As National Farmers Market Week comes to a close we reflect back about twenty years ago when there were only 24 hundred registered farmers markets in the U.S. Cathy Isom fills us in on how Farmers Markets have evolved over the decades in connecting people in a unique way. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
Connecting With Farmers
From: USDA Agriculture Marketing Service
Farmers Markets and Direct-to-Consumer Marketing
Farmers markets are an integral part of the urban/farm linkage and have continued to rise in popularity, mostly due to the growing consumer interest in obtaining fresh products directly from the farm. Farmers markets allow consumers to have access to locally grown, farm fresh produce, enables farmers the opportunity to 
develop a personal relationship with their customers, and cultivate consumer loyalty with the farmers who grows the produce.
Local Food Directories
The Farmers Market Directory lists markets that feature two or more farm vendors selling agricultural products directly to customers at a common, recurrent physical location. Maintained by the Agricultural Marketing Service, the Directory is designed to provide customers with convenient access to information about farmers market listings to include: market locations, directions, operating times, product offerings, accepted forms of payment, and more.
USDA’s Local Food Directories help you locate farmers markets, on-farm markets, Community Supported Agriculture, and food hubs. The directories are managed and operated by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), a USDA agency with the core mission of facilitating the fair and efficient marketing of U.S. agricultural products.
- National Count of Farmers Market Directory Listings Graph: 1994-2016 (pdf)
- Geographic Coordinates Spreadsheet for U.S. Farmers Markets (xls)
- Farmers Market Directory API
- Farmers Market Directory data
Image credit: (top right) Man selling baked goods at Tompkins Square Park Greenmarket, New York City. This farmers market is one of many bringing locally grown food and produce to New York City. Photo by littleny/DepositPhotos.