October 7th, 2023 Tomball Farmers Market Blog

Drought Food security and local food supply concerns.

The drought all over the nation is putting a strain on our local food supply chains and making it more difficult for our community to access fresh, affordable food.

All our Farmers are within 150 miles of Tomball, TX and are struggling to produce crops, our livestock ranchers are having trouble finding enough hay/grains/grass to feed their animals. This is leading to higher food prices and shortages of certain items, such as fresh produce and beef. Several of our produce farmers have had to take a leave of absence or gone down to one booth instead of their two booths due to the drought.

On a bigger scale barges are having difficulty navigating the region's rivers and canals due to low water levels. This is making it more difficult and expensive to get food/feed from farms to processors and distributors. It's created a rippling effect across Texas.
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As a result of these challenges many of our farmers and vendors are having difficulty finding and affording the food and ingredients they need to keep their small businesses operational. Many of our livestock farmers are having to sell off their meat early or driving longer distances to find competitive prices on feed for their livestock.

How you help our local food supply in Texas due to the drought.

• Support local farmers.
  

Buy food directly from local farmers at farmers markets and CSAs. This helps farmers to get a fair price for their products and keeps money in the local community.

• Conserve water. 
  

​Use water wisely in your garden and around your home.

• Donate to local food banks.
  

​Two local food banks are TEAM Ministries and St. Anne's Catholic Church.
Additional things that you can do:

• Advocate for policies that support sustainable agriculture and drought preparedness. Vote yes to Prop 1 in November. 
  
• ​Contact your elected officials and let them know that you support policies that will help to protect the local food supply in Texas.
• Educate yourself and others about the drought and its impacts. The more people who are aware of the problem, the more likely we are to find solutions.

By taking these steps, we can all help to support the local food supply in Texas during the drought and beyond.

Vendors Not Attending 10/7/23

​Bernhardt Winery (Return 10/14/23)
Raymond's BBQ (Return 10/14/23)
Green Up Growers (Out until November)
Spring Creek Growers (Out until May)
Moss Family Farms (Out until November)

​Chocolate Dalila's (Back in November)
Texas Us Farms (Out Until November)
Theiss Family Farms (Out until May)
Katerra Exotics (Return 10/14/23 TBD)

​We are looking forward to seeing you this Saturday! ~Tomball Farmers Market

Amanda Kelly, Market Manager
John Almquist, Assistant Market Manager