Farmers markets are a place where farmers sell what they grow.
It sounds simple enough. It's consistent with most consumers' perception of farmers markets. But a decision in December 1994 by the board of the Santa Barbara Certified Farmers Market Association to write this concept into the market rules touched off a convoluted and costly legal battle, which showed that the issue is not as simple as it seems. The litigation came to an end in the spring of 1996. The settlement was summed up in a letter agreement dated March 22 and signed by market association board members, a Department of Food and Agriculture official and a deputy attorney general.