From the Delaware House of Representative e-Newsletter
Issue 396 – January 18, 2020

Farmers Markets Set New Mark

The Delaware Department of Agriculture on Thursday announced Delaware farmers’ markets hit an all-time high sales record of $3.28 million in 2019.

State Rep. Lyndon Yearick, R-Camden-Wyoming, who created Delaware Grown Week and advocates for consumers to buy local and eat local, says he is not surprised by the news. “Farmers’ markets represent a great opportunity for people to get fresh fruit, vegetables, and other agricultural products directly from the people that produced them,” he said.

Rep. Yearick, who grew up on a dairy farm, said farmers’ markets also provide needed revenue for many families. “It’s tougher and tougher for small, independent farms to remain viable,” he said. “Farmers’ markets provide some of these families with another source of revenue, the ability to sell their products at higher margins, and gain the loyalty of local customers.”

Sales from all 19 Delaware community-run farmers markets this year totaled $3,277,788, up more than $394,000 from 2018 — an increase of 13.7 percent. Sales have increased more than elevenfold since the Department of Agriculture began tracking them in 2007.

Fresh produce made up 57 percent of total sales, with the remainder coming from products such as meats, cheeses, jellies, breads, salsa, eggs, and honey.