2024 was a record year for farmers markets in Delaware.
The Delaware Department of Agriculture says last year’s farmers markets broke the sales record set in 2023 - ringing up sales of almost $4.46 million.
That eclipsed the 2023 total by over $314,000.
There were 20 Delaware community-run farmers markets last year, run locally by municipalities, business groups, farmers or market associations in all three counties with support from the Department of Agriculture.
"In Delaware, we have farmers markets in big cities and little towns, and everything in between, said Ag Department Marketing Specialist Kathy Jackson. “This year, we had new markets opened in all three counties and all of them were successful."
Jackson notes shopping at a farmers market means you're shopping locally. They’re outdoors, some have entertainment, and you might run into neighbors and friends there.
Fresh produce - fruits and vegetables - accounted for 45% of last year’s sales. The rest came from meats, cheese, eggs, jellies, breads, salsa, honey, prepared foods, and craft items.
Jackson says the record breaking numbers are even more impressive considering the weather issues farmers dealt with last year.
"It wasn't a great year for weather. It was very hot. There were a lot of market days that were very, very, very hot and farmers had some challenges with growing things in the hot weather, and we still managed to pull off another record breaking year. So I was impressed with our state farmers," said Jackson.
For those looking forward to the 2025 farmers markets season, that starts in May with most markets open by the end of June.
