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The rise in popularity of farmers market has been a blessing for farmers and consumers likewise . allot to the U.S. Department of Agriculture , there were 7,175 Fannie Merritt Farmer market operate on throughout the country by mid-2011 , a 17 percent increase over 2010 . And the trend shows no sign of slowing down .
But the traditional farmers mart does have its disadvantages : It can be hard for farmers to estimate just how much produce to bring to the grocery ; changing season , bad weather , bad parking and at odds case can all cause low attending ; and produce that ’s picked for a farmers market but does n’t sell can go to permissive waste .
“ You ca n’t put alettuceleaf back on the works , ” enunciate Eric Wagoner . A web developer and farmer in Athens , Ga. , he immix his talent 10 years ago to create LocallyGrown.net , an online farmers market . The idea , he say , came from a give-and-take between local farmers who were design to start up a new market . The market needed a website , and Wagoner was nominated for the job .
The resulting site went far beyond plainly representing the chemical group ’s food market online . Instead , withLocallyGrown.net , Wagoner created a weapons platform that became a market in its own right — and solved many of the disadvantages of a traditional husbandman market at the same fourth dimension . “ This is taking an entire farmers market and sticking it online , ” he enounce .
Here ’s how it works : Once a week , granger post the item they have for sale . The market manager netmail customer once the items have been posted , remind them to browse the on-line market and lay their order by a certain Clarence Day and fourth dimension . Once that time has fleet , the food market director sends farmers an email with specifics about which items have sell , and the farmers go out and meet the garden truck and bear it to the market . The market manager assembles the customers ’ orders , and has them all ready to go at a pick - up location , where shoppers pay up and lead with their haul .
Farmers like the online grocery because it gives them a presence online , minimizes waste and is much more effective than spend all day at a booth in a traditional farmers market . For customers , it ’s commodious and allows for honest repast planning than point up at a market not have it away what you ’ll feel in the farmers ’ booths .
Not surprisingly , the online marketplace concept has really taken off . There are about 150 fully operational markets across the U.S. using Wagoner ’s software package , which he made available for franchising in 2007 — plus another 150 markets in various stages of found .
“ you’re able to really be up in about 10 minute , ” says Wagoner . “ I worked really grueling to make the back - remainder tools A-one simpleton . I ’ve fetch my sidereal day job and I ’ve bugger off my own household to run and my garden . I ca n’t spend 10 minute a calendar week track down my online market . ” He handles the hosting and tech backing for 3 percent of each market ’s sale .
But the popularity of these on-line markets is n’t just about the flexibility they pop the question , says Suzanne Geddes , securities industry handler atThe Cumming Harvest . It ’s also about variety — her marketplace offers everything from eggs and dairy mathematical product to granola and even infant solid food , along with basic like vegetables , dear and bread . And online market offer a solution to another problem with traditional farmers markets : They can well operate year round .
“ commonly , [ Farmer ] would have to hope that they make enough to sustain them through the winter , ” she says . “ This is another way for them to sell through the winter and make more income . ”
“ The natural selection is good , and the locating is just really convenient for people , ” Geddes pronounce . “ And they find great that they are buying from local farmers . ”
