The Agribusiness Program Team and Extension Associate Wilder Ferreira have been working to strengthen agribusiness in rural areas through farmers markets and direct marketing. One such success story is from the town of Calhoun Falls. Calhoun Falls is in the Freshwater Coast region. It is a town of 1,700 in Abbeville County and is surrounded by great outdoor areas and the Calhoun Falls State Park. Through the help of a committee, chaired by Wilder Ferreira, the town recently celebrated the grand opening of their new farmers market pavilion.
Since 2017, the town has been utilizing the downtown area for their farmers market as there was no facility. Wilder and the committee were able to secure nearly $70,000 in donations and grants in order to build the pavilion. The pavilion was built to grow agriculture in the region. It is a 45-foot square metal structure that allows enough space for eight vendors. Mayor Chris Cowan and Wilder started the fundraising and advisory committee meetings to make it a reality.
They were able to raise money from the following contributors:
- Municipal Association of South Carolina $25,000.00
- Dominion Energy $25,000.00
- HopeSouth Credit Union $5,000.00
- James M. Collins Foundation $4,000.00
- Abbeville First Bank $2,000.00
- Harvest Christian Ministries $2,000.00
- Faye Crocker $1,000.00
- Wes McAllister $1,000.00
- Pettigrew Hardware $1,000.00
- WCTEL $1,000.00
- Robert and Lynn Hester $500.00
- Harris Funeral Home $200.00
- Lee and Eleanor Logan $100.00
- Stephen Pettigrew $100.00
- Abbeville Chiropractic Center $100.00
- Candace Tax Service – Mayor and Mrs. Cowan $100.00
- CF Garden Club $46.00
Previously the market only had two producers who came every Thursday from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. from May through September. Since the pavilion’s opening day on July 2, there have been four producers in attendance. Over the past week, two other growers have been in contact about selling produce. In past years, nearly 300 people shopped at the farmers market, and attendance is expected to increase to 400 people this season.
Submitted by: Dr. Nathan Smith, Agribusiness Program Team Director and Wilder Ferreira, Regional Economic Development Extension Associate
