Why You Should Go to The Farmer’s Market

“Produce at the grocery store is often picked weeks before it gets to the store, from locations far away, using methods that produce a lot of industrial waste, and use harmful pesticides (which leaves a larger carbon footprint). […] It is difficult to know exactly where your food comes from and who grew[or]raised it, when purchased from the grocery store. The Farmers Market offers truly local food items that come from at most, a few hours away. […] I really appreciate the human connection of talking to the people who grow and raise my food and being able to look them in the eye and say thank you.” 

Some teachers at Saugus High School regularly shop at farmers markets.

It is normal for everyone to buy groceries at a grocery store like Trader Joe’s or even Walmart, but some people make the decision to shop at the farmer’s market. Farmer’s markets provide consumers with alternative access to fresh, local and seasonal food sourced directly from the food producer, and exposure to a variety of foods. The farmer’s market, to many people, seems like the better option to groceries because you are supporting local family farms and getting organic produce. 

The farmer’s market has fresh produce which means tasting real,  authentic flavors of organic produce. Fruits are allowed to fully mature in the field before being delivered to you—no long-distance shipping, no gassing to imitate ripening, and no sitting in storage for weeks. Fresh from the farm, this meal is as natural as it gets.

Buying produce from the farmer’s market allows people to support family farms. Now that corporate agribusiness dominates food production in the United States (especially since the pandemic hit), family farmers need your help. According to an article written by Actionaid, a website that supports family farms and gives information on corporate agribusiness control, 75% of the global grain trade is controlled by four corporations. In the food market, small family farms have a difficult time competing. Buying directly from farmers ensures that they receive a higher price for their goods and that they have a fighting chance in today’s globalized economy. A local family farm owner, Pascual Chavez, had some information about the farmer’s market. “The farmer’s market is important because I need to sell my produce that I grow in order to put a roof over my family’s head and food on the table. Without people buying my food, I will not be able to provide for my family.” 

Many people are starting to shop at farmer’s markets because more people are becoming  environmentally conscious. According to an article written by CUESA, a website that writes on farmer’s markets, where to find them, how to support them financially and why they should be visited more frequently, in the United States food travels an average of 1,500 miles to reach your plate. All of this shipping consumes a lot of natural resources (particularly fossil fuels), pollutes the environment, and generates waste due to the extra packaging. Traditional agriculture also consumes far more resources than sustainable agriculture and pollutes water, land, and air with harmful agricultural waste. Food at the farmers market is transported shorter distances and is generally grown using methods that minimize the impact on the earth. 

It would seem that shopping at the farmer’s market is the obvious choice in produce options. Many people may still not shop at the farmer’s market, even after knowing all the shared information, but hopefully readers can take vital information from this article and use it to motivate them to stop by the farmer’s market. So if you have read this far, please stop by and support family farms and start shopping for fresher produce while being environmentally conscious. You can support our local farmers markets on Saturdays at the Old Town Newhall Library parking lot from 8:30am to 1:00pm and on Sundays in the COC parking lot from 8:30am to noon.