•  Over the first week of August, local markets across the country celebrated National Farmers Market Week.
•  Farmers markets are an important part of America's diverse agriculture sector, providing unique benefits to communities across our nation. They give Americans a chance to learn about agriculture by meeting some of the people who grow and raise our food. They provide valuable marketing opportunities for small and beginning farmers - many of whom scale up to larger regional markets and other institutions. And they help expand access to locally-grown foods that are in greater demand than ever before.
•  We have seen incredible growth in the number of farmers markets over the past few years. Today, according to USDA's National Farmers Market Directory, more than 8,100 local markets are in operation - up from about 5,000 markets just a few years ago.
•  Sales of local foods have skyrocketed along with the popularity of farmers mar

(Continued on page 5)