One farmers market can’t fix all of the problems that Mr. Webster mentioned, of course — but our impact is wider than just one market. JFM, in addition to the traditional Saturday farmers market, also participates in the 1115 program’s Prescription Food Box program, packaging and delivering fresh food boxes to eligible and participating Medicaid members. JFM also operates a Mobile Market, making seven stops around Jamestown and Falconer targeting third spaces and communities without regular access to fresh food. Monday Night Cafe features a monthly community dinner with local ingredients, available for free to all attendees. And our Farm Share community-supported agriculture program continues, with participants receiving a share of the harvest.

All of these programs, of course, require food — and JFM sources as much food as possible from our network of participating farms. We’re ordering as much as $5,000 in fresh food from our farm neighbors each week, providing another source of revenue for farmers and producers while also getting fresh food to the community.

We may not be able to solve all of the challenges facing Chautauqua County producers, but we can continue to look for innovative ways to broaden our network, connect farms and farmers with the community, and help strengthen our local food economy. We’re grateful for the opportunity to do this work, and we’re grateful for your support of our mission!