Data Shows Explosive Recent Growth in Farmers Markets

So tell me about... (4.00 / 4)

...your market.

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by: dsnodgrass @ Thu Apr 22, 2010 at 18:58:44 PM UTC

Which one? (4.00 / 3)

;-P

There are three year-round farmers' markets in the city of Portland, and oh maybe 100 more throughout the metro region during the spring, summer and fall.  We have a market somewhere in the city every day but Friday this year.  Our 'showcase' market at Portland State University on Saturdays is one of the largest in the country, but the smaller neighborhood markets are the ones I prefer.

The growth is encouraging, but I do wonder what qualifies as a market in some places.  New Jersey, where I'm originally from, is notorious for this.  The 'market' in my mother's town near Newark consists of one actual farmer, a local fried chicken fast food chain, and a pickle vendor.  Although to be fair, the nearby Summit Farmers' Market in Summit, NJ is one of my favorites...

I do wish more of these markets would be in neighborhoods that need them, and more easily accessible via transit.

Coming soon to a Philadelphia near you!

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by: JayinPortland @ Thu Apr 22, 2010 at 21:39:15 PM UTC

markets (4.00 / 2)

I hear you Jay. Here in Ohio there is a huge specialty grocery store that keeps getting listed on the farmers market rolls (and granted they do source a bit of the food they sell locally). And I believe I have seen my farm store listed in a couple of places as a farmers market (I never list it that way as my understanding is a farmers market is a collection of individual farmers selling what they grow (or unfortunately, re-selling what others grow).

I also wonder how many of these markets are really craft markets, i.e. the market is mainly crafters and people selling baked/cooked food) with a couple of farmers (who may be reselling).

In SW Ohio last year, many farmers markets started up but I see this year only a small % are still going. I suspect because they could not find enough farmers for the markets. This is something too many market managers do not consider-that we farmers tend to be 1 or 2 person operations and if we are selling what we grow we must spend the majority of our time growing and not at market. This means most of us cannot do more than 2 or 3 markets a week. Sure the bigger farms who hire employees or have a zillion kids can do markets 7 days a week and often 2+ markets a day (though I have noted over the years these farms too often get into reselling food along with what they grow)

So while there is huge growth in farmers markets, there is not the same growth in small farmers (yet) and I suspect we will start to see a contraction in farmers markets in the next few years unless they broaden the definition even more to keep the number looking good.

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by: Boulder Belt @ Sat Apr 24, 2010 at 10:31:25 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I agree with you whole heartedly on the markets (4.00 / 2)

There was a farmers market in Molalla, near me. It only lasted a year or two because mostly it was a crafters market, with very little produce.

There are people who want to start the market back up, but they're going to do it next year, perhaps in conjunction with the market in Colton a few miles away. The Colton market runs every other Sunday, and it's thought that maybe there could be one in Molalla on the alternate Sundays so the two markets would be in direct competition with each other.

I've been asked if I'd have a booth at the market, and I might, but unfortunately, Sunday's are my Portland delivery/work at dad's garden day, so the only way I could sell at a sunday market would be to hire someone, and there goes all the proffit from that market as well as the rest of the week.

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

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by: JoanneRigutto @ Sat Apr 24, 2010 at 12:19:10 PM UTC

[ Parent ]