Released: January 08, 2007

Economic Impact of Farmers’ Markets a Topic at Feb. 16-17 Conference

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The appeal of farmers’ markets, where shoppers can meet those who produce locally-grown food, has prompted researchers to study such markets’ effect on local economies.

Research conducted in 2004 by Iowa State University found that consumers reported spending as much as $20 million a year at farmers’ markets in Iowa.

The research and several other projects that illustrate the benefits of local, sustainably raised food will be discussed at the "Well Being of Rural Kansas: Healthy People, Healthy Environment, and Healthy Economies" conference Feb. 16-17 at the K-State Alumni Center on the Kansas State University campus in Manhattan.

The ISU data showed that farmers’ markets represent an estimated 325 jobs in Iowa, plus an additional 146 full-time jobs created by the secondary impacts of farmers’ markets, said Rich Pirog, marketing and food system program leader at ISU’s Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. The Center’s Regional Food Systems Working Group sponsored the project.

The research should help vendors and others involved in farmers’ markets determine what direction their marketing strategies should take, Pirog said.

The conference at K-State, sponsored by the Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops (KCSAAC) at K-State and by the Kansas Rural Center, is designed to address agricultural topics that impact both Kansas agricultural producers and rural communities.

Other topics to be addressed include U.S. farm policy to promote rural well being, social justice issues, alternative energy sources, local food systems, grass-fed beef production, recent immigrants in rural Kansas, environmental issues, and the spiritual and ethical dimensions of food production and consumption.

Details and registration information for the conference are available on the Web at http://www.dce.ksu.edu/sustainableag/ or by calling K-State’s Division of Continuing Education at 785-532-5575.

For those who plan to attend only one day of the two-day conference, the early registration fee is $40, due by Feb. 9. The fee after that date and at the door is $50. For those planning to attend both days, the fee is $80 by Feb. 9 and $100 after that date. The fee covers conference materials, refreshments, and a lunch that features locally grown foods.

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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:
Mary Lou Peter-Blecha
mlpeter@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News