The American Farmland Trust is a non-profit organization that was started, essentially, to do two things. They want to keep farmland farmland, and they want to keep the farmers on that farmland. The organization is made up of a lot of farmers, but it’s also comprised of policy experts, researchers and scientists. Every year the American Farmland Trust takes a survey. Naturally, it’s about farming. They ask a lot of questions about what people eat, how people shop, how people live and what people like and don’t like. Then they publish their findings, and among those findings you’ll find a list of the best farmers’ markets in the United States. In this year’s survey, the Nampa Farmers’ Market ranked third in the nation. And it ranked number one in the Pacific Northwest Region. Governor Brad Little declared August Farmers’ Market Month in the state of Idaho to show, according to a press release sent out by Idaho Preferred, the equivalent of the Idaho Department of Agriculture’s chamber of commerce, the bounty and diversity of Idaho agriculture. Idaho Farmers’ Market Month will be an annual celebration of the 55 farmers’ markets currently operating throughout the state. According to Idaho Preferred, farmers’ markets increase access to high-quality, nutritious, locally-grown, raised or produced food and agricultural products, and as consumer trends, they say, continue to show great interest in and demand for eating locally, markets across the state are growing in both size and popularity. Farmers’ markets also tend to serve as a platform for educating consumers about the source of their food and local food systems, which naturally have to include farms. Markets across Idaho, they say, continue to play a vital role in the local food supply chain, offering locally-produced food and agriculture products, including the freshest fruits, vegetables, meats, breads, flowers, honey and a lot more. Tomorrow, the inaugural Idaho Farmers’ Market Month kickoff is happening at the Nampa Farmers’ Market. Chanel Tewalt, the director of the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, will read the governor’s proclamation, and people will begin celebrating, naturally, by shopping at the country’s third best farmers’ market.
