NORWICH – Local food and direct marketing opportunities like those found at farmers markets all over the country are one of the fastest growing segments of agriculture.
This according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which celebrated the kick-off of National Farmers Market Week on Monday. Farmers Market Week, traditionally held during the second week in August, is being recognized across the nation as a way to spotlight a growing trade. Currently, 8,144 farmers markets are listed in the USDA’s National Farmers Market Directory - up from less than 5,000 in 2008.
In Norwich, the Chenango County Farmers Market saw its own growth this year with five new vendors that signed on early in the 2013 season. In all, there are more than 22 signed vendors who attend the market, selling an assortment of fresh produce, baked goods and homemade crafts.
“The Farmers Market is such a healthy thing to have in the community,” said Chenango County Farmers Market Manager Ellen Evans.
The word “healthy” has a two-fold meaning, she noted. “It’s healthy in nutrition and it’s healthy just to have available to the community ... it can be so difficult for some members of the community to even get to a grocery store, especially for the ones who can’t drive, so it’s valuable to have in the center of town.”
Evans, a ten-year vendor at the Chenango County Farmers Market, said events like Farmers Market Week are the perfect way to promote local foods, local farmers, and a strong community. “I’ve met a lot of people doing this over the years and they are very community oriented,” she added. “It’s helping us to find more diversity at the market.”
According to the USDA, direct sales of food products from farmers to individual consumers rose by nearly 50 percent nationwide between 2002 and 2007. Local food sales swelled from an estimated $1 billion in 2005 to $4.8 billion in 2008. By 2012, the Census of Agriculture estimate sales of local foods in the United Stateds reached nearly $7 billion.
Ten states, including New York (with 637 registered farmers markets), account for more than half (51.3 percent) of all markets listed in the National Farmers Market Directory. Other states include: California (759); Illinois (336); Michigan (331); Ohio (300); Pennsylvania (290); Massachusetts (289); Wisconsin (286); Missouri (246); Virginia (246); Iowa (229); and North Carolina (229).
Frank Walker, a local produce vendor at the Chenango County and Oxford farmers markets, said having a farmers market offers residents the opportunity to purchase a better quality product while also supporting local farmers.
“You don’t really know where your food is coming from when you buy at the store,” he added. “It’s too bad more farmers don’t get involved. People like to buy local.”
Last year, the Chenango County Farmers Market also took steps to promote local foods and healthier eating habits among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients. Thanks in part to grant funds awarded by the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chenango County, alongside state funding and additional help from local vendors, the market now accepts EBT cards, making it one of more than 3,800 markets nationwide to do so.
According to USDA reports, farmers markets generate over $16 million in SNAP sales annually.
“Our community has been very good to us,” said Evans. “People appreciate buying local and it helps us out.”