FARMINGTON — The community lost a good friend and the founder of the Farmington farmers’ Market this week with the death of Ron Hale. Hale died in a tractor accident on his farm south of Farmington shortly after noon Tuesday.

The farmers’ market was closed Wednesday afternoon, but plans are for it to be open Saturday morning ... as Hale would want it to be.

Ron was dedicated to helping the area’s small farmers create an outlet for their home-grown produce. In the late 1990s he approached Jim Dismuke and Becky Landrum to help set up a local market. With Ron’s vast knowledge and enthusiasm as the basis, the market was started with just a few vendors displaying their produce on the parking lot of the VFW Hall.

Hale took it upon himself to travel to seminars and lectures around the state to learn how to make the market a success, and then shared the information with the growing number of produce growers. With the continuing help of Becky Landrum as manager, the Farmington farmers’ Market flourished and grew and is now open on Wednesday afternoon and Saturday mornings. One of the main attractions of the market was “Ron’s organically grown tomatoes.”

According to the coroner’s report Hale, 61, died as a result of injuries sustained when his tractor ran over him at his farm on Route OO just south of Farmington at about 12:45 p.m. He was getting ready to cut hay when the accident happened. “He (Hale) was having some trouble with the battery on the tractor,” St. Francois County Coroner Jim Coplin said. “He had a charger hooked up to it and went to start it. Mr. Hale was standing in front of the tractor at the time. He thought it was out of gear, but the tractor was in gear.”

Coplin believes Hale died at the time the tractor hit him. Ron was alone at the time the accident occurred. His brother was the one who found him and called for help. The Wolf Creek Fire Department, the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol responded to the call.

“Ron (Hale) was the smartest man you could ever imagine,” Landrum said. “He was the brains behind the market. Nine years ago Jim Dismuke called me and asked if I would like to see a farmers market in Farmington. He invited me to a meeting. I expected to see a lot of farmers at the meeting, but it was just Jim, Ron and I. The two of them turned to me and asked if I would like to manage the farmers market. I have worked closely with Ron ever since.

“We are going to be devastated without him,” she said. “He was so loved and so nice. I can’t say enough about the quality of person that he was. He was part of so many farming organizations.”

Landrum said Hale was especially proud of his tomatoes. He sold more than 2.5 tons last year to customers as far away as Chicago.

“Ron, like the produce he grew, was a home-grown product and lived on the farm on Highway OO originally owned by his parents. He was hard-working, unassuming, honest, always exploring new ways to improve his farm operation, and always ready to help a neighbor or friend,” said Janet Douglas. “Most of all Ron loved what he did. He loved his wife, his three children, and his granddaughter, who could often be found with grandpa at the market. He had boundless energy and not only cultivated his land, he cultivated ideas and friendships.”

Farmington Press Managing Editor Doug Smith had sat in on several meetings with Hale since the start of the local farmers’ market. The last time the two talked was at an AgriMissouri® farmers training seminar earlier this year. “Even after several years of managing and working with a successful farmers’ market here in Farmington, Ron was still very enthusiastic as he listened and asked questions of state officials during the spring training session. You could tell he really loved what he was doing on his farm and in his market garden. During a break that day he was talking about planting some new trees and about hay quality, and was always talking about tomato varieties. He was on the agenda to speak later that afternoon and put a very professional face on the farmers’ market industry as he discussed ethics and how to best maximize the market experience for everyone involved.”

At the time of his death Hale was the vice-president of the Missouri Farmers’ Market Association®, a statewide organization operating as a division of AgriMissouri®, a producer-based food initiative through the Missouri Department of Agriculture. The farmers’ market association worked to improve the quality of farmers markets for both vendors and consumers.

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