Farmers' Markets

The Fort Collins farmers’ markets are up and running at three locations: Drake Road Farmers Market on Saturday 10am-1pm, CAMC Fort Collins Farmers Market  on Sundays and Wednesdays 11am-3pm, and Larimer County Farmers' Market on Saturday mornings in Old Town Fort Collins

As a summer business, how do farmers’ market fare in our economy? Who patronizes them? Is it a good place to sell your organic bread, herbs, garden vegetables, or even your jewelry and crafts? 

 According the IBISWorld in the five years since 2008, revenue for the Fruit and Vegetable Markets Industry has maintained positive growth. Interestingly, the number of farmers' markets in the country has increased at the same rate as the growth in the U.S. consumption of fruit and vegetables (2.3%): an average annual rate of 2.3% to 12,183 locations over the five years to 2013.   

Stable profit margins, low start-up and operating costs and growing demand for organic produce have been the driving forces over the five years. According to the most recent USDA survey of National Farmers' Market Managers (2009), Markets that are open 6 months or less report an average of 25 vendors, with sales of $20,770 per month, and 565 customers weekly. Markets open 7 months or more report an average of 51 vendors, with $57,290 in monthly market sales and 942 customers weekly.  Year-round markets reported an average of 58 vendors, monthly market sales of $69,497, and served 3,578 customers weekly.

However, the industry is fast approaching saturation, which will eventually slow growth. According to IBISWorld Farmers’ markets and cooperatives will need to design and launch new marketing strategies to compete with the convenience and product ranges of large supermarkets and grocery stores which are moving to organic produce. Operators may need to target a particular customer base, such as those with higher incomes or greater interest in cuisine and quality food products. They might need to find new distribution systems and give customers significant reasons to buy from fruit and vegetable markets instead of supermarkets or grocery stores. The quality of fruit and vegetables will be an increasingly important marketing tool in the coming years.

There are advantages to both the farmers and to the consumers in the growth of farmers’ markets. For small and medium sized farms, farmers markets can be the first point of entry into the marketplace, they can help incubate a small business, develop and test new product lines, obtain better prices, and obtain a reliable source of farm or artisan income. Farmers’ markets are also a good way for new growers to interact with customers, learn what customers want and perfect their production skills.

The Larimer County Farmers’ Market is here . This market is sponsored and promoted by the CSU Extension and Larimer County’s Master Gardeners.

The Colorado Agricultural Marketing Cooperative (CAMC) which runs the Sunday and Wednesday Fort Collins farmers’ markets is here. 

The Colorado Farmers Market Association is here. 

For consumers, farmers’ markets provide access to locally-produced, healthful farm-fresh food, one-on-one contact with the farmers who grow the food, and the opportunity to contribute directly to local farming and community viability. According to IBISWorld the bulk of sales come from consumers aged 45 to 54. These individuals and households are usually more health-conscious than younger groups and have higher incomes. Likewise, the 35-to-44-year-old market is an important consumer group. Because some of these individuals are not as health-conscious as their older counterparts, they account for a slightly smaller 19.0% of revenue. Individuals aged 55 to 64 also make up a significant market. Because the bulk of the income lies within this group, their spending power is strongest. Additionally, increased publicity and awareness of the health benefits of fresh produce has pushed these individuals to purchase higher volumes, especially from local and organic markets. This trend has created potential for strong consumption growth among these consumers, and IBISWorld expects their share of revenue to grow over the next five years.

The  USDA Factsheet on farmers’ markets is here

The USDA Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food blog is a good place to understand the farm to food movement.

In 1994, The U.S. Department of Agriculture started keeping track of all farmers’ markets in the country. The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is home to many of the Department’s leading farmers market research, technical assistance and grant programs. AMS’s Marketing Services Division, comprised of an interdisciplinary group of agricultural marketing specialists, economists, engineers, and facility design experts, has been examining direct marketing practices and opportunities, including farmers markets, and providing technical assistance to small and mid-scale agricultural producers, handlers, and distributors, for decades. AMS also manages the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP),a grant program that supports the creation and development of direct marketing outlets and offers a set-aside for projects that initiate the use of electronic benefits transfer (EBT) at farmers markets, the Specialty Crop Block GrantProgram, which provides matching grants to States for produce, tree nut and horticultural crops, and the Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program, which provides matching grants to state agencies for agricultural market research. In 2012, Colorado farmers’ markets received over $200,000 in USDA FMPP grants.

Know your farmer; know your food.  Enjoy this summer’s farmers’ markets!