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Four Benefits of Supporting Your Local Farmer’s Market

Four Benefits of Supporting Your Local Farmer’s Market

Local Farmers Market

The term “local farmer’s market”, often brings to mind pop up tents full of fresh vegetables and healthy food selections from local farms.  When you visit your local farmer’s market, what you see is only a component in the overall benefit of having a community market.  Community support at a local farmer’s market has a deeper, often overlooked,  impact on the community.  Below are 4 ways that you support your community when you shop from local producers.

1. Job Creation and Economic Impact

When you purchase locally grown food from the farmer’s market, your dollars allow small businesses to create jobs in the community. Many farmers work their own booths.  However, many hire additional employees to assist customers with sales, or tend to farm duties while at market. A market encourages entrepreneurship because it provides a low overhead point of sale with a built-in customer base.

Patronage from the community puts money right back into the community.  A small community farmer’s market can generate $30,000 to $60,000 in combined vendor sales over a season.  Some larger markets do that much or more in a single market day.  Get to know the vendors at your market! You will find that many live in the same community or surrounding area.

2. You Strengthen a Changing Profession

The farming landscape as we know it is changing – from the types of food being produced to those choosing to make farming their profession. According to a recent report from the Washington Post, there’s new growth and appeal in farming:

For only the second time in the last century, the number of farmers under 35 years old is increasing, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest Census of Agriculture. Sixty-nine percent of the surveyed young farmers had college degrees — significantly higher than the general population.

Supporting these growing smaller farms help to support food diversity at your farmer’s market.  Most all farmers grow market staples and essentials. However, smaller farms are more flexible to farm small batches of more non-traditional produce, such as kohlrabi and varieties mushrooms.


3. It Helps to Restrict Over-development and Preserves Farm Land

Each year, a farmer has a lot to worry about – too much rain, too little rain, bugs and crop diseases, gas and diesel prices, and…taxes.  Taxes on farmland can be a huge burden on the farmer, especially in booming real estate towns. A farmer needs to not only be able to cover farming expenses, but to be able to make a living and provide for his or her family.  Each dollar spent at a farmer’s market helps to keep land out of the developer’s hands and keeps our nation’s shrinking farm lands in food production.

According to farmland.org, over 40 acres of US farm land are developed every hour; 24 million acres of land has been developed since 1982; 37% of America’s developed land, has been converted within the last three decades.  Simply choosing to purchase your food at the local farmer’s market instead of a big box retailer, helps to preserve much needed farm land in your own community.

4. You Contribute to Community Fellowship

Your local market is a community gathering place. You see familiar faces and have the chance to make new friends. You have the opportunity to talk with the person that grew or produced your food. Farmers are typically eager to give you their favorite recipe or advice on cooking.  Some markets have games and contests for the kids, special market themes each week, live music, vendor samples and even pet treats. Market Managers strive to make a farmer’s market a viable resource for food, but also to make it a true community gathering place with fun experiences for the whole family.

Bellevue Farmers Market

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Market News

Tips On Storing Fresh Vegetables

The Bellevue Farmers Market offers a wide variety of locally grown produce at our market each Friday night. There’s nothing much better than a local, pesticide free, ‘homegrown’ tomato.  Particularly, a Cherokee Purple.  Purchasing your food at The Bellevue Farmers Market is not just an investment in local farms. It is an investment in your personal health. We want to help you protect your ‘investment’ for as long as possible. MyFitnessPal.com recently posted a chart with tips on storing fresh vegetables. Be sure to download this convenient tip sheet below.

Each Friday night, through late October, you can purchase the best produce, eggs, and meat available in Bellevue, TN from these local vendors at:

Fresh & Local (Grown in Bellevue)

Buffalo Road Produce (Grown in Bellevue)

C&S Produce (Grown in Ashland City)

Walton’s Hill Farm (Grown in Springfield)

Bellview Produce & Collective (Re-seller from Busy Bee Blueberry in Greenbrier, TN; The Orchard in Cross Plains, TN; Bellview Farms in Bellevue, TN; Friesens Farm in Pleasantville, TN)

Pinewood Farm (Grown in Hickman County)

(Meat) Giving Thanks Farm (Clarksville, TN)

The Bellevue Farmers Market is held each week at Red Caboose Park from 5pm to 7:30pm.  The playground is open for children while parents shop, and the Bellevue Harpeth Historic Association will have the Belle Vue I cabin open for tours.

DOWNLOAD THE STORING FRESH VEGETABLES TIP SHEET

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Market News

The Bellevue Farmers Market @ Red Caboose Park

A huge thank you to the Bellevue Community for coming out this past Friday night to support The Bellevue Farmers Market inaugural event at Red Caboose Park! Over the last 3 years, the market has grown, and will continue to grow with your support!

As we look forward to the upcoming holiday weekend, make your plans now to come out to the market this coming Friday! Be sure to stock up on steaks and meat for your grilling needs for the Fourth of July! We will have a wide selection of produce from local farms, as well as a variety of breads, eggs, cheese, honey, cobblers, and other great finds!

The market is held each Friday from 5pm to 7:30pm at Red Caboose Park in Bellevue.