The number of farmers markets in the United States has increased 16 per cent from last year and 350pc from 1994, the first year the markets were counted, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
This "strong growth ... indicates that regional food systems can provide great economic, health and social benefits to communities across the country", Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in releasing the data.
Farmers markets "provide fresh, local products to communities (and offer) economic opportunities for many producers of all sizes," he said.
The data show that California has the most farmers markets with 580, followed by New York with 461, Illinois with 286, Michigan with 271, Iowa with 229, Massachusetts with 227, Ohio with 213, Wisconsin with 204, Pennsylvania with 203 and North Carolina with 182.
The data also show that there are 886 farmers markets open during the off-season, defined as November through March.
Information on farmers markets is available at www.farmersmarkets .usda.gov, where markets can be searched by state, county and zip code.
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