USDA Announces Farmers’ Market Boom Throughout US

Last Friday, The US Department of Agriculture announced that since last year, the number of farmers’ markets has increased by 9.6 percent. Moreover, the USDA reports the number of registered farmers’ markets this year is 7,864, whereas 18 years ago only 1,744 markets were listed. USDA-registered farmers markets are intended to be affordable and available to patrons supported by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The top five states with the largest number of farmers markets include California (827 markets), New York (647 markets), Massachusetts (313 markets), Michigan (311 markets), and Wisconsin (298 markets).