Farmers Market Q & A

What is a farmers market?

A farmers market is a public and recurring assembly of farmers or their representatives, selling directly to consumers food which they have produced themselves.  More specifically, a farmers market operates multiple times per year and is organized for the purpose of facilitating personal connections that create mutual benefits for local farmers, shoppers, and communities. To fulfill that objective a farmers market defines the term local, regularly communicates that definition to the public, and implement rules/guidelines of operation that ensure that the farmers market consists principally of farms selling directly to the public products that the farms have produced. Some states have even established their own formal definitions which specify market characteristics in more detail. As of August 2010, there were 6,132 farmers markets registered in the USDA Farmers Market Directory, and the number continues to grow steadily.

What will I find at a farmers market?

It depends. Farmers markets vary in size and shape. Some are just a few vendors who gather a few days out of the year, monthly. Some involve hundreds of vendors and take place every week of the year. The products available at farmers market generally represent their agricultural region, meaning that you might find avocados, almonds, and artichokes in California, and be more likely to find paw paws, peanuts, and peonies in Virginia. Some markets concentrate on produce.

Others carry everything from fruits and vegetables to baked goods, meat, eggs, flowers, and sometimes dairy products. Some may carry locally made crafts or prepared foods as a complement to the agricultural products for sale. As the number of markets grows, so does the variety of foods available.

How do farmers markets determine what to carry?

What is at market depends on a combination of location, season, and market rules about what can be sold. Many farmers markets only carry locally-grown, locally-made and/or locally-processed, foods, and create a system of guidelines that ensure vendors are producing what they are selling. Others have more flexible policies. The great thing about farmers markets is that if you are ever unsure about what a product is, where it came from, or how it was grown, you can just ask!

Are farmers markets only open in the summer?

Peak harvest season is usually peak market season, and some markets are only open in the prime summer months.  In 2010, about 15% of all farmers markets were open in the winter months, and the average seasonal farmers market in the U.S. is open for approximately four and a half months of the year.  However, you can expect to see more markets open for business in late spring through early fall, as markets aim to provide customers with products for more months of the year. Many markets are expanding their seasons through the winter or even all year round with things like meat, eggs, dairy, bread and other products that are available fresh all year long. Even in colder climates, farmers are implementing a variety of season extension techniques that can protect crops from frosts and allow them to provide you with quality fresh produce for more weeks of the year. You can learn more about what is seasonally available in your community here.

How can I find a farmers market near me?

Farmers markets are in every state and located in all kinds of places– from city squares to civic centers, from parks to parking lots, from sidewalks to shopping centers. Urban markets are often in central locations easily accessible by foot, bike, or public transportation. To find a market near you, ask your neighbors, friends, and colleagues, or search for one in USDA’s Farmers Market Directory, or at LocalHarvest.org and EatWellGuide.org. A large number of states have a statewide farmers market association that can also provide you with information. You can find a listing of the statewide farmers market associations that are also members of FMC by clicking here.

If you live in California, New York, Iowa, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Massachusetts, Ohio, or Kentucky you are lucky enough to be in a state with the most farmers markets in the country.

Do farmers markets only take cash?

There are many ways to pay at farmers markets. Cash usually works best. But EBT machines can be used to process payments for credit cards and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) payments. The number of farmers markets accepting SNAP is growing rapidly (30% between 2007 and 2008). In 2009, more than 900 farmers markets accepted SNAP benefits and that number has since grown to 1,611 in 2010. The amount of SNAP benefits redeemed at farmers markets grew nearly 60% between 2009 and 2010.

In addition, more than 3,300 markets accept Women, Infant and Children (WIC) Farmers Market Nutrition Program vouchers and 3,100 markets participate in the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP). In 2008, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service reported that over $40 million was spent at farmers markets through these two programs alone. Some markets have even developed their own locally based currencies, like HealthBucks in New York and Fresh Bucks in Rhode Island.

Who operates farmers markets?

Some big urban areas are home to regional market networks, such as Greenmarket in New York City, FreshFarm Markets in Washington, DC, and Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance in Seattle. Many markets operate independently, or with the help of city or nonprofit partners, sometimes transitioning to a stand-alone nonprofit as they grow. No matter how farmers markets organize, there is always a market manager or market master who enforces the market bylaws and oversees the daily business of the market. The market manager is generally the best point of contact for any questions.

Is produce from the farmers market always fresher and healthier?

According to a survey conducted by Farmers Markets Today magazine, more than 85% of farmers market vendors traveled fewer than 50 miles to sell at a farmers market in 2008.  In fact, more than half of farmers traveled less than 10 miles to their market, according to a 2006 USDA survey.  Compare that other scenarios where seven to fourteen days can go by between the time produce is picked and when it becomes available at a supermarket. In that interval, fruits and vegetables can travel, on average, more than 1,200 miles before reaching the final consumer. Since studies have shown that produce loses nutritional value as more time elapses from the time of harvest, locally grown produce available at farmers markets is available to you at the peak of freshness and nutrient availability.

Why should I shop at a farmers market when my supermarket sells organic, and sometimes even local food?

While some food retailers do carry local and organic products, not all of them can carry a variety of local foods, or ensure a fair price to the farmer. Shopping at a farmers market is a wholly unique experience that benefits farmers and producers directly (they go home with a greater share of the retail price than they would by selling wholesale, where the margins are, well, just that– marginal), offering you more unique products, more heirloom varieties, and more opportunities to build relationships and learn about healthy eating. Farmers markets are a community experience, where you can meet your neighbors, friends, and farmers, and where more of your dollar will stay in the community.

Are prices for food the same at farmers markets as in grocery stores?

Farmers market vendors are local entrepreneurs who, like other retailers, set prices that allow them to reasonably cover their costs. Prices vary by product, but a number of studies (including the Seattle study, NOFA-VT, and Leopold Center) found that similar produce are typically less expensive at farmers markets than at nearby grocery stores. One cost advantage that farmers markets offer is the ability to buy fresh food in bulk at the height of the season and preserve or freeze for later use when the product would otherwise be more expensive, hard to find, or of lower quality.

When I shop at a farmers market, where does my money go?

At a farmers market, you hand your money to the person who grew or made the products in front of you.  According to the 2007 Census of Agriculture, more than 130,000 agricultural entrepreneurs are selling quality products directly to the people eating them.  In 2005, such direct sales at farmers markets exceeded $1 billion nationwide. In West Virginia alone, over $1 million of economic output was generated by farmers markets in 2005, even accounting for sales lost to grocery stores. The majority of this money, and the jobs that come with it, stay in the communities where the markets are located. In Iowa, more than 300 jobs are directly reliant on farmers markets. In Oklahoma, researchers found that the number of jobs directly and indirectly reliant on farmers markets is nearly 1,000

How does shopping at a farmers market help my local economy?

Farmers markets generate business, and business creates jobs. In Oklahoma, 21 farmers markets led to a gross increase of 113 jobs. Twenty-six Mississippi farmer markets created a total of 15.88 part-time jobs, $213,720 in wages. Thirty four farmers markets in West Virginia led to a net increase of 43 full-time

Farmers markets also bring business to neighboring stores and communities where the market is located. Spending money at farmers markets keeps your money in circulation within the local community, preserving and creating local jobs. This is very different from many major grocery stores where a large percentage of sales leave the community, and possibly even the state or the region.

How has the current economic crisis impacted farmers markets?

Despite the recession, farmers markets are booming. As spring markets were opening for the 2009 season, FMC members in Alabama, Washington DC, California, New York, and Washington State reported record customer counts and record sales. The Food Marketing Institute found that local and sustainable foods were a top buying trend for 2009. Economist Ken Meter of Crossroads Resource Center notes that, as a business model, farmers markets are inherently flexible, which offers them protection from drastic economic changes. “They can adjust price and adjust their product to get consumers’ needs met. Retailers and big stores with big overheads and big expenses can’t do that.”

What happens to food left over at farmers markets?

Most vendors have a good sense of how much will sell on any given market day, and prepare for it accordingly. However, if there are leftovers at the end of market, vendors are ready to recycle unsold produce into value-added products. For instance, excess tomatoes become tomato sauce and apples become apple cider. Unsaleable produce can be composted to return nutrients back to the farmers’ fields. In addition, many markets also have donation arrangements with local food banks, soup kitchens, and other social service agencies. In 2005, 24 percent of markets nationwide reported some kind of gleaning program, averaging a value of $825 in products each month. In 2007, farmers markets in Seattle donated over 40,000 pounds to the area’s local food banks, and in 2008, food banks near Hollywood, California received over 15,000 pounds from farmers at the Hollywood Farmers Market. These are just a few examples of the ways farmers give back to the communities that host their markets.

How do farmers markets preserve farmland?

As the number of markets grow around the country, so do the number of farmers. For instance, Alabama had 17 registered farmers markets in 1999, involving 234 farmers. Fewer than ten years later (2008), there were 102 farmers markets involving 1,064 farmers in the same state. This means that with the help of farmers markets, hundreds of farmers choose to stay in agriculture over another profession, thereby helping to preserve Alabama’s farmland and rural traditions. This dedication is visible in other parts of the country as well. In New York, many farmers credit farmers markets with keeping them on the farm.

The Port Townsend Farmers Market provides one example of many how much land can be conserved and utilized for growing fruits and vegetables. This one farmers market supports sustainable  agriculture production on more than 800 acres on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. And that’s just the effect of one market!

I love my farmers market. What can I do to support it?

Purchasing as much as you can from your community’s farmers market is the simplest way to demonstrate your support. Some markets have “friends of…” programs where you can contribute directly to the market’s operation and support its educational programs. Others may be recruiting neighborhood volunteers or providers of in-kind design, writing, or bookkeeping services. Just ask the market manager how you can help best. You can also support the Farmers Market Coalition’s national efforts to strengthen farmers markets (through education, leadership development, National Farmers Market Week, and other technical assistance programs) by making a secure on-line donation.

These FAQs were developed in collaboration with USDA Agricultural Marketing Service.

Sources and Other Resources

Claro, Jake. January 2011. Veromont Farers’ Markets and Grocery Stores: A Price Comparison. Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont.  http://nofavt.org/pricestudy

Diamond, A. and R. Soto. 2009. Facts on Direct-to-Consumer Food Marketing Incorporating Data from the 2007 Census of Agriculture. USDA Agricultural Marketing Service.

Feenstra, Gail W., Lewis, Christopher C., Hinrichs, Clare C., Gillespie Jr, Gilbert W., and Hilchey, Duncan. Entrepreneurial Outcomes and Enterprise Size in US Retail Farmers Markets. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 18:46-55 (2003): 8. Cambridge Journals, http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=4430732, 

Farmers’ Markets Today. 2008. Farmers’ market statistics: March 2008 survey results. Available at http://www.farmersmarketstoday.com

Food Routes Network. 2003. Plant Your Dollars Close to Home and Watch Your Community Grow. Available at http://www.foodroutes.org/whycare3.jsp.

Food Marketing Institute.Grocery Shopper Trends 2009: Recession Changing Consumers Shopping Behavior at the Supermarket. Press Release, May 14, 2009.

Gaudette, K. June 4, 2007. Farmers Market Food Costs Less, Class Finds. The Seattle Times. Available at: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003733548_farmers04.html

Henneberry, S.R., H.N. Agustini, M. Taylor, J.E. Mutundo, B. Whitacre, and B.W. Roberts. 2008. The Economic Impacts of direct Produce Marketing: A Case Study of Oklahoma’s Farmers’ Markets. Paper presented at the SAEA annual meeting, Dallas TX, 2-6 February.

Herman, Dena R. et al. January 2008. Effect of a Targeted Subsidy on Intake of Fruits and Vegetables Among Low-income Women in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. American Journal of Public Health (Vol 98, No 1).

Hoffman, Gretchen. April 2011. Farmers Markets by the Numbers. American Farmland Trust. http://blog.farmland.org/2011/04/farmers-markets-by-the-numbers/

Hughes, D.W., C. Brown, S. Miller , and T. McConnell. April 2008. Evaluating the Economic Impact of Farmers’ Markets Using an Opportunity Cost Framework. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics.

Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. 2010. Electronic Benefits at Three Farmers Markets in Minneapolis: An Analysis of the 2010 Pilot Program. Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support. http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/dhfs/2010_EBT_Analysis.pdf.

Jones-Ellard, Sam. Winter Markets. USDA Agricultural Market Services. http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fetchTemplateData.do?template=TemplateU&navID=LatestReleases&page=Newsroom&topNav=Newsroom&leftNav=&rightNav1=LatestReleases&rightNav2=&resultT ype=Details&dDocName=STELPRDC5088047&dID=141412&wf=false&description=USDA+Hig

Jones, Stacey. 2010. Farmers Market Price Comparison Study. Capitol Hill Seattle. http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/media/fooddrink/2010/6/16/2010HANDOUT.pdf

Love, Drew. 2010. Farmers Market SNAP Sales Soar in 2010. Farmers Market Coalition. http://farmersmarketcoalition.org/snap-sales-soar-2010.

McCarthy, Richard. 2010. Evaluating the Social, Financial, and Human Capital Impacts of Farmers Markets. Market Umbrella. http://www.marketumbrella.org/uploads/Evaluating_farmers_markets.pdf

Morales, Alfonso. Marketplaces: Prospects for Social, Economic, and Political Development. Journal of Planning Literature 26:3 (2011): Sociable City. http://www.sociablecity.org/assets/documents/MultiUseSidewalks/marketplaces%20-%20prospects%20for%20social%20economic%20and%20political%20development.pdf.

 

Myles, Albert. Hood, Ken (2010). Economic Impact of Farmers Markets in Mississippi. MSU Cares. http://msucares.com/pubs/publications/p2582.pdf

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygeine. November 2011. Health Bucks. http://www.center-trt.org/downloads/obesity_prevention/interventions/healthbucks/NYC_Health_Bucks.pdf

Otto, D. and T. Varner. 2005 Consumers, Vendors, and the Economic Importance of Iowa Farmers Markets: An Economic Impact Survey Analysis. Ames, IA: Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa State University.

Piro, Rich, McCann, Nick. December 2009. Is Local Food More Expensive? A Consumer Price Perspective on Local and Non-Local Foods Purchased in Iowa.  Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/pubs/staff/prices/prices.pdf.

Ragland, E. and D. Tropp. 2009.  USDA National Farmers Market Manager Survey 2006. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service. Available at: http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5077203&acct=wdmgeninfo

Shuman, Michael H. 2006. Small-Mart Revolution Checklists. Available at http://www.small-mart.org/files/SMChecklists-Patriots.pdf.

USDA. 2008. Number of farmers markets continues to rise in U.S. AMS No. 173-08, Washington, DC: AMS.

USDA 2010. Farmers Market Services. Agricultural Marketing Services. http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5080175

USDA. Food and Nutrition Service. 2009. WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, FY 2008 Profile. Available at http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/FMNP/FMNP2008.htm.

USDA. Food & Nutrition Services. 2011. Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program Profile – FY 2010. http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/SeniorFMNP/SFMNPFY2010Profile.htm

USDA. 2008. 2006 Farmers Market Survey: Highlights at the National Farmers Market Summit. Baltimore, MD, November 2007.

Woolf, Art.2011. Small Potatoes? Vermont Tiger. http://www.vermonttiger.com/content/2011/05/small-potatoes.html

2010. Hunterdon Land Trust Farmers’ Market Benefits Local Economy Over $2.6 Million Impact. Hunterdon Land Trust Alliance. http://www.hlta.org/Farmers’_Market_Economic_Survey_Results.pdf.