Farmers Market Recognition

Farmers Market Recognition

I’m Lacy Gray with Washington Ag Today.

On July 15th Governor Jay Inslee signed a Proclamation designating August 4th through the 10th as Farmers Market Week in Washington. The Washington Department of Agriculture and the Washington State Farmers Market Association join the Governor in celebrating Farmers Market Week and strongly encourage everyone to enjoy and take part in their local farmers markets on a regular basis. Karen Kinney, Executive Director of the WSFMA.

KINNEY: The Washington State Farmers Market Association is really pleased to be participating in this - it’s a national week. We’ve been working with market managers around the state on special events and managers are inviting shoppers or people who haven’t stopped at a market to check it out.

Kinney says that there is an estimated 150 farmers markets open across the state and that they are great social and economic resources to their local communities.

KINNEY: I haven’t heard of a community that doesn’t like their farmers market and we get calls every week from communities that would like to start a farmers market. I know of lots of success stories in different communities where there’s a farmers market and it helps bring more people into that community - in to the small business district.

Tomorrow Kinney will talk about events planned during Farmers Market Week, along with how the WSFMA was developed and how it has changed to keep up with the needs of farmers market managers.

I’m Lacy Gray and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Ag Information Network.