FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions)

Is everything here organic?
All fruits and vegetables sold in a Certified Farmers’ Market are certified to be grown in California and can be grown by conventional or organic methods. Conventionally grown crops may have a synthetic fertilizer, fungicide or pesticide used or may be grown in a completely sustainable fashion. All organic products will be marked with table signs and appropriately labeled with banners in the farmers booth stating their products are organically grown. All organic products must be certified with a certifying organization (ie- CCOF) and registered with the State of California in order to use the word organic in their sales or written marketing. As you can see there is a variety of growing methods available here at the market, so please feel free to chat with each of the farmers on how their crops were grown. Please see our growing methods page for further details and clarifications.

How will I know if a farmer or vendor is going to be at a particular market on a particular day?
All our farmers and vendors are committed to being at the market every week during their season. If they have a planned vacation or be missing the next week, we encourage them to have a sign posted notifying their customers of their upcoming absence. However, circumstances such as extreme weather, vehicle breakdowns, traffic, and family emergencies may prevent them from attending at any time. Please ask at the Information Booth if your favorite farmers are missing and you can get their market status. If you have a special order or are planning for a special event in the future, please feel free to ask the week prior to confirm if you need to make a special order or determine that the needed product will be available. We also post updates on our social media outlets, so get signed up to receive our Facebook or Instagram posts!

Prices. How are they set?
Each farmer or vendor sets their own prices based on their individual production costs. Here in California, we see water, land, labor and insurance costs continuing to skyrocket for our small family farmers which influences their prices. When a product is in season, many times our Farmers’ Market prices will be lower than other commercial outlets. Commercial stores often use produce as a loss leader to get their customers in the door and those prices may not be representative of the true farming cost to actually grow the product.

How do I become a Vendor?
Currently the Ventura County Certified Farmers Markets accept only California produce and agricultural items and locally produced processed food items. If you are the original farmer or producer of one of these products, you may qualify to participate. Applications can be found on this website and should be fully completed before submitting. It is recommended that you visit the market you are interested in and talk to the staff to see if there are openings available for your product line.

Can I bring my pet to the market?
The County Health Codes restrict all animals from admittance in the farmers’ market area unless they are a service animal. Service animals (dogs or miniature horses) are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA and are not allowable in the farmers’ market.

Can I sell CBD or Hemp Products?
CBD or hemp-based products are currently not being admitted into our VCCFM markets at this time. Due to a lack of federal regulations and health guidelines these products are not being considered in any form, whether as a cooked food, health item or a cosmetic product.

How do I contact a specific farmer or vendor?
Please feel free to ask the farmers for a business card or their website information as the information booth cannot provide individual phone numbers without their prior consent.