Rural Action Sustainable Agriculture Program | Articles

First Chesterhill Produce
Auction a Big Hit

by Steve Zarate, AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteer

Almost 100 people assembled on a grassy hilltop in southern Morgan County for the very first Chesterhill Produce Auction (CPA) on June 16, 2005. Organizers expressed delight at the strong turnout for this new venture, the sixth of its kind in Ohio and the first in the state’s southeastern region.

Eighteen months in the planning, the event kicked off at 3 p.m. when auctioneer Jon Morgenstern, of Beverly, Ohio, began inviting bids on the wide range of fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers spread beneath a large tent on the 10-acre tract just south of the Village of Chesterhill. Dozens of interested buyers and growers gathered to participate and watch Morganstern sell these products with his rhythmic cadences.

CPA founder Jean Konkle welcomed everyone and praised Morgan County residents for supporting this project. "I hope everyone is going to be happy with the outcome of the produce auction and more to come, because a lot of things are going to be happening here," she announced. "Anyone that would like to buy or sell is welcome to do so, because that’s something I feel everybody should have the opportunity to do. If you want to sell whatever vegetables you have, or if you just want to buy the vegetables, you can do either. My main goal is to see a produce auction where people can go to buy good farm-fresh vegetables, because we plan on having the top quality in this area."

Konkle thanked Rural Action for helping set up the CPA. "I met Business Facilitator Tom Brenner a little over a year ago, and he’s been one of my best friends all through this. He and Sustainable Agriculture Coordinator Tom Redfern have provided lots of encouragement and good ideas. Rural Action is one of the best organizations that I’ve ever been associated with. They strive each and every day to bring the communities closer together, and I really appreciate their efforts."

Konkle, Brenner, Redfern and other CPA organizers began working towards this day in early 2004 by educating themselves about produce auctions through farming workshops, meetings and field trips to the six-year-old Bainbridge Produce Auction, a year-round enterprise in Ross County. The group obtained grants that help small businesses from the Southern Ohio Agricultural Development Foundation and Ohio University’s Cooperative Development Center. "As this auction became more realistic," said Brenner, "local growers have started growing more produce and committing more acreage to this idea."

Brenner noted that it’s taken some time for local people to learn how produce auctions can help them. "It’s something that people don’t naturally understand," he explained. "They might have experienced a Farmer’s Market, but the Produce Auction, they’re just not quite sure what that means. And then often when they think of an auction they think it’s only for the big buyer, which in a sense it is, but it’s also for the small family farmer."

Down the road, Brenner said, organizers would like to see lots of southeastern Ohio families not only getting their food at the Chesterhill Produce Auction, but marketing produce there as well. The produce auction has also been designed to suit restaurant, store and roadside vending stand owners wishing to sell fresh and healthy locally-grown food items. "You know, Kroger’s and others are so locked into year-round buying from Florida and California it’s hard for them to break away from that and do seasonal buying," he observed. "But we see that there’s a niche happening now.

"We foresee this produce auction serving the needs of both producers and buyers from not only Morgan but also Athens, Meigs, Gallia, Vinton, Hocking, Perry, Washington and Muskingum Counties. It could also provide new opportunities for people who want to become buyers for area restaurants."

Rural Action Executive Director Jane Forrest Redfern congratulated Jean and Marvin Konkle and praised them for their hard work. "You know, it takes those sparkplugs in the community to get things going," she said, "and Jean and Marvin have only been here in the region a short time, but boy have they been sparkplugs. And a lot of other people have all contributed toward making this happen today. So I want to thank the producers, buyers and various agencies and organizations that have worked together to make this happen, especially the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio and the Appalachian Regional Commission. Working together, we can build more sustainable agricultural practices, economies and communities throughout our region."

Trudy Massey of the Morgan County Citizens Ad Hoc Group was "tickled to death" at the strong turnout for the first CPA. Massey has been busy telling people that this event will do a lot for the county, explaining that produce auctions differ from farmer’s markets because customers determine prices through the bidding process, and that they are not only for Amish folks. "This is for anyone who wants to come buy and sell," Massey said, "and it’s good that the Amish have a new way to market their products. It’s a real shot in the arm, because Morgan County needs anything it can get, and this is sure to help local producers and buyers connect better.

" It’s also inspiring to see what one person can accomplish," she added. "Jean had a good idea. So many people didn’t think it would ever happen, but she pursued it and put her heart into it, and now this produce auction is a reality. And it just goes to show that if you’re determined and you’re a hard worker willing to put the effort forward, good things can happen. And I think that’s a good lesson for everyone around here. It’s proof that you can make a difference in the community."

Hocking College Development Director Paul Harper, a member of the Rural Action Sustainable Agriculture Advisory Board, said Hocking College is happy to support this endeavor. "This is part of a national trend too to get away from industrial agriculture," he said. "People just want healthier food, the kind you can get directly from the person who grew it. In the big picture, I think that the production of healthy foods and finding new markets for that is an area that really suits us well when it comes to economic development."

Harper, who works with local groups, organizations, businesses and individuals, helped Morgan County residents study the well-established Bainbridge Produce Auction model. "We have a good variety of flowers, strawberries, cherries, potatoes, onions, spinach and lettuce today," he noted. Harper urged people to support the auction by bringing things to sell and coming to buy fresh produce. "You can’t get any fresher food than this. That’s what it’s all about, fresh food!"

Amy Grove of OSU Extension, who works with Tourism and Community Development, said that besides attracting new people to Morgan County and surrounding areas, the CPA project represents "a real plus to small communities like Chesterhill, and a fine example to other communities." Calling Jean Konkle’s ability to follow through on her vision and overcome resistance "incredible," Grove pointed out that people in nearby Stockport have long understood the importance of fresh produce to Morgan County’s history. "This is returning the area to its roots, and it’s great to see an event like this help the county reclaim its heritage," she said. "For many people, agricultural work has become a second job behind other, more secure forms of employment. But things like this produce auction give family farmers hope of a good opportunity to make farming viable again, so that younger generations might pursue this kind of thing as adults."

Warren Fussner, an Amish Morgan County farmer, said he "made good on a Meal-in-a-Box," which has peas, green onions and three different kinds of lettuce. Many non-Amish people currently stop at Amish farms to buy produce like apples and berries. Fussner said Amish community members are generally enthusiastic about the produce auction: "We feel it’s a good way to keep the family together. I plan to help Jean with this as much as I can. I just hope that this auction can expand in ways that will benefit the community."

"I think that after people know about this and come, it’s gonna pick up," Fussner added. "I’ve got faith in it."

Stockport residents Ron and Sylvia Coler and Shirley Rush came out of curiosity. "We like to see what’s available," said Sylvia Coler. "Sometimes we buy fresh strawberries and make frozen jam with it. We might make strawberry sundaes or use it in pies. You couldn’t have anything better. There’s just no comparison with store-bought."

Clyde Knox, who raises chickens at his Morgan County home near Burr Oak, also joined the crowd listening to the auctioneer. Knox said he came to his first produce auction just to find out what was going on. "I’ve bought from the Amish on their farms before," he said, "so I thought I’d see what they’re selling today. I like the strawberries they have, and I might sell my eggs here sometime."

"This is very exciting for me, and I feel very fortunate to see this," Jean Konkle said as the event finished up. "Now it’s time to get the word out, so that local people can make the adjustment to coming here for fresh produce twice a week, which is how often we’ll run it starting in July 2005."

"We’ve made a great first step," said Rural Action Sustainable Agriculture Coordinator Tom Redfern. "A lot of work came to fruition today, and it’s kind of awe-inspiring. It’s good to see when a plan comes together."

"Obviously, this is off to a great start," said Morgan County OSU Extension Agent Jeff Shaner. "There’s a lot of good stuff here today. We need more buyers, but that will come. We all need to encourage restaurant and store owners to get involved."
Organizers plan to build a new multi-use building on the property that will host both the produce auction and various community needs.

For more information on the Chesterhill Produce Auction please call Jean Konkle at 740-554-7338, or contact Tom Redfern at 740-742-4401 or tomr@ruralaction.org.

Posted June 23, 2005