| Washington, D.C., May 6, 2010—American Farmland Trust (AFT) is getting ready for the second-annual contest for “America’s Favorite Farmers Markets.” This nationwide contest will give farmers market customers an opportunity to vote for their favorite markets and show support for their local food communities – while promoting the connection between fresh and local food and the local farms and farmland that supply it.
The 2010 America’s Favorite Farmers Market contest is open for new farmers markets to register! This year AFT is offering a host of new prizes for market managers and customers, more tools to get larger crowds out to support farmers markets, and will be making a bigger impact for local farms and food in America! Voting starts June 1st so get ready, get out and love your farmers market. Farmers Markets that are interested in participating can sign-up now at www.farmland.org/marketmanager.
When the 2010 America’s Favorite Farmers Markets contest kicks off on June 1, customers will be able to choose their favorite farmers markets online at www.farmland.org/vote. Voting will be open from June 1 until August 31, when winners will be announced. One large, medium, small, and boutique farmers market will win the title of America’s Favorite Farmers Market for 2010.
This year many new elements are sure to make the contest better than ever for farmers markets and their customers. New benefits for participating markets include access to the customizable, affordable and environmentally friendly printing services of, igreenprint, the official printing partner of the contest. As in last years contest, the winning markets will receive 500 No Farms No Food® totebags, along with other prizes including free printing services from igreenprint and free graphic design services from Virginia based design firm, SQN Communications. In addtition, there is a fourth new “boutique” category for markets that have 15 or fewer vendors.
Farmers markets provide a vital connection from urban and suburban areas to surrounding local farms, providing fresh and healthy food and an experience that cannot be matched anywhere else. Farms near metropolitan areas produce 91% of the nation’s market value of fruit, 78% of vegetables, and 67% of dairy products. At the same time, however, every year America is losing more than one million acres of productive land to development – most of it around cities where there is greatest demand for local food. The success of farmers markets is crucial to reversing this trend, ensuring that we will all have access to excellent food from local farms.
American Farmland Trust (AFT) is the leading national organization working with communities and individuals to save farmland, promote healthy farming practices and support a sustainable future for farms. The America’s Favorite Farmers Contest is a part of AFT’s No Farms No Food® campaign which is dedicated to bringing consumer support for farms up to the national level. The contest is a fun and engaging way for customers of farmers markets around the country to show their pride for their local farmers markets, and to directly support their local community.
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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 millions of acres of farmland from development and led the way for the adoption of conservation practices on millions more.
AFT’s national office is located in Washington, DC. Phone: 202-331-7300. For more information, visit www.farmland.org.
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