The reason is price. If Blakely sells a head of lettuce to a wholesaler, she's paid about 18 cents. You are dealing with people trying to get the lowest price possible at the best quality so they can make money. That's one reason why farmers are where they are. I'll give my food away to the food bank before I'll sell it for pennies a pound.
Farmers markets are a good deal.
We can actually get paid for our work. Across Washington, agricultural production is consolidating into bigger and bigger farms. During the past 15 years, the number of commercial farms in Washington has shrunk by one-fifth, to about 29,000, while the average farm size has increased by 15 percent to 525 acres, according to a September 1999 consultant's report prepared for several state agencies. Meanwhile, opportunities for small growers to sell direct have also mushroomed. At a big grocery store you have no idea how the produce was harvested, how long ago, how long it's been stored, or what was sprayed on it.