Cross E Dairy and Freedom Foods | Diversifying the Market for Producers in Wyoming
Christine Hampshire used to spend her weekends centered around getting her dairy and beef products ready for the weekly farmers market. Each weekend she would be prepping products, loading milk and cream into her truck and driving out to the market, which was her primary source of income. Being a dairy farmer, this also meant waking up extra early to complete her daily chores. It was a lot for Christine to squeeze in milking and feeding cows, before making her hour long commute to the market. While this functioned for a time, she wondered if there was a way to diversify her market and ease her work flow.
Farmers markets have seen an increase in the thousands in the last decade. The first U.S. farmers market was held in Boston in 1634, they have gained in popularity in recent years with people wanting more and more to know where their food is coming from. “There's kind of a sense of community that comes with farmers markets. I think it's a wonderful venue. But it's just hard sometimes for that to be your only sales point, a lot of times people don't realize how much work goes into that one little two or three hour window for producers, like for myself,” said Christine.
People are attracted to farmers markets because they know it’s a place to get local foods and to connect with producers as well. Inspired by Sheridan’s indoor farmers market that runs all year long on the weekends, Christine decided to open a market that would host local producers and their products five days a week.
Wyoming has passed laws in recent years that have also enabled farmers to sell a variety of products. The Wyoming Freedom Food Act was passed in 2015 and is what inspired Christine to name her market, Cross E Dairy and Freedom Foods. “I think Wyoming is a state that has really great potential for food security, probably more so than some other states, we have a small population. So I think it's an easier thing to envision being able to supply local foods for the population. I think that's exciting that Wyoming just has potential to be really food secure,” explained Christine. A similar market store in Gillette, WY encouraged Christine to open her market. The current success of these two businesses has inspired others as well. “We had some people here from Laramie that came to see the market because they were interested in opening their own store front and they told us, ‘this is so cool to see, that you’re pulling it off,’” said Christine.
Christine’s family ranch is about an hour outside of Sheridan, WY, and has been in operation for several generations. In keeping with the changing times, how farmers and ranchers get their products to consumers has also evolved and changed. Whether it's selling directly to grocery stores and restaurants or Sheridan’s Online Farmers Market which was started in the wake of COVID-19, farmers are being innovative about how to get their products out. Sheridan’s online farmers market is now being run through Christine’s shop on main street in Sheridan.
Cross E Dairy and Freedom Foods opened in August of 2020 in the midst of the global pandemic. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic when people couldn’t find what they needed at the local supermarkets they turned to farmers markets and small scale producers to fill their needs. “I think last year caused people to realize that local foods are like a back up generator”, said Christine. “But they shouldn’t be just a backup option.” We are here all the time, local producers are always working hard and customers also have to realize that they play a part in making sure that local food sources stay secure by investing in them.”
Many people opt for cheaper, industrialized food sources but Christine urges consumers to ask themselves what the true cost of that food is. “When we saw a break in the availability of that industrial food last year that impacted the entire nation, we saw how really vulnerable it is at times. We have a more secure source of food when we invest in local, ethically sourced foods.”
Cross E Dairy and Freedom Foods hosts 28 different local producers. From fresh vegetables and beef to locally made baked goods and much more. Every direction you turn, there is something different to take home, and the Wyoming Food Freedom Act has helped increase the amount and types of products available. Jarred pasta sauces, homemade hummus and Christine's very own raw milk products and cold brew coffee with raw milk cream.
The Food Freedom Act has placed food into two categories, non hazardous and potentially hazardous, depending on the product and how it's made. Non-hazardous foods are things such as baked goods and canned items. Potentially hazardous foods would be like dairy products, or products that need refrigeration. All of these items can be sold directly from producer to consumer. “But if they fall in that non hazardous category, then there's a little bit more freedom now, some of those foods can actually enter mainstream grocery stores and be sold to restaurants. And so that's really exciting for foods in that category. My raw milk still falls in that potentially hazardous category because it is more sensitive to needing refrigeration,” explained Christine. This factor is another big reason why Christine opened the market on main street, so that she can sell her products directly to the consumer since she cannot sell to grocery stores currently. “I love the farmers markets and that's where I got my start. So we opened this market with the farmers market theme in mind,”
The evolving narrative around food consumption in the United States has countless pockets of communities looking to shift the way we buy produce and how we impact our communities. Many of these changes are made possible through grassroots organizing efforts. “I found the Powder River resource to be very supportive of local foods, and they've been very active in the legislation process. Sometimes they've been the first ones to notice that there's a bill that's in session, and to notify us of that, and get their lawyers to check on it and help us rally to contact local representatives to get our voices heard on those issues. They've been very instrumental and supportive.”