Champaign County, Ohio Farmers Market Voted America's Favorite

American Farmland Trust (AFT) along with hundreds of voters has just crowned the Champaign County Farmers’ Market as one of America’s four favorite farmers markets. The award is the culmination of AFT’s summer long “America’s Favorite Farmers Markets™” contest. It represents the integral role that the Champaign County Farmers’ Market plays in its community and the avid support demonstrated by the dedicated customers it has generated in its 22 years of operations.
Here is what one Champaign County Farmers’ Market customer had to say:

“This market has the friendliest vendors, the best homemade and home grown products, and the lowest prices of any market I have ever been to. It is SUPER!!! They are doing such a great job in getting the right programs in place to help the less fortunate and those who don't have access to healthy selections, and to accommodate those who need assistance. What a great asset for the community!”

In its second year, the AFT contest registered over 60,000 votes in support of local farmers markets across the nation and featured nearly 1,300 participating farmers markets. The Champaign County Farmers’ Market registered 3,265 of these votes and won in the small market category.

Champaign County Farmers’ Market will receive a shipment of No Farms No Food® tote bags, along with other prizes including free printing services from igreenprint and free graphic design services from Virginia based design firm, SQN Communications. The totebags will be distributed at an event open to the press and public on October 9, 2010, beginning at 9:00 a.m., with remarks at 10:00 a.m., at the farmers market at:
E Market St & S Locust St, Urbana, Ohio. Go to champaigncountyfarmersmarket.com for more information.

Along with the Champaign County Farmers’ Market, the Falls Church Farmers Market in Virginia took home the medium market prize, King George Farmers Market in Virginia, the boutique, and the Rochester Public Market in New York the large category. Farmers markets represent one of the great ways that consumers can support their local farmers, farmland, communities and regional economies.

Many barriers stand in the way of scaling up local farm production to meet the burgeoning demand for local food. AFT is working to support policies and programs to protect farmland, reduce barriers between farmers and consumers, and encourage communities to plan for agriculture and regional food systems.

Find out more about American Farmland Trust’s Growing Local Campaign:
www.farmland.org/local .