LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - The number of farmers markets in Arkansas has more than tripled over the past decade, records from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show.
There were 28 farmers markets in 2004, compared with 97 in 2014. Five markets were added this year. That makes Arkansas’ growth the sixth-highest in the country, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (https://bit.ly/1kknq0q ) reported.
“We’re all in this together. If we can get the public good food at a good price, then we’re doing a good thing,” said Glenn Woelk, vice president of the Fayetteville Farmers Market and co-owner of Mason Creek Farm. “Every city and every town and every community that has the chance to get good food, that’s a positive.”
Zachary Taylor, director of marketing for the state’s agriculture department, said relaxed regulations and a desire for local food have expanded established markets and created new ones.
A 2011 law allowed people to sell homemade products without industrial kitchens or oversight from the state’s health department. It also paved the way for farmers to make something out of products they couldn’t otherwise use, such as jellies made from leftover fruit.
There’s also the Arkansas Food Innovation Center in Fayetteville, which has a full industrial kitchen with equipment that meets federal standards that can be used by small scale producers, who come from as far away as Jonesboro and Little Rock. Around 30 to 40 companies use the center regularly and another 40 use it occasionally.
“Most of the people that come out here and get started, they’ve either never sold their product before or they’re selling it at a local farmer’s market,” said Miles Davis, the center’s manager. “As far as I know, we’re the only facility of this type in the state.”
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Information from: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, https://www.arkansasonline.com
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