And with all of these eager custome

And with all of these eager customers, the number of farmers markets has increased by almost 370 percent since 1994, with over 8,100 farmers markets listed in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s market directory in 2013. The local food movement sweeping the country is inspired by initiatives such as USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food, Farm to School and The People’s Garden, a collaborative effort of over 700 local and national organizations working together to establish community and school gardens across the nation to unite neighborhoods and inspire locally led solutions to hunger and environmental concerns. The interest is nowhere more evident than at farmers markets.