Five Great Lake states rank in top ten for farmers markets

Farmers looking to sell to their communities, families who want to support them or someone who just likes perusing tents of sunflowers and produce on Saturday mornings have plenty of opportunities in the Great Lakes area.

Half of the top 10 states with the greatest number of farmers markets are in the Great Lakes region, according to the 2010 USDA National Farmers Market Directory.

The directory released last month shows 6,132 farmers markets across the country. Many of the highest totals belong to Great Lake states.

Illinois has the most markets in the region with 286. It ranks third nationally behind only New York and California. It is followed by Michigan which ranks fourth nationally with 271 markets, Ohio which ranks seventh with 213, Wisconsin at eighth  with 204 and Pennsylvania ninth with 203.

The USDA has been counting farmers markets across the United States since 1994.

“In 1994, we counted a little over 1,755 farmers markets,” said Wendy Wasserman, communication specialist with the USDA.

“If you do the math between that total and this one, I think it’s over a 300 percent growth.”

Between 2009 and 2010, there was a 16 percent increase: the greatest growth over a one-year period since 1994.

The USDA’s National Farmers Market Directory is a self-reported electronic database, where market managers, state representatives and consumers from around the United States report information about their market, such as city, state, name and forms of payment accepted. The directory is updated every year.

According to Wasserman, there is no particular reason for some states to have more farmers markets than others. “The industry is clearly growing across the country,” she said. “Different states adopt them at different rates.”

In Ohio, there may be more farmers markets because of the proximity of population centers to rural areas, according to Christie Welch, Farmers Market Specialist for Ohio State University and the representative for the Ohio Farmers Market Management Network.

“If you think about Ohio, we have three major, metropolitan areas: Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland,” Welch said. “As a farmer, I can be at one of those population centers within an hour or so drive, and I can have access to a large customer group within a small amount of time.”

Ohio’s total number of farmers markets grew 36 percent between 2009 and 2010.

According to officials at the Michigan Farmers Market Association, Michigan residents want to reap the benefits of the second most agriculturally diverse state in the U.S.

“Our state’s agricultural diversity means that farmers in our state have a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables to offer, especially this time of year,” said Maggie Smith, administrative assistant with the Michigan Farmers Market Association.

“ We’re in the top ten states for apples, plums, sweet cherries, asparagus, grapes, snap green beans, pears, strawberries, sweet corn, cauliflower, peaches, cucumbers and wine.”

Michigan’s total farmers markets grew 60 percent between 2009 and 2010.

Farmers markets across the country present a new way for farmers to get their products to consumers, according to Wasserman. “As more people are interested in direct to consumer opportunities, more producers are entering that arenas another sales opportunity,” she said.

But, the markets provide benefits for the other side as well.

“Consumers want to support their local communities and keeping their food dollars in the hands of local farmers is one way that they can do that,” Welch said. “It helps to actually create a sense of community; it allows people to reconnect with one another.”

Experts expect growth to continue.

“This is going to continue to be a vibrant industry,” Wasserman said. “We are going to continue to see an interest in local food. People want to know their farmer and where their food comes from; that’s a trend that is happening across the country.”