Brooks Way of Way Fruit Farm in Port Matilda continued an annual tradition last week when he loaded up his goods and traveled to Tyrone to set up at the downtown farmers’ market.
Way and several other participants were out on Logan Avenue near the 10th Street intersection again yesterday during the second week of farmers’ market activities. He told The Daily Herald the farmers’ market has been conducted in Tyrone for about 20 years.
Way said other participants this year include Brumbaugh’s Delite as well as representatives from Amish farms and flower arrangements from a Williamsburg outlet. Way also noted nutrition checks issued through the Senior Citizen Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program can be used at the farmers’ market if the farmer is certified to receive the checks.
He said those attending this year’s farmers’ market will find fresh-cut flowers, baked goods both regular and sugar free. He said there would also be strawberries, cherries, peaches, apple, sweet corn, cantaloupe and watermelon, peppers, tomatoes and other garden products.
“It’s a good time to come visit your neighbor and help your local farmer,” said Way.
The farmers’ market runs every Wednesday in Tyrone from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. between now and the last Wednesday in October.
Although popular in Tyrone for the last two decades, smaller and rural communities aren’t the only place where farmers’ markets can be found.
The Associated Press reported earlier this week in big cities and small towns, farmers markets are finding fertile ground: The U.S. Agriculture Department says their number has doubled nationally in the past decade, to more than 3,700.
The AP report said the growing popularity of the markets is attributed to a number of factors: less tolerance for bland meat and produce some consumers associate with big factory farms; more demand for the just-picked freshness and nutrition of locally grown food; increased awareness about supporting local economies; and health and environmental concerns about the use of antibiotics and pesticides.
AP reported a 2003 study by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University found that if price and appearance were identical, consumers given a choice were more likely to purchase locally grown foods over those produced far away. Even though prices tend to be higher for local produce, consumers will pay more for a product they believe is healthier and tastier.
The market demand for locally grown produce in Pennsylvania could increase to the point that it outstrips the supply, said Cheryl Cook of the state Agriculture Department. In response, the state has unveiled initiatives including “PA Grows,” which helps farmers get funding they need to start or expand their operations.
The trend reflects what is essentially an effort to “bring back the milkman,” said Guillermo Payet, who in 1998 founded California-based Local Harvest, an online directory of farmers markets and other local food options that gets about 9,000 visits daily.
Farmers more recently have branched out to grass-fed beef and lamb, and free-range chicken and eggs, because of consumer awareness of mad cow disease and how animals are treated _ and the taste of the products.
Though the government has not tracked farmers market sales nationally, the “buy local” movement has clearly helped many small farms regain their financial footing, Perry said.
“It\’s not as though farmers are making a fortune on this, by any means,” he said. “But some farmers are finding there\’s a growing market out there for them to tap into.”
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On the Net:
Local Harvest: http://www.localharvest.org
National Farmers Market Directory: http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets
Editors note: Details from an Associated Press article by Joann Loviglio were used as part of this article.
