A new tradition touting "fresh and local" products recently began in Lafayette and hopes to continue for years to come. The Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse Farm opened last Saturday giving Lafayette residents the opportunity to sample local vendors and artisans, hear an impromptu jam from local musicians, and see the 100-acre Horse Farm.

Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel stopped by “Mornings with Ken and Bernie” for his weekly “Lafayette Live” segment to discuss the Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse Farm, and why he believes it is a tremendous economic opportunity for Lafayette.

Durel was full of praise for the market's opening weekend and was happy to say that more and more vendors are continuing to signup.

It's turning into a wonderful thing. It's wonderful for multiple reasons. We now have 90 vendors interesting in participating, though they will never all be there at the same time. We now have 25 food vendors; we started with 19. We're trying to maintain a good mix of food vendors and artisans.

Signing up to become a vendor is as easy as paying a small fee and setting up a table. This ease of entry is what Durel hopes will inspire entrepreneurs to setup shop at the Farmers and Artisans Market and begin testing new products and ideas.

It's a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to test products and try out new things. It really is an economic development opportunity for the community here. You hear about people who started at the Farmers Market and now have their product on shelves.

Despite the enthusiasm on display during Saturday's opening weekend, news of the Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse Farm was not well received by all. Other local markets are worried the Farmers and Artisans Market will dilute the pool of potential buyers and slow business, a claim Durel quickly dismissed.

 We have had other farmers markets not excited about what we're doing in part because they were not sure if they could sustain what they were doing. There's 230,000 people just in Lafayette Parish. There's plenty to go around.

The Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse Farm is open to the public on Saturdays from 8am to noon. The Horse Farm will remain open to the public until 2pm.

For more information visit the Farmers and Artisans Market's website here.

To listen to the full interview, click the play button below:

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