Dustin Vande Hoef
Communications Director
515/281-3375 or 515/326-1616 (cell)
or Dustin.VandeHoef@IowaAgriculture.gov
DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today encouraged Iowans to consider visiting one of the more than 220 farmers markets in the state during National Farmers Market Week, which runs from August 1 to 7.
“We have seen significant growth in the last few years, both in the number of markets and in the amount of sales taking place, and that’s great news. It benefits both the farmers who are selling more products and the customers who are able to access these fresh, nutrition and delicious foods,” Northey said. “Early August is prime season for a number of fresh fruits and vegetables, including sweet corn and tomatoes, so it is a great time to get to one of the farmers markets near you.”
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has an online directory of Farmers Markets that Iowans can use to locate a market near them. The directory can be found on the Department’s website at www.IowaAgriculture.gov and then click on the “Find Iowa Products” on the top right of the page. Then they can click on the “Farmers Market Directory” link to search for markets by name, city or county.
There are 228 farmers markets listed on the directory.
Earlier this year the Department announced the findings of comprehensive survey of Iowa farmers markets in 2009 that showed they had an estimated $59.4 million in direct and indirect sales and an additional $12.2 million of personal income effects. It also showed that 374 direct jobs and over 200 indirect jobs could be attributed to the activities of farmers markets. The report also shows that farmers markets had $38.4 million in sales in 2009 based on consumer reports, which was an increase from $20 million in 2004.
Iowa is a national leader in the number of farmers markets. In 2009 we had 223 markets in operations, the fourth most nationally and second in the number per capita. We have also seen the number of markets increase by more that 75 percent over the past 15 years.
“Farmers markets are a key way for consumers to purchase the wide variety of agricultural products raised and grown here in Iowa, and their impact is growing,” Northey said. “They also are a great opportunity for Iowans to get to know and interact with the farmer that produced their food,” Northey said.
