National Farmers Market Week Spotlights 8,863 U.S. Markets as Local Food Demand Grows
Updated
Updated · Park Rapids Enterprise · Aug 2
National Farmers Market Week Spotlights 8,863 U.S. Markets as Local Food Demand Grows
3 articles · Updated · Park Rapids Enterprise · Aug 2
Summary
National Farmers Market Week runs Aug. 2-8, spotlighting 8,863 USDA-listed U.S. farmers markets and as many as 10,000 when smaller seasonal and new stands are included.
That growth reflects rising demand for local food and goods, along with efforts to preserve farmland, support growers' incomes and diversify local economies.
Farmers markets now sell more than produce, often mixing prepared foods, baked goods, flowers, crafts and other locally made products while serving as community gathering places.
The U.S. tradition dates to Boston's first recorded farmers market in 1634, after Indigenous trading networks helped lay the groundwork for permanent markets.