More than 250 farmers’ markets throughout the Commonwealth are open for business, offering a variety of fresh, locally-grown products.
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) encourages consumers to support their local economy and Virginia farmers by spending at least $10 per week on locally-grown agricultural products, which has the potential to invest an additional $1.65 billion back into the local economy each year, according to a Virginia Cooperative Extension study.
As an incentive to visit their local farmers’ market, VDACS is sponsoring a monthly customer loyalty program called Farm. Fresh. Pledge! From June through September, shoppers who track their local farmers’ market purchases with a Farm. Fresh. Pledge! punch card will have the chance to win a Virginia Grown/Virginia’s Finest™ prize pack valued at $100-$200. For every $10 spent, shoppers get a punch on their card.
After 14 slots are filled on the card, representing a total value of $140 spent at the market, shoppers hand it over to the market manager to be entered into the monthly drawing. Farm. Fresh. Pledge!punch cards and marketing materials are available at participating Virginia farmers’ markets.
VDACS maintains a directory of Virginia farmers’ markets on VirginiaGrown.com to help consumers find local markets. The web site allows users to search by region, zip code or product and find markets throughout most communities across the Commonwealth.
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