Farmers' markets producing high yields

The Missouri Department of Agriculture reports 140 farmers markets across the state, up from 97 in 2004. The department says the reason is consumers’ increased awareness of the origins of their food and a desire to know more about how their food is produced.

“Often what you find when purchasing supermarket products is that the majority of your dollars spent goes into shipping and production costs of produce,” said Lane McConnell, MDA farmers’ market specialist, in a news release. “At your local farmers’ market, you are buying directly from the farmers; therefore, what you see is what you get.”

Southwest Missouri is no exception. Greater Springfield Farmers’ Market spokesman Henry Beersman said the market has 90 vendors this year, despite competition from a second market in Springfield on Commercial Street, a new market in Willard and talk of another starting in Republic.

The Greater Springfield Farmers’ Market sets up shop in the Battlefield Mall parking lot, 2825 S. Glenstone Ave., on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from April through November.

“Once people go to a small market, and find out what they can buy fresh, they want to go to a larger market with more variety,” Beersman said. “The more small markets there are, the better we do – we’re about to grow out of our space.”

As in years past, a key issue for the market is the weather and its effects on crops.

Rainfall at double the average has wreaked havoc on certain crops and helped others.

“We do have blueberries starting to come on the market, and we’ll have a few black raspberries, though this weather has really been tough on them,” Beersman said. “Then the blackberries should be ready before long. The peach growers say they have a bumper crop; last year, they didn’t have any. So we’re hoping for a good year. It just has to stop raining – but not completely.”