Grow For Food is a project that connects farms to local markets and CSAs (community supported agriculture farm businesses) and SNAP~EBT users. SNAP is commonly known as "food stamps". CSAs are important to local food access while also adding revenue to farm enterprises. This is information about farmers market sales from 2017 to 2023:
The farmers market industry in the US had a revenue of $1.3 billion in 2023, which was a 2.6% increase from the previous year. The 2023 Benchmark Survey of Farm Markets reported that farm markets saw a 17.38% increase in gross sales compared to the previous year.
2017–2022
Sales through farmers markets and other direct-sales channels increased 33.2% (adjusted for inflation) from 2017 to 2022.
Number of operations
The number of operations selling through farmers markets and other direct-sales channels more than doubled from 2017 to 2022. However, the number of farm operations selling directly to consumers decreased 10.3% from 2017 to 2022.
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I present workshops at regional and national food and farming conferences to help others navigate; USDA requirements and funding, regenerative agriculture practices, growing hemp for phytoremediation and on-farm livestock processing. Reach out to me for 1/2 day or full day workshops. You and your organization will grow and thrive by following an easy to use curriculum and guides, building collaborative bonds, strengthening community, connecting with organizations (rather than competing with them), so that we all can eliminate food apartheid. I include EBT users and marginalized members of society (elderly, disabled, houseless, etc...) FIRST rathen than last. Scroll down to access my research and presentations. They are public.
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