06/18/2026
Farmers Market on the Square
Time for Change
by Sandy Nelson
It seems the Camden County Commissioners and the City of Camdenton are okay with having a substandard farmers market on the Square that is out of compliance with the Missouri Department of Revenue. The Market has gone downhill since 2022 when Larry Coleman became President of the Farmers Alliance of Rural Missouri which sponsors the farmers market. Inheriting a market with five full-time Produce Farmers and two Ranchers, Coleman, in his first year, managed to reduce the number of full-time Produce Farmers to three, and lost both Ranchers. One of the original founders of the Market back in 1985, also decided not to return in 2023. While the market did find another Pork Rancher, Beef is still missing and other vendors seem to just come and go.
In late 2025 he chose to resign from the job as President along with Brenda Kay Cyrus, the Treasurer.
Coleman and Cyrus left the failing farmers market at an opportune time. The people left behind are the ones dealing with difficulties with the Missouri Department of Revenue; the ones who decide whether to apply for reinstatement as a 501(c)(3) with the Internal Revenue Service; the ones who had to apply for a City of Camdenton Business License.
Meanwhile, learning the City of Camdenton had deeded the Quadrant the Market uses to the County and that the County Commissioners could decide who used the area, it seemed there was an opportunity for the Farmers Market in Camdenton, which is open on Wednesdays on Rodeo Road, to add another location and day to their Market schedule. Assistant City Administrator Renee Kingston recommended I speak with Commissioner James Gohagan.
Thus began a classic case of one hand not knowing what the other hand is doing. In a series of emails with Gohagan, beginning on April 15, I provided links to the Missouri Farmers Market Association, the Department of Agriculture’s “Farmers Market Handbook and such. On May 4, Gohagan wrote: “Would you like to be on the agenda? I can’t make a decision unilaterally without the other twos approval. Taking over that property was simply for maintenance purposes but we are the deed holders now so I think we should make an attempt to solve this issue.” I replied “yes.” Neither of us knew at that time that it was already a done deal thanks to Presiding Commissioner Ike Skelton writing a letter dated April 28, granting the Farmers Alliance of Rural Missouri, which sponsors the market, permission to use the Quadrant, “for the purpose of hosting the Camdenton Farmer’s Market.” Renee Kingston issued their Business License the following day, April 29.
To receive a business license, the business is required to provide No Tax Due letter from the Department of Revenue certifying the business did not owe any taxes. The business can obtain the No Tax Due letter from the Department of Revenue online. It’s easy. It’s free. Print it out, include it with all the other paperwork.
So, in a telephone call to Kingston on Tuesday, June 2, I asked if a license had been issued to Farmers Alliance of Rural Missouri for the new fiscal year beginning June 1. When the answer was yes, I asked if they had a No Tax Due Certification and she answered “yes” again. Having watched a lot of Judge Judy where she lambasts folks for not getting things in writing, and other experiences, I asked how to get copies of the Business license application. The City has an online program just for that. Rah! It was super easy and, in this case, at least, super-fast. It arrived the next day June 4.
There was NOT a No Tax Due Certification. Instead, there was a screenshot of the Department of Revenue’s page stating, “A No Tax Due cannot be issued at this time.” It continues telling the business how to deal with any outstanding balances, ending with “If you have any questions, please contact our Tax Clearance unit at 573-751-9268.”
I called Kingston. Not in. Called City Administrator Jeffrey Ho**er, told him that there was no Certificate. He said he’d talk with her about it. Received a call from Kingston who said she called the listed number, discussed it with them; that she had see receipts for payments and that the organization was okay to receive a Business License.
But again, it was not in writing.
So, I sent an email to the Department of Revenue asking for verification. I wrote, in part:
“I am following up on my previous email earlier today where I asked whether the approval of a Business License was legal.
Later in the day I spoke with the Camdenton City Administrator, Jeffrey Ho**er and Renee Kingston. Kingston assured me that they contacted the Farmers Alliance of Rural Missouri and verified that they had paid the monies due the Missouri Department of Revenue.
"I would appreciate assurance from your department that this is indeed true. I am not concerned with the details, just whether they are now square with the Department of Revenue.”
They replied promptly on June 5 stating:
“As of 6/5/26, the account for Farmers Alliance of Rural Missouri is revoked and cannot legally conduct business. For more information, please contact our revocations team at 573-526-5102.”
Something is very wrong here. Regardless of the actual outcome of the situation with the Department of Revenue, the vendors at the Farmers Market that is on the Square should not suffer because of the actions or inactions of the management or the government. In an email to Gohagan on May 3, I stated that since the Farmers Market in Camdenton is in good standing with the Department of Revenue, we could step-in as the market on the square and that “we would be willing to ‘grandfather in’ the present vendors who wished to continue selling on Saturdays and who fulfill our requirements as stated in our rules.”
That offer still stands.
Sandy Nelson is Board President of the Farmers Market in Camdenton and was one of the founders of the Missouri Farmers Market Association, serving as founding President in 2002-03.
