Agricultural News
CropLife America Celebrates National Farmers Market Week
Thu, 06 Aug 2015 14:22:41 CDT
CropLife America (CLA) is pleased to join the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other farm-related organizations in celebrating National Farmers Market Week, August 2-8, 2015. Farmers markets present an invaluable opportunity to both growers and consumers, giving consumers the ability to directly ask farmers about their produce and growing methods. The crop protection industry is proud to support America's farmers by developing solutions that help growers get their produce to market, hearty and free from pests and disease.
"With less than 1% of the American population employed as growers, our nation's local farmers markets help consumers better connect with the food they eat," stated Jay Vroom, president and CEO of CLA. "We encourage everyone to visit their nearest farmers market to find out more about how their food is made from the people who make it. The crop protection industry supports all types of sustainable growing methods and the continual development of increasingly precise pesticide technologies. Through the use of pesticide technology, farmers help shoppers at both farmers markets and grocery stores save up to 35% on fresh fruits and 45% on fresh vegetables."
Across the U.S., the number of farmers markets continues to increase. Consumers can choose from over 8,000 farmers markets in the U.S., up from 3,700 in 2004 and just under 1,800 in 1994. At the kick-off of Farmers Market Week at the Sante Fe Farmers Market in New Mexico, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack stated, "People are changing how they think about farmers markets as they become community gathering points, and we have seen a 64 percent increase in customer traffic in markets open for at least two years."
Throughout the month of August, CLA is running the Green Thumb Challenge* to encourage consumers to show their support for today's farmers and the many methods they use to feed communities across the U.S. in an environmentally sustainable way. All are encouraged to show CLA their green thumb by tweeting a photo to @CropLifeAmerica using the hashtag #GreenThumbContest. For each submission, CLA will donate $1 to the Food Recovery Network, an organization that unites students across the country to fight food waste and hunger. The winner of the Green Thumb Challenge will also win an Apple Watch. Read the complete guidelines online, by clicking here.
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