 Farmer’s markets are cropping up again all over the small towns, villages, and even the cities of New Hampshire, thanks in part to the efforts of a relatively new group—the New Hampshire Farmer’s Market Association.
In 2001, only 29 farmer’s markets operated throughout the state. By 2005, that number had grown to 54 markets setting up shop on a given Saturday morning or Wednesday afternoon throughout the growing season, according to the association’s director Jack Potter.
Potter approached the state’s Department of Agriculture in 2002 and together they developed a non-profit organization, with help from state and federal grant money.
“The closer you are to where the produce is grown, the fresher it is, so buying at a farmer’s market supports the local economy,” Potter said. “The growth in small farmers in our state parallels and mutually benefits the growth in interest in healthy foods. Our state is all about its rural character, and promoting that character will be a boon to the statewide economy.”
The Association now promotes “New Hampshire Farmer’s Market Week” every August, and works to tell the stories of agricultural production across this very rural state (which is the home base for the Stonyfield Farm company). The group attends the annual New Hampshire Farm and Forest Exposition where it gets the word out and teaches children where their food comes from.
The Association sponsors seminars and educational opportunities to help farmers learn ways to market their goods. The seminars might feature local or government experts on such topics as pesticides, USDA meat standards, or food safety, and marketing techniques. Stonyfield Farm’s Profits for the Planet funding has helped fund these Association’s educational programs, covering print materials, a website, and attendance at conferences of similar regional and national associations.
Farmers markets across the country are gaining in popularity, Potter says. There are now about 3,700 markets in the nation and he expects that number to grow as people become more focused on healthy eating. “The ones who already visit farmer’s markets, they know who has the tomatoes that taste like tomatoes, and who has the best beans. They develop a relationship with the local growers,” Potter said.
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