A report from the Iowa Legislative Services Agency finds vendors sold millions of dollars worth of fresh produce at farmer’s markets around the state this year. This year there were 177 farmer’s markets in Iowa that were "authorized" by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and estimated sales at those locations were more than 20-million dollars.
The report indicates about 135,000 people were customers at Iowa farmer’s markets this past year. Iowa also ranks fifth among the 50 states for the number of farmer’s markets within our borders. And experts estimate Iowa farmer’s markets had a 30-million dollar economic impact on the state this year.