Farmers Market Coalition

Launched last week, the USDA’s new U.S. Food Environment Atlas graphically presents ninety food-related indicators—ranging from access to grocery stores to farmers markets per capita to gallons of soft drinks consumed at home—on an interactive, color-coded map of the United States.

Tags: data, food environment atlas, USDA

In response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s WIC Food Package Interim Rule, the Farmers Market Coalition Policy Committee issued a letter to the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, recommending changes specific to the new WIC Cash Value Voucher (CVV). The letter contains five main points.

Tags: FNS, USDA, WIC CVV, WIC Interim Rule

The Healthy Incentives Program (HIP), created by the 2008 Farm Bill, supports pilot projects that help the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) evaluate the use of healthy food-purchasing incentives in its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This program will work mainly with retailers, but there may also be interest at the state level to incorporate pilot farmers markets.

Tags: healthy incentives, USDA

On Tuesday, December 15, the U.S. Department of Agriculture invited state departments of agriculture, state agricultural experiment stations and other state agencies to submit proposals that help market, transport and distribute American food for funding through the Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP). FSMIP could be a promising funding opportunity for farmers market programs.

Tags: federal, fsmip, funds, grant, marketing, state, USDA

We chose DC because of the palpable excitement and activity being generated there– from the White House Garden to the opening of the FreshFarm Market by the White House. Through USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative (KYF2), we are seeing a dramatic shift in the way this agency works internally and externally in promoting our local farm products and the markets and other venues that support them. It is in this new context that the board of directors convened to review our strategy and prioritize for the coming year.

Tags: board retreat, KYF2, sharon yeago, USDA

Thirteen members of the Farmers Market Coalition’s Board of Directors hopped on flights across the country on Monday, October 26, joining Executive Director Stacy Miller in Washington, DC for a busy week spent reflecting upon the Coalition’s accomplishments, planning for the future, and meeting with local partners and friends.

Tags: board retreat, congress, USDA, washington dc

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced on Friday that the number of farmers markets in the United States is up more than 13 percent from a year ago. A recent update of the online Farmers Market Directory lists 5,274 markets nationwide, up from 4,685 reported in 2008.

Tags: farmers market directory, USDA, Velma Lakins, Vilsack

A new report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) shows direct-to-consumer farm marketing in the United States is growing faster than total agricultural sales—the two categories increased 104.7 percent and 47.6 percent, respectively, from 1997 to 2007.

Tags: 2007 census of agriculture, AMS, direct marketing, USDA

The large percentage of young markets explains in part why the growth in the number of farmers markets is not
mirrored by a corresponding growth in sales. Total farmers market sales in 2005 are estimated to have slightly
exceeded $1 billion, compared with $888 million in 2000, an average annual growth rate of 2.5 percent. To

Tags: Add new tag, direct marketing, farmers market data, farmers market manager survey, growth industry, USDA

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today opened the 14th season of the USDA Farmers Market season with a ceremony at USDA Headquarters. The USDA Farmers Market features farmers from Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia selling their locally grown produce and other items. The market is open to the public and will operate every Friday through October, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at USDA Headquarters on 12th St. and Independence Ave. SW, Washington, D.C.

Tags: The People's Garden, USDA, USDA Farmers Market, Vilsack