Editor, Gazette-Journal:

I was very pleased to see the article concerning the growth of farmers’ markets during the pandemic with eyes looking upward to the future in last week’s edition. Now more than ever the need for farmers’ markets is becoming more and more necessary to support local businesses, offer healthy alternatives, and provide leverage against big chain stores.

Many people have changed the ways in which they shop due to the pandemic, especially when the big chain stores either ran short of goods or increased the prices dramatically. Luckily, nature abhors a vacuum; so to meet demand, local farmers or even green-thumbed enthusiasts, began selling or increased selling their goods to satisfy demand.

This of course helps keep money in our local economy and strengthens the bonds of the community. Unlike produce that has to be trucked in from across the country or even across the world, farmers’ markets provide fresh, in season, and almost exclusively organic produce.
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