Go to market and grow Iowa

By The Gazette Editorial Board

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Six years ago, the Downtown Farmers Market debuted in Cedar Rapids with 40-plus vendors on four Saturday mornings. It's grown rapidly in size and popularity, averaging 10,000 people last year with 200 vendors and sales of $1.3 million. It's become one of the Midwest's largest such events.

This is not your father's farmers market. Culled from a long waiting list, 219 vendors - all from Iowa - will offer a variety of items including and beyond produce, meats and baked goods.

The Cedar Rapids Downtown District also has added interactive cooking demonstrations, main stage musical acts, street entertainers and family activities. Non-profit agencies have information booths in Greene Square Park. A new recycling program will be introduced at the season's kickoff event on Saturday. After the market closes at noon, a diversity celebration will begin at 1 p.m. in the park, with music, food, more vendors and live entertainment.

The market's success is also another sign of the growing interest in locally produced products, including the local food movement, in Iowa. Farmers markets are one of the major outlets, and the number has increased 75 percent over the past 15 years. Iowa ranks No. 2 in the nation in markets per capita - a total of 223 with an economic contribution of more than $70 million, according to a 2009 state study. Indications are that the numbers only grew in 2010.

And the momentum continues to build in Eastern Iowa. The year-round NewBo City Market on Cedar Rapids' southeast side has picked up strong local backing and is expected to open next spring. In Linn and Johnson counties alone, at least 19 farmers markets are operating this season.

Going to farmers markets re-connects us with our agricultural and small-town heritage. It's about finding and learning about great local products and services, interacting with neighbors, making new friends, and strengthening and diversifying our local economies. It's about fun.

Go to market and enjoy.

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