More and more farmers are diversifying their crop mix and growing vegetables. This allows them to avoid the price volatility of corn and soybeans. Last week, the Des Moines Register published an article showcasing crop farmers who had decided to diversify. "During the Agriculture Department’s census released in 2012, the federal government estimated that more than 47,000 Iowa farms had corn and 41,000 had soybeans. Together, the two commodities were grown on 23 million acres. By comparison, 962 farms raised vegetables spread across 7,700 acres, and even fewer produced fruits, according to the most recent data for the specialty crops." Read more  here: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/agriculture/2016/08/19/iowa-farmers-planting-fruits-vegetables-over-corn-soybeans/88569432/ [...]

An increasing number of studies highlight the positive economic impact of buying directly from farmers. To close off National Farmers Market week, we'd like to introduce a recent study that once again proves the benefits of keeping land in healthy agricultural production. *** As a past board member at the Davis farmers market, Shermain Hardesty knows that people who buy fruits and vegetables directly from producers show up week after week and voice support for local businesses. Now, the UC Davis agricultural economics professor Shermain Hardesty just released a study that shows a dollar of sales for a direct-market fruit or [...]