National Farmers Market Week celebrates the vital role farmers markets play in our nation’s food system. Across the Land-Grant University System, Cooperative Extension programs are helping these markets serve as engines for economic opportunity, food access, and community well-being.
Supporting veterans entering the agriculture industry
University of Idaho Extension’s Harvest Heroes program provides military veterans with hands-on farming experience, mentorship, and business training as they explore careers in agriculture. Participants have season-long access to an orchard, a beekeeping apiary, a weekly onsite farmers market and accessible gardens featuring adaptive gardening technology for those with disabilities.
Giving seniors access to healthy, affordable food
Michigan State University Extension partnered with local farmers and senior centers to pilot pop-up farmers markets, increasing access to fresh, locally grown foods for older adults. The initiative expanded farmers’ direct sales and created a replicable model to strengthen food security and community connections for seniors.
Helping farmers and small businesses succeed
The Ohio State University Extension Small Farm Team provides practical guidance to help vendors succeed at farmers markets, from effective marketing and pricing strategies to customer engagement and storytelling.
To combat low winter sales for producers, West Virginia University Extension Service created the West Virginia Winter Blues Farmers Market (WVWBFM), a free, indoor event annual that connects farmers directly with consumers and retail buyers during the slowest sales season. Three months after the 2025 event, respondents reported an additional $17,400 in sales from new retail markets.
Fighting food deserts with farmers markets
Farmers markets play a crucial role in combating food deserts by providing fresh, locally sourced produce to communities that lack access to nutritious food. By bringing healthy options to neighborhoods with limited grocery stores, farmers markets help improve diet quality, reduce food insecurity, and promote overall community health.
Learn more about one such farmers market, the Southern University AgCenter JagFresh Farmers Market.
Building community through farmers markets
Farmers markets play a critical role in food access, small business viability, and community connection in Utah, yet limited statewide data document their impact. A study conducted by the Utah Farmers Market Network (UFMN) and Utah State University Extension found that farmers markets play a critical role in food access, small business viability, and community connection. Documenting these benefits helps ensure that markets remain accessible, sustainable, and responsive to community needs, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
This National Farmers Market Week, visit your local market, meet the farmers who grow your food, and discover how land-grant universities and Extension programs are helping cultivate stronger communities from the ground up.
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