Utah Farmers Markets as Impactful Community Infrastructure
Agricultural Economics & Community Development
Steven Price
Extension Associate Professor
USU Extension
Price
Abstract
Farmers markets are increasingly being recognized as essential community health assets that improve nutrition access, support local economies, and foster social connection (Warsaw et al., 2021). Communicating positive impacts informs stakeholders’ support of markets having a place in healthy communities. Being that data on Utah’s farmer markets across the state has been limited, Utah Farmers Market Network partnered with Utah State University Extension, with expertise in assessment design and implementation, to identify impacts using standardized data collection. Methods included customer surveys, customer counts, and end-of-season market manager surveys to measure the purchasing behaviors and preferences of customers as well as vendor’s business and market size and scope. Over three years, we collected more than 22,700 customer responses and over 120 market manager responses at nine farmers markets across rural, suburban, and urban communities. Significant positive impacts were identified through both qualitative and quantitative analyses of consumer behavior, access to fresh produce, and vendor enterprise profitability. For example, customers redirected approximately 20% of their weekly grocery budgets to local farmers, the majority spending a reported $26 to $50 per visit. Customer motivations to visit the market were varied but to “look around” and “to buy produce” were the top reasons for visiting. Qualitative assessments added in 2025 further indicated that “community or local cohesion or support” was the leading customer value of the market (20%). “Supporting local vendors/businesses and local economies” were also commonly given (17%). When taken together, food and produce access values also were a major response category (26%). Customer age skewed younger, with over 63% of respondents being under 39. 45.8% of customer respondents also estimated they travelled less than five miles to the market suggesting that market impact reach is highly local. Our three years of data taken together indicate that Utah farmers markets are positively impacting community social welfare, healthy habits, and economics where they operate.
Citations:
Warsaw, P., Archambault, S., He, A., & Miller, S. (2021). The economic, social, and environmental impacts of farmers markets: Recent evidence from the US. Sustainability, 13(6), 3423. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063423
Authors: Steven Price, Jaclyn Pace, Roslynn G.H. Brain McCann
-
Steven Price Extension Associate Professor, Utah State University Extension - Carbon Co., Utah, 84501
-
Jaclyn Pace UFMN Director, Utah Farmers Market Network/Utah State University Extension, Utah, 84737
-
Roslynn G.H. Brain McCann Sustainable Communities Extension Specialist/Professor, Utah State University Extension, Utah, 84532