The Kansas Department of Agriculture is a recipient of a U.S. Department of Agriculture Farmers Market Promotion Program Grant for the amount of $98,549. This award will help KDA increase consumer awareness about farmers’ markets in Kansas in an effort to boost the number of consumers who visit the markets.

In the last decade farmers’ markets have increased significantly, across the U.S. and Kansas allowing specialty crop farmers to gain more of the consumer market. There are currently 56 registered farmers’ markets in Kansas.

 “Our goal is to enhance existing farmers’ markets by creating a toolkit that these groups can use to promote their markets locally and help connect consumers and producers,” said Julie Roller, agriculture marketing specialist.

 The purpose of the Farmers Market Promotion Program is to increase access to locally produced agricultural products and develop new market opportunities for producers serving local markets. The grant will help enhance farmer sales at Kansas farmers’ markets by creating marketing and promotional materials, including signage. The program will also provide hand-washing stations to enable farmers’ markets to offer chef demonstrations and sampling to highlight to consumers how to use the fresh items available at the market.

 KDA is committed to providing an environment that encourages economic growth of the agriculture industry and serving Kansas farmers, ranchers, agribusiness and the consumers they serve. The Farmers Market Promotion Program will help provide support and educational resources that will expand farmers’ markets across the state.