Board of Directors

Board for Bastrop 1832 Farmers Market

At our recent Membership Meeting, the acting board and new board members were officially elected to their positions by the members of the Bastrop 1832 Farmers Market.  We now have a board of 5 Directors, 3 are vendor member and 2 are non-vendor members. We are proud to introduce the following:

Carol Armstrong
I am a small business owner with a tax and accounting practice in Bastrop.  I have a small garden that I enjoy working in and reaping the benefits of my labor.  The local Farmers' Market allows me to learn the various aspects of gardening, not to mention trying the various produce that are unfamiliar to me.  The various educational efforts by the Farmers' Market folks caught my interest and I am excited to be part of their plan to teach the community about the importance of supporting our local farmers and artisans. Carol is a non-vendor member.

Walter Schwarz
Operations Manager of National Distributor of consumer goods. Goal is to promote and educate sustainable agricultural practices in Bastrop County and to give back to the community and support and promote local products and producers. Walter is a non-vendor member.

Pati Jacobs
Pati Jacobs is the co-owner of Bastrop Cattle Co.  She and her brother, Cleve, sell grass fed free range natural beef at the Market and hope to see the Bastrop 1832 Farmers Market grow into a really wonderful regional market that can pull customers and vendors in from all over Central Texas. Pati is a vendor member.

Erika Bradshaw
Arthur & I are dedicated to providing fresh, chemical-free produce to Bastrop County. We have 4 3,000 square foot greenhouses & 8,000 square feet of raised beds to bring locally grown vegetables and fruits to our market. Think global-buy local! Erika is a vendor member.

Don Mikeska
Our newest vendor board member recently retired from a career in manufacturing and has been busy building up a farming business known as Huckleberry Creek Farm. His philosophy is to supply the public with a healthful, superb product.

Our Market is located at 1302 Chestnut Street by the Railroad Tracks, inside the Market building at the back of the lot. The convenient Market hours are Tuesday afternoon from 2-6pm and Saturday mornings from 10 am -2pm.  (During the hotter months of June through September, Saturday Market Hours are 9am-1pm.) We are open every week of the year with fresh produce and tasty prepared foods, locally raised eggs and meat, and a variety of handcrafted goods by artisans. There is plenty of free parking on the lot and having the market inside the large metal building is great during a variety of less than pleasant weather conditions we experience here in Bastrop.

Our mission as a non-profit 501( c ) 3 corporation (Bastrop Sustainable Agricultural Community) is to support the sustainability of agriculture in and around Bastrop County and to enable low income families access to low cost, fresh produce. The Bastrop 1832 Farmers Market is a project of the Corporation.  In our desire to educate the public, especially children about gardening, we established a School Garden for Mina Elementary in the fall of 2008 and have started work on a community garden on Shiloh Rd. in cooperation with Trinity Zion Church. This year, we will build a demonstration garden on the Market grounds and donate the produce to our local food pantry.

Statement of Market Purpose and Philosophy
The Corporation is a certified farmers' market operated in accordance with state, county, and local laws, for the benefit of farmers and consumers alike.  The market operates under the name “Bastrop 1832 Farmers Market” (the “Market”).  The Corporation’s fundamental purpose is to provide the community with fresh, locally grown or locally produced products in a convenient location and to provide producers with a direct market for their goods.  Further objectives derived from the Corporation's mission include education on the benefits of supporting local agriculture in order to preserve farmland in the surrounding community, improve individual health and strengthen community.