Accessing Markets for Stewardship Farms

In 2006, Farming & the Environment (F&E) launched its Access to Market programs, generating new direct sales for Washington State Stewardship Farmers whose growing practices are working to protect our environment.  These Access-to-Market programs for stewardship farmers focused on high volume sales to local grocery stores, high profit sales through the F&E managed Des Moines Waterfront Farmers Market, and greater time, fuel, and cost efficiency through the creation of the Okanogan Producers Marketing Association, a farmer-owned cooperative in the most economically challenged county in our state.

Through all these program areas, we worked to educate consumers about sustainable farming and the importance of supporting your local farmer.  We accomplished this by sharing the farmer's story of stewardship through dozens of point-of-sale story boards in local grocery stores and vendor's farmers market stalls, four direct mailers from Penhollow Markets to over 100,000 households in the Puget Sound region, and periodic e-newsletters to farmers market shoppers and constituents across the state increasing by threefold the number of monthly unique hits to our website.

Download our 2006 Annual Report to learn more.

Also available, 2005 Annual Report - A Year of Renewal