RD389 - Report on the Results of the 2017 Farmers’ Markets Survey


Executive Summary:

As required by Item 91 of the 2017 Appropriation Act, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) surveyed farmers’ markets throughout the Commonwealth to determine if any local regulations governing the operations of such markets discourage the sale of Virginia products by the use of a locally-grown perimeter rule that gives preference to out-of-state products over products grown in Virginia. VDACS distributed a brief, eight-question questionnaire via email to markets that have submitted a listing on the Virginia Grown website. Respondents provided information about their rules and by-laws pertaining to questions of vendor eligibility. The information gleaned from the respondents’ answers indicate that farmers’ markets in the Commonwealth make concerted efforts to sell products that are produced in Virginia.