Market Trends
Mike Diesel

The USDA, which publishes a National Directory of Farmers Markets, reports that there is an 18% increase in the number of farmers' markets operating in the US in 2006 from 2004 and an 82% increase from 1996.

Their increased popularity accounts for the following statistics provided by the USDA:

Total Markets: 4385
Total Sales Volume: $1 Billion
Avg. Annual Sales/Market: $245,000
Avg. Annual Sales/Vendor: $7,108

With the average item in your local supermarket traveling 2,000 miles from farm to table and containing ingredients from at least five countries (Foodlinks America - 4/27/07), it is little wonder why the media has focused extensively on food safety and why consumers are demanding more locally grown produce and other food products. This certainly explains the popularity of Farmer's Markets.

The challenges that need to be faced, for continued growth, include supermarkets promoting locally grown produce, time demands and constraints on growers and the balance between keeping markets focused on produce and the intorduction of arts/crafts and prepared foods.