Farmers markets get into full swing

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SCOTTSBLUFF - Nebraska produce is beginning to make its way from the fields to farmers markets from Omaha to Alliance.

The late summer weeks are the peak time for Nebraska farmers markets as fresh produce, such as tomatoes and sweet corn, ripens, said Lyndsy Mlady, promotion coordinator for the Nebraska Department of Agriculture.

Despite the rainy weather, Saturday's opening day of the Scottsbluff farmers market was well-attended, co-organizer Lynn Doering said.

Shoppers arrived early to snatch up produce, most of which had been plucked only hours earlier, Doering said.

She said the variety of products available at the markets had expanded over the years.

"We had beets, zucchini, onions, herbs, homemade lemonade, breakfast burritos, two Iris clubs, wood branch furniture, steppingstones, homemade jellies and fresh-baked bread," said Doering, noting that crafts also have been added to the mix.

With the growing popularity of the markets in the western part of the state, a number of local growers have started to forgo the haul to long-established markets in northern Colorado for spots closer to home.

Mark Fehringer, from just across the border at Peetz, Colo., had been a longtime vendor at the Sterling, Colo., market about 25 miles away. This year he intends to bring his organic meat and eggs to a Saturday market in nearby Sidney.

Mlady said most vendors in contact with her office operate very small farms and are simply looking to supplement their summer income by selling garden surplus.

According to the 2002 U.S. Department of Agriculture census, small farms are the fastest-growing category of farms in Nebraska. Greg Helmers, a University of Nebraska farm economist, has said very small operations now account for 20 percent of Nebraska's farms - up from 13 percent in 1997.

"A lot of people just like the idea of supporting the people in their communities," Mlady said. "They know exactly where that produce is coming from and how it's been grown. And it's fresh, too."