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The importance of farmers' markets for West Virginia direct marketers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2007

Cheryl Brown ,
Stacy M. Miller ,
Deborah A. Boone ,
Harry N. Boone Jr ,
Stacy A. Gartin  and
Thomas R. McConnell
Cheryl Brown*
Affiliation:
Agricultural and Resource Economics Program, West Virginia University Extension Service, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.
Stacy M. Miller
Affiliation:
Agricultural and Environmental Education Program, West Virginia University Extension Service, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.
Deborah A. Boone
Affiliation:
Agricultural and Environmental Education Program, West Virginia University Extension Service, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.
Harry N. Boone Jr
Affiliation:
Agricultural and Environmental Education Program, West Virginia University Extension Service, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.
Stacy A. Gartin
Affiliation:
Agricultural and Environmental Education Program, West Virginia University Extension Service, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.
Thomas R. McConnell
Affiliation:
Agriculture and Natural Resources, West Virginia University Extension Service, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.
*
*Corresponding author: Cheryl.brown@mail.wvu.edu
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Abstract

In the winter of 2004–2005, over 300 of West Virginia's farmers' market vendors were surveyed with regard to sales levels, promotional techniques and operational characteristics such as hours worked, types of products produced and length of season. Vendors were categorized based on part-time, full-time or retired status, and full-time farmers, both with and without off-farm jobs, were found to be distinct from part-time and retired vendors with respect to 2004 total farmers' market sales and the percentage of household income from farmers' markets. Econometric analysis [ordinary least squares (OLS)] was performed to identify the impact of explanatory variables on total farmers' market sales, percentage of household income from farmers' market sales and amount of household income from farmers' market sales. Independent variables such as bargaining, cost-plus pricing, selling at markets outside West Virginia and providing print materials were found to have a positive impact on annual sales. The number of products produced, distance traveled to market and number of weeks at market were also positively related to the percentage of income obtained from farmers' market sales. Both part-time and retired producers received a lower percentage of household income from farmers' markets relative to full-time producers. Retired and part-time, along with limited-resource vendors (with annual household income less than $20,000) were also found to have lower total sales in the 2004 season. Identifying the characteristics associated with greater farmers' market sales and a higher reliance on such sales for household income will help in the sustained success of markets as engines of economic development and small farm viability.

Keywords

direct marketingfarmers' marketsales levelsfarm incomepromotional methods
Type
Research Article
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 22 , Issue 1 , March 2007 , pp. 20 - 29
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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