Spring is in the air and it’s time to gear up for the outdoor market season. People are looking for fresh fruits, veggies and other goodies from their local farmers markets, and with a couple clicks of the mouse, the USDA National Farmers Market Directory makes the search easy.
While the directory holds obvious value for market customers, it is just as valuable to the farmers markets themselves. Getting listed in the directory is a great way to increase a market’s visibility. If your market is already listed, you can use the same link to make sure the information we have online is accurate and up-to-date.
In an age where smartphone applications and websites are created using datasets like the geocodes from our directory, having a listing in the directory can put your market information right at a customer’s fingertips.
Several application developers use our directory datasets in their farmers market apps. For example, Real Time Farms meshes our data with their own listings of farms and restaurants, painting a detailed picture of local farmers and farmers markets. We can’t wait to see what will be developed next!
Besides being a marketing tool that displays market locations, operating hours and products offered, the USDA National Farmers Market Directory is the go-to resource for decision makers, researchers and community planners. With over two million page views last year, the directory is used on a regular basis to better understand the size and scope of the farmers market sector.
Because the directory relies on self-reporting by the farmers market, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) tries to reach out to market managers at least once a year to get updated information. This year’s directory update is open to new and existing farmers markets through June 5th. Updates submitted during this month-long solicitation will be visible in the online directory by June 26th.
Markets with several locations should list each location separately. If market managers include an email address, we’ll send them a link to an easy update form when it’s time to update their information again next year.
Getting listed in the directory is very easy. Market managers should visit our site to start the simple process of adding their market to the directory, and in just a few minutes, they’ll be opening themselves up to a whole new world of potential customers.