New farmers’ market to open in Orono

ORONO — A University of Maine parking lot on the banks of the Stillwater River will become the site of the Orono Farmers’ Market next summer.

University officials have endorsed the concept of a twice-a-week market featuring produce and agricultural crafts in the parking lot adjacent to the steam plant.

Scott Howell, a student, is coordinating the development of the market among local growers. A meeting of interested vendors is set for 7 p.m. Thurdsay, Jan. 27, at the Keith Anderson Community House in Orono. The plan is to form an association and elect officers at the meeting.

Preliminary plans call for the market to be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Saturdays beginning in late May and continuing through August. During September and October, the market would be open only on Saturdays.

“A farmers’ market isn’t just a produce stand on wheels,” Howell said. It should offer fresher produce, varieties bred for taste and create an atmosphere of accountability.

Matt Liebman, associate professor of sustainable agriculture, commented that a farmers’ market “offers a tangible connection between the university’s land-grant mission and residents of rural areas of the state. It shows in the best way the university’s commitment to increasing rural economic development and revitalizing rural communities. Everyone benefits.”

Farmers who become vendors at the market must produce what they sell.