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Oxford Farmers Market reports 50–60 vendors, expands voucher access and vendor vetting
Summary
Market manager Madison Wetzel told council the market hosted roughly 50–60 vendors in the past year, revived farm visits, ran a Produce Perks voucher program for low-income shoppers and will require initial farm/bakery visits for new vendors starting this year.
Madison Wetzel, the Oxford Farmers Market manager, updated city council on operations, vendor changes and access programs and said the market will add a vendor vetting step this year to strengthen product quality and transparency.
Wetzel said the market had “around 50 to 60 vendors” through the year, including regular weekly vendors and many artisan and occasional sellers. She said Miami University student organizations participated actively, and the market welcomed more than 600 freshmen during welcome weekend. The market continued a winter program run by volunteer organizer Jennifer Bain.
On food access, Wetzel described a voucher program run through Produce Perks that allowed households at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level to receive up to $140 in produce vouchers; she said that program drew customers from surrounding communities and increased Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) usage at the market. Wetzel said the processing and vendor policies are being refined and that revised vendor applications, policies and bylaws will be available on the market website in a fillable PDF format by the end of the month.
To strengthen product integrity, Wetzel said the market will begin requiring an initial site visit to farms or bakeries before approving new vendors, so staff can verify production practices and stand behind items sold at the market. She described one recent application processed under the new procedure: after a pre-visit uncovered issues, the applicant agreed to changes and was conditionally accepted pending a follow-up visit.
Why it matters: councilors and staff highlighted the market’s role in local food access, student engagement and small-business support. Wetzel said she wants to preserve the market’s “make it, grow it” values while expanding outreach and improving the online vendor directory with better photos and accurate listings.
Ending: Council thanked Wetzel for the report and encouraged the new documentation and vendor-review steps. The council also noted a Miami University student, Elena Zicarelli, will work this month with local groups on a Black history and culture plan as part of the Ohio Public Leader program and may coordinate with market outreach efforts.
