Farmers Market Week Recognizing
A Nationwide Comeback
OLATHE, Kan. – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer has proclaimed Aug. 3-9 as National Farmers Market Week.
“We needed one. It will finally recognize an amazing, decades-long growth phenomenon. Or, you could say two growth phenomena, both of which are now nationwide,” said Ted Carey, horticulturist with Kansas State University Research and Extension.
The modern supermarkets that appeared after World War II succeeded so well that they drove most of the old-time farmers markets out of business, Carey explained. Some of those lost were markets that could trace their roots to when pioneer farmers loaded up their wagon on Saturday and drove into town, ready to trade.
“But, then two more trends emerged during the 1970s and began to pick up speed,” he said. “One was renewed interest in farm-fresh foods – like the just-picked corn or peaches that Americans used to eat at Grandma’s. The other was the result of an evolving change in the structure of agriculture, which had some farmers – especially those without much acreage – scrambling to find new or added ways to earn a better income.
“It didn’t take long for each group to see it had a vested interest in the other. Even some communities were quick to realize that a farmers market might also help boost the local economy.”
USDA records indicate that by 1994, the number of U.S. farmers markets had climbed back to 1,750. By July 2008, the number was closer to 4,700.
“Of course, that’s just the markets themselves. It’s not even close to the number of farmers bringing things to sell or the number of consumers shopping there,” Carey said. “Beyond that, those market farmers may not include all of the the producers who now are selling directly to grocery stores, restaurants and cafeteria systems or marketing their produce from a roadside stand or U-pick operation.”
Even so, USDA estimates farmers market sales now exceed $1 billion a year, with most of that going directly to small-acreage family farmers.
“Those sales translate into a wealth of seasonal bounty on the American dinner table. That has to be putting smiles on some faces at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” Carey said. “The CDC is strongly behind the so-called 5-a-Day program to promote better health.”
Eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day undoubtedly can help, he added.
“The thing is, though, both food and horticulture researchers have proved that fresh produce not only tends to taste better but also is more nutritious than fruits and vegetables that have to spend time in storage and shipping,” Carey said. “Besides, opinion polls suggest many Americans simply feel safer when buying food from someone local – someone they can see and get to know.”
Box or Filler Facts:
UDSA’s Agricultural Marketing Service reports that more than 60 percent of the nation’s farmers markets now accept the nutrition vouchers that participants can get through the federal Women, Infants and Children (WIC) assistance program.
More than 45 percent of the markets participate in the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, which is similar to WIC’s voucher-related programming, but targeted for low-income seniors.
About one in four farmers markets contribute any surplus they have to “gleaning” programs that distribute food to local homeless shelters, community pantries and other charitable organizations that feed the hungry.
An information source for the state’s market gardeners, the Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops, also provides a directory of Kansas farmers markets on its Web site (http://www.kansassustainableag.org/). The center is one of an array of programs and projects Kansas State University offers in support of market, organic, herbal and other alternative approaches to farming.
-30-
K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.
Story by: Kathleen Ward
kward@ksu.eduK-State Research & Extension News Ted Carey is at 913-856-2335, Ext. 120, or tcarey@ksu.edu.