A Montgomery County farmer is fighting the State Highway Administration to keep his farmer’s market open. The agency says he can’t set up his market on River Road because too many cars travel the road too quickly.

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Jonathan Sadd sold local produce grown there, employing local workers.
“We sell everything from heirloom tomatoes to pumpkins, sweet corn, watermelons, eggplants, peppers,” Sadd says.

In 10 years, turned an overgrown patch of land into a thriving business.

“I didn’t know everybody’s names, but I did recognize everybody’s faces,” he said. “Some people would come in every day.”

But the State Highway Administration said the location on River Road had too much traffic moving too quickly, and shut down Sadd’s stand.

“It’s as safe as it can be, I mean, we’ve never had an incident there over a 10-year period,” Sadd says.

Sadd has been fighting for two years to get his farmer’s market reopened. He appealed to Montgomery County, to state senators, to the governor.

“At this point, we’re thinking the Governor… he definitely has the authority, and we think he might be ready to intervene,” Sadd hopes.

He tried a different location last summer but didn’t make a profit there. This summer, he’s selling his tomatoes wholesale.

An SHA administration spokesman said Sadd should find a new location for his farmer’s market. Sadd has set up a petition on the Facebook page for his farmer’s market to keep his spot.