Farmers’ Market vs. Farmers Market

What’s in an apostrophe? A lot, if you’re a food activist.

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Who reads more nuance into punctuation rules than copy editors? Food activists! In the California law that has regulated farmers markets since 1977, the term contains a possessive apostrophe. Market managers who maintain the apostrophe believe it indicates that “farmers’ markets” exist “for farmers and by farmers,” says John Silveira, director of the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association, hastily adding he doesn’t intend to besmirch those who have dropped it. Another naming convention allows farmers’s market…farmers market…whatever…consumers to buy breakfast or lunch as they buy their produce. Though the Cali law limits “Certified Farmers’ Market” vendors to farmers who grow all their own wares, vendors of prepared goods (who can use food from Costco or Wal-Mart) are permitted to sell at a nominally separate (but physically adjacent) market. Got it?

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“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things it doesn’t like—which is most things that are true.

We’ll say it loud and clear: At Mother Jones, no one gets to tell us what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. The deadline’s almost here. Please help us reach our $150k membership goal by May 31.

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