Ah, farmers' markets! We have a nice one in our town, and it's fun to visit. But it didn't take long to notice . . . 1. It's a hard life for farmers. To be ope

Ah, farmers' markets! We have a nice one in our town, and it's fun to visit. But it didn't take long to notice . . . 1. It's a hard life for farmers. To be open for business by 8:30 a.m. for our local gentry, it's necessary to rise at 4 a.m., load up the truck and drive for a couple hours to our town. Some of the smaller-stand operators are on the verge of quitting because the commitment doesn't pay off. 2. Part of shoppers money goes for the farmers' gasoline, travel burden, etc. That's much more intense when food is brought to market inefficiently in many smaller vehicles rather than a single, Interstate-grade truck. 3. Most farmers are trying to move produce at multiple stages of goodness. Yes, there are beautiful peaches at $3.99/pound. There also are squished ones in the mix at times, too, as well as over-ripe ones at $1/pound that the farmers need to sell, too. It's all part of running a store. But someone still has to pick out the good from the not-so-good, and often that's the customer. Overall, I'm glad farmers' markets exist, and sometimes the goods can be spectacular. But the inefficiencies are too severe for them to take on a dominant role in feeding the USA.