Enumclaw Farms and Local Food: Farmers' Market Sales

Research shows that the presence of a thriving, seasonal farmers' market increases business in the rest of the community--even at nearby grocery stores or others perceived as competitors.

"In national surveys, customers spend on average $17.30 per week with 66,700 farmers at markets, for a reported retail sales total of $888 million . . . . About half the customers spend that much again ($22) per person to shop and eat at downtown businesses on market days."

(USDA, "U.S. Farmers Markets--2000" quoted in The Farmers' Market Book: Growing Food, Cultivating Community by Jennifer Meta Robinson and J.A. Hartenfeld.)
Click here to order this book from Amazon.com.

Eating local foods...

DELIGHTS YOUR TASTE BUDS. When farmers don’t have to raise food that can travel long distances without getting spoiled or misshapen, they can raise foods that are more flavorful. Fresh tastes best anyway.
HELPS YOUR BUDGET. Foods in season are always the best buy. And foods from far away will continue to get more expensive as fuel prices climb.
INCREASES YOUR HEALTH. Local food doesn’t need chemical preservatives and irradiation to artificially extend its shelf life. Your body doesn’t need those things either.
BUILDS YOUR COMMUNITY. Local food production strengthens local economies. Selling directly to the consumer allows farmers to earn retail instead of wholesale prices. Then they, in turn, can spend locally. Interaction between producers and consumers helps us appreciate each other too.
IMPROVES YOUR ENVIRONMENT. Selling locally encourages farmers to diversify their products (as opposed to the more common practice of large-scale, single-crop monoculture), making it easier to farm in a sustainable way.

Enumclaw Farms and Local Food

Farmers' Market Sales

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