The Morenos sell their organic vegetables at a local farmers market in the Puyallup Valley in Washington State to connect to their community.
USDA Celebrates National Farmers Market Week
By Cassie Bable, FSA Public Affairs Specialist
Four Elements Farm in the Puyallup Valley in Washington State is a vendor at the Orting Valley Farmers Market every Friday in June, July and August.
Amy Moreno-Sills and Agustin Moreno started Four Elements Farm in 2014 after working for other farms, gaining valuable experience in the field. The couple met while working on a 200-acre organic farm in the Snoqualmie Valley. Amy, Agustin and their children, nine-year-old Gabriela and five-year-old Hector, grow 50 different varieties of organic vegetables on 16 acres.
This week, USDA is joining farmers, like the Moreno family, in celebrating National Farmers Market Week. Farmers markets give consumers access to locally grown and farm-fresh products, while giving farmers the platform to grow and connect with their customer base.
“Agustin grew up around agriculture and it’s something I got into after graduating college,” Amy said. “It’s a passion and a labor of love for me.”
The farmers market only accounts for a small percentage of their total sales, but it’s more about the opportunity for the Sills.
“We like to meet our customers and neighbors at the market and we get to involve the kids,” said Amy. “It’s a really nice small town market. We mostly do it for the connection to the people and the community.”
The Moreno family grows 50 different varieties of organic vegetables on 16 acres.
In addition to selling at the farmers market, Four Elements Farm has a u-pick blueberry patch of old varieties that were planted during World War II. They run a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program from June through October that brings customers directly to the farm. CSA programs allow consumers to purchase a share from the farmer and in return, the consumer receives fresh vegetables. Their products are also sold to wholesale markets, but they plan to grow their CSA and even out the wholesale and direct markets to 50/50.
“We want to serve our community and get to know them,” Amy said.
The Morenos have used programs and loans from the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to start and expand their operation. They have an FSA Microloan for operating expenses and used the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to build high tunnels. High tunnels help producers extend the growing season for high value crops in an environmentally safe manner.
“We wouldn’t be here without USDA,” Amy said. “We have benefited from the programs for new farmers.”
Celebrate National Farmers Market Week by visiting your local farmers market and supporting the farmers who supply fresh produce and products to your community. Use the National Farmers Market Directory to find a market near you: https://www.ams.usda.gov/local-food-directories/farmersmarkets. To date, there are nearly 8,700 markets in the USDA Farmers Market Directory.
