Farmers’ Markets and CSAs on the Rise in the U.S.

By Sophie Turrell

The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service recently reported good news for farmers’ markets, farm stands, and CSAs in a document entitled Facts on Direct-to-Consumer Food Marketing. The report, based on the 2007 Census of Agriculture, shows that direct-to-consumer food purchasing—food bought from farmstands, farmers’ markets, and community-supported agriculture (CSAs)—has increased substantially since earlier censuses in 2002 and 1997.

New England led the way with six states in the top ten for direct-to-consumer sales. Farmers’ markets and CSAs in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire captured 9.5, 8.6, and 8.0% of their respective states’ total agricultural sales. The biggest markets in the U.S. for these direct food outlets, as measured in dollar amount sales, are the North Central, Far West, and Northeast regions. California, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Ohio have the highest sales numbers overall. Across the country, the report finds that most of these sales are made by farms that sell $50,000 or more worth of produce per year.

Overall, direct-to-consumer food marketing grew by 104.7% in the past ten years, twice as much as the 47.6% growth of total agricultural sales in the country. This growth points to increasing consumer demand for food that is fresh and local.

The piece of information missing from this census is seasonal variation in agricultural sales. How much of the food market do farmers’ markets and CSAs capture in the summer vs. in the winter? What are the patterns in regions with different growing seasons?

As the report’s last graph shows, direct-to-consumer marketing makes up only 0.2 – 3.0% of total agricultural sales nationwide. But farmers’ markets and CSAs are indeed better attended and more successful than in recent decades.

For more reading, visit:
Facts on Direct-to-Consumer Food Marketing 2009
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5076729