Sunshine in the spring means it is once again time for farmers markets and all the goodies that come with it. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the reopening of the USDA Farmers Market for its 25th market season in Washington, D.C. The annual Friday market will reopen on Friday, May 6, 2022, and run through Friday, Oct. 28, 2022.
Located outside the USDA Headquarters in Washington, the market serves as what the department calls its “living laboratory” for farmers market operations across the country. The USDA Farmers Market supports the local economy, increases marketing opportunities for farmers and small businesses, provides access to an assortment of local and regional sourced products, and increases access to healthy, affordable fresh food in D.C.’s Ward 2.
“The reopening of the USDA’s Farmer’s market for its 25th market season is an opportunity to celebrate the important role that farmers markets continue to play in meeting the growing demand for local fresh and healthy food produced by local farmers, ranchers and processors,” said Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Jewel Bronaugh.
The USDA Farmers Market promotes the incorporation of healthy fresh produce in consumers food choices through its unique educational style program, VegU. The commodity centered education program partners with USDA Research and Promotion Boards to market and promote the consumption of commodities through short educational sessions and in-market recipe demonstrations.
Since 1995, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service has operated the USDA Farmers Market. AMS works to improve marketing opportunities for producers across the country through the combination of research, technical assistance, and grants. The market will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays.
“The USDA Farmers Market provides an opportunity to highlight the agricultural diversity of the Chesapeake Bay region and serves as a showcase for the importance of creating more and better markets for local food and building community where we work and live,” said Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. “We are excited to welcome new vendors, as well as past favorites, to the reopening of our market.”
