On any given Sunday there are twelve to fifteen young people involved in the Questa Farmers Market Youth Internship Program. They are running a coffee booth, making pizzas in the horno and working with other food businesses at the Market. Youth Interns bring their perspective, hopes, questions, and vision and work alongside mentors, and with each other, learning through experience. Jesse Mead, who is interning for a second season, says this about his experience, “it’s a great opportunity to become better acquainted with the community.”
Eliot Moody, working for his third summer season as an Intern, says, “working to support the farmers market, and the amazing community of people, is a great opportunity to learn, to make friends, and to save money for the future.”
Farmers Market Interns have additional engagements besides operating small businesses at the Sunday market. They’ve planted the market garden spaces and harvest from these during the season. Several of the interns have worked at North Central Food Pantry during distributions, and at Cerro Vista Farm.
They have also helped to plant a new garden space behind Casas de Cultura, an historic home. Casas de Cultura is adjacent to Questa Farmers Market and the Visitor Center, along the west side of Cabresto Rd. There are three houses on the property (indicated in the name, Casas), but the white house is often known for the massive apricot tree that rises above the two story structure. The landscape and structures have a dedicated caretaker Scott Sutton, who is also an artist and educator (more about Scott at pigmenthunter.com). He prepared the garden spaces and the water course in early June.
Questa Farmers Market (QFM) supports small, local businesses in order to help regenerate the agricultural community and local economy in northern Taos County and foster skills and opportunity for a new generation including youth entrepreneurs.
Alexis Brown, second season Intern writes this about QFM: “The farmer’s market. Many think it’s not a big deal but it really is. People enjoy and look forward to it every week. It is a safe space where our community gets together and hangs out. It’s a great activity that our community has acquired. Many enjoy this from young all the way to our elders. Additionally helping younger generations learn more about and bring back our culture before it’s too long gone. You can’t buy happiness but you can buy local and that’s pretty much the same thing.”
QFM is a program of the nonprofit Localogy, and has been developing a paid youth internship program since 2019.
QFM received a 2-year Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation (LANLF) Education Enrichment Grant Award to support the youth internship aspect of the market’s mission. The goal during the 2022 – 2023 seasons has been connecting youth to agricultural education opportunities and learning about a local “food system” by experiencing parts of that system.
QFM also received funding managed through Taos Community Foundation: a grant from Chevron Grants for Good, as well as Taos County ARPA (American Rescue Plan) funding. These funds support Youth Internship and Mentorship work.
For more information on how to get involved with the Farmer’s Market, contact Gaea McGahee, Questa Farmers Market Program Director
Email: growersmakers@gmail.com
Phone: (575) 224-2102
QuestaFarmersMarket.org
