Pleasant Lane Farms in Unity Township, known locally for its cheese sold at the Ligonier Country Market, was informed at the beginning of the year it no longer qualifies as a small vendor and cannot return for the upcoming season.
The decision by the country market now has the farm calling for a change in how the executive board operates.
This decision by the board in January excludes any vendor whose products are sold out of state or in more than 60 retail locations.
Pleasant Lane Farms co-owner Jason Frye said despite operating as a small, family- and veteran-owned business with 50 cows on 185 acres, its cheese is currently sold in 75 to 90 retail locations. Frye said many of these locations stock only two or three of their products.
The farm has been open about its revenues from the market, Frye said, generating an estimated $30,000 to $40,000 in revenue between the Ligonier Country Market and Holiday Market.
“That is three to four months of mortgage payments,” he said. “It’s most of the salary of one full-time employee.”
Frye said they were never told the board was going to make the changes. Pleasant Lane Farms wasn’t asked to participate in the Holiday Market back in December. Frye told the Bulletin the country market officials told them they were focusing on having crafters there.
Prior to the decision, Frye said he and others at the farm had been inquiring to get attendance numbers and more information about the country market’s educational efforts — one of the two core principles in which the country market operates on.
“We were told (the country market) felt we were being hostile (with our questions),” Frye said of the meeting in which he characterized the board’s position as “hostile” too.
Frye added that the board also pointed out the farm had not shared about the country market frequently, something Frye said was intentional as to not dilute the algorithm into burying future posts. He also said the board had questioned the farm’s veteran-owned status.
Both the retail business and farm are majority-owned by veterans, Frye said. Jason’s brother, Todd, is a U.S. Army veteran and owns a stake of the business with another veteran. Together they hold a majority stake. As for the farm, Todd Frye also holds a large stake alongside his father, a Marine Corps veteran.
The farm has voiced strong concerns about this policy, describing it as “arbitrary” and claiming it unfairly penalizes small-scale farms that have succeeded in gaining broader recognition without substantially increasing in size. Pleasant Lane Farms noted that despite its retail presence, the United States Department of Agriculture has classified it as a “very small business,” unchanged since it first began participating at the market in 2020.
In response to an email asking to discuss the matter, the Ligonier Country Market only stated that it is providing a space for over 30 small producers to sell their goods.
“The Ligonier Country Market supports 35 small farmers and producers who do not have the opportunities to sell in multiple retail locations including national retailers, said Market Director Kelly Svesnik.
Svesnik also sent a list of the 35 “small farmers and producers” who will be at the country market this year.
But Pleasant Lane Farms believes the policy unfairly penalizes successful small farms and has requested that Ligonier Township supervisors withhold the market’s permit until the board undergoes restructuring. The farm proposes that the board include elected vendor representatives and appointees from Ligonier Township and the borough, ensuring more transparency and accountability in decision-making.
Ligonier Township supervisors are set to meet Tuesday, March 11, at 7 p.m. in the Ligonier Township Municipal Complex. According to the meeting’s agenda, the township has received over 130 emails about the matter.
While Frye and Pleasant Lane Farms emphasize that their goal is not to shut down the country market, they advocate for a country market structure better aligned with its stated mission to support and educate the community on local agriculture.
Frye added in his phone call with the Bulletin that he would like to see a board that is less secretive and made up of people in the area. He pointed out that some of the members don’t live in the county and recently, the list of board members was removed from the Ligonier Country Market’s website. The Bulletin confirmed late Monday night that the board directory was removed sometime after Jan. 27, according to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.
Svesnik said in her initial email to the Bulletin that the board consists of “Ligonier Country Market vendors and others that tirelessly give their time.” She added that anyone interested in applying for the board could reach out via email to request an application.
The Bulletin replied to Svesnik’s email asking additional questions related to Pleasant Lane Farms concerns and characterization of the decision and talks it had but did not hear back before press time.
Frye said he and others at Pleasant Lane Farms have no intentions of applying to the board should change come. Frye hopes the Ligonier Township supervisors can help make that change happen.
“We hope the township delays the permit to get (the Ligonier Country Market) to effect change,” Frye said.
Tuesday’s meeting won’t be the first time the Ligonier Country Market drew the scrutiny of the township supervisors. Last March, the township supervisors granted tentative approval of the country market’s permits after requesting it not exceed its allotted 120 vendors and made efforts to develop a safety and security plan for the event that draws thousands to the Valley every Saturday. The Ligonier Country Market will first host a Made in Ligonier event May 3 in Ligonier Borough before opening day of the Ligonier Country Market May 17.
Frye said this isn’t just about Pleasant Lane Farms, as other vendors have been affected by the rule. He added that he’s sure there are plenty of local farmers and producers who would step up to get the country market focused back on the farmers’ part of farmers’ markets.
“Farmers’ markets are crucial for our survival,” the farm said in its initial press release. “We aren’t just vendors at (Ligonier Country Market) — we are neighbors, parents and community members.”
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