<p>
	Former Au Sable Graduate Fellows Dave Timmer and Brook Wilke discuss their experience running local farmers markets and how they determine appropriate &quot;local&quot; vendors.&nbsp;This continues their conversation from&nbsp;<a href="http://ausable.org/news_and_resources/blog/conversations_local_agriculture_and_the_church">Part 1</a>, where they discuss their churches&#39; roles in spurring local food.</p>
<p><img alt="" class="float-right" src="{filedir_5}Richland-Vendor-187pxl.jpg" />
	<strong>Brook Wilke</strong>: Dave, one of the guidelines we have for our farmers market is that vendors must be the producers of the products that they are selling, and they must be from the State of Michigan. We do allow vendors to broker 10% of their product as long as it&#39;s from Michigan and not mass-produced. Many other markets in the area do not follow these guidelines and allow produce to be sold from distant areas or just fail to enforce their &quot;local&quot; rules. I think about this often and am dealing with the rule regularly as we have vendors applying to sell at the market. I&#39;m wondering how you deal with the &quot;local&quot; issue at your market? And, what are your thoughts on the importance of markets restricting vendors to sell local products? Is it important to make this restriction to help further the local food system, or not?&nbsp;</p>
