The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research hosted a hearing on economic opportunities from local agricultural markets on Wednesday. Minnesota Farmers’ Market Association Executive Director Kathy Zeman was a witness during the hearing, calling for continued investment in farmers market programs on a federal level. “Local food sales and system capacity have grown in the last few decades. In Minnesota, we started out with 15 farmers markets in 1998. Last year, we grew to 302,” she says. “To help local food systems sustain their growth and serve their communities and help organizations build capacity, there’s a need for a strategic investment through federally funded programs.”
