Your local
farmers’ market may be one of the contestants in the 2011 America’s
Favorite Farmers Markets contest hosted each year by American Farmland Trust.
American
Farmland Trust (AFT) has opened the voting to select “America’s
Favorite Farmers Markets” at the organization’s website. The
rally the most support from their communities. At the end of the contest on
August 31, one large, medium, small and boutique-sized farmers’ market will win
the title of “America’s
Favorite Farmers Market” for 2011. Winners will be featured on Epicurious.com,
the most award-winning foodsite, and will be honored at local celebrations
where they will receive prize packages from American Farmland Trust and its
partners.
Farmers’ markets
are a vital link between local farms and their supporting communities,
providing fresh and healthy food and an experience that cannot be matched
anywhere else. By partnering with farmers’ market managers, American Farmland
Trust is encouraging consumers to consider the importance of farmland and to
support local farmers. Market shoppers can cast their vote in support of their
region’s farmers, community and market. To vote for a favorite local market,simply go to the website.
“The America’s
Favorite Farmers Markets contest is a fun and engaging way for farmers’ market
shoppers to show their pride for their local farmers’ markets and to directly
support their communities,” says Jon Scholl, president of American Farmland
Trust. “Farmers’ markets provide a vital connection from town and city centers
to surrounding local farms, supplying fresh and healthy food and an experience
that cannot be matched anywhere else.”
The America’s
Favorite Farmers Contest is a part of American Farmland Trust’s No Farms No
Food® campaign, which raises awareness of the dangers of farmland loss by
making connections to food. Farms near metropolitan areas produce 91 percent of
the nation’s market value of fruit, 78 percent of vegetables, and 67 percent of
dairy products.
American
Farmland Trust is the nation’s leading conservation organization dedicated to
saving America’s
farm and ranch land, promoting environmentally sound farming practices and
supporting a sustainable future for farms. Since its founding in 1980 by a
group of farmers and citizens concerned about the rapid loss of farmland to
development, AFT has helped save more than 3 million of acres of farmland and
led the way for the adoption of conservation practices on millions more.
AFT’s national
office is located in Washington,
D.C. For more information, visit
American Farmland Trust’s website or call 202-331-7300.
