Benefits of Farmers’ Markets for Vendors, Consumers & Communities

Why Farmers Markets Are Growing

Food imports

With the flood of produce imports coming into the country from overseas, even larger commercial growers are taking a second look at high-return marketing outlets like farmers’ markets. Felix Fly, manager with the West Tennessee Farmers’ Market in Jackson, Tennessee, says the number of farmers applying to sell in their farmers’ market blossomed in 1999. "Normally we have 12 or 14 new vendor applicants each year, but this year we’ve had 51 by August," he said. "Due to the low prices this year in cattle, cotton, soybeans, hogs, and corn, we’ve found a lot of growers trying something new. I just got a call from someone growing pumpkins who had never grown them before."

Urban growth

According to Rose Koenig, Mgr., Haile Village Farmers Market, Gainesville, FL, "The agricultural economy is changing drastically in the U.S. What was profitable 50 years ago may not be profitable tomorrow. As land gets more expensive because of urban growth, small farms of 100 acres or less will get more and popular. This leaves growers with the choice of selling the land to developers or getting into higher value farming such as direct marketing. Some growers will sell out, and some will reduce acreage and start growing for a local market."

Health, taste & local food

The growth in farmers’ markets is fueled by public awareness on how to eat better. Customers want to know where their food is grown and who grew it.

Farmer Benefits

Sellers at farmers’ markets often get a larger cash return for their product than through wholesale marketing and get paid cash-in-hand, instead of waiting 30-90 days or longer. There is also the pride and fun in selling to the people who enjoy eating your produce.

Consumer Benefits

Most farmers’ market customers come to the markets for the superior quality and freshness, unusual varieties, and a chance to support local agriculture and meet the farmers who grow their food. And if these shoppers can get much higher quality at a competitive price, they're getting a lot better value for their money!

Taste and freshness

Farmers' markets offer shoppers the opportunity to purchase fresh-picked, good-tasting, seasonal produce from the farmers who grow it. Direct-from-the-farm products are often picked at the peak of maturity only a day or even hours before they are sold at farmers’ markets. Once people taste what’s available at the farmers’ market they don’t want to go back to the taste they get from the supermarket. Nothing substitutes for a vine-ripened, fresh-picked tomato, or a peach, corn or baby bok choy.

Variety

At farmers' markets customers are able to sample new products and varieties not ordinarily found in supermarkets. While supermarkets usually offer only one or a few varieties of a product, direct markets may sell many different varieties of one product, such as apples, peaches, peppers or tomatoes, as well as exotic and heirloom products, organically grown produce, and ethnic foods.

Value

Many markets have been established to provide customers with fresh produce at lower prices than local supermarkets. In other cases the goal has been to provide fresher, superior product at competitive prices. Either way, the customer finds better value, which is defined by the relationship between product and price.

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