National Farmers Market Survey

1. What is the timeline for the FM Survey? 

The launch of the survey will take place mid February, 2026 and will be active for a total of 5 weeks closing at the end of March, 2026. Participants can complete the survey at any point during the active period. The survey in online only and available in both English and Spanish. Throughout the month of April, the data will be compiled, and reportable data will be released in June and July via the NFMS webpage. 

2. Who is the team responsible for managing the 2026 NFMS? 

Michigan State University Extension is leading this effort in collaboration with the USDA Agricultural Marketing Services (AMS) and with representation from farmers market sector leaders. In addition, the farmers market sector leaders have assembled a 12-person Advisory Group from markets and market-supporting organizations across the country to provide input particularly around survey outreach and reporting results. More information on project team members can be found here. 

3. What kinds of questions and how many will be included on the survey? 

The survey has a total of 53 questions, but the actual number of questions that will be asked varies depending on the farmers market. The ideal respondent for the farmers market will be the market manager who is familiar with the 2025 farmers market season. The 53 questions are spread over nine categories, as: 

• • • • Section 1: Screening (4)
      • Section 2: Market Organization & Market Facilities (7)
      • Section 3: Market Operating Days and Seasons (8)
      • Section 4: Vendors & Products (15)
      • Section 5: Market Services & Training (3)
      • Section 6: Food Assistance and Market Activities (3)
      • Section 7: Market Governance and Personnel (5)
      • Section 8: Market Budget & Fees (5)
      • Section 9: Conclusion (3) 

The questions are specific to items that largely pertain to publicly accessible and verifiable information about the farmers market and do not require extensive research or preparation from the respondent. 

4. For the sake of this survey, how is farmers market defined? 

A farmers market is a designated, recurring location in which two or more vendors sell locally-produced items directly to shoppers.  At least one vendor must sell agricultural products (produce, meat/poultry, seafood, honey, plants, eggs, dairy, grain) that they grew, raised, or harvested. Farmers markets are coordinated by an individual, group, or organization/agency.

While some farmers markets operate in multiple locations under the same name, please answer this survey based on a single operating location. For additional market locations, you can choose to take the survey again for other locations.

5. What farmers markets should be taking the survey? 

The NFMS is open to all operating farmers markets in the United States and U.S. Territories.  We encourage all markets to participate, as a higher response rate will paint a better picture of the range of markets and their operations. Additionally, a smaller, geographically-representative sample of markets has been selected to participate as part of a sampling frame; these markets will receive a direct invitation. Sampling frames are very common in survey research where it is impossible to reach everyone in a given population.  Think of this as a subgroup of all farmers markets. By analyzing the data from those in the sampling frame separately, we will know we have a statistically representative sample to draw conclusions from. 

6. Who at my market should take this survey? 

It is intended for individuals with significant knowledge of the operations and management of the farmers market and who are authorized to represent it—typically the market manager. There may be instances where more than one individual work together to complete the survey. 

7. Can the person filling out the survey save their answers and go back to finish later? 

Yes. The online survey (via Qualtrics) will allow respondents to pause and return later, as well as change previous answers. 

8. How many National Farmers Market Surveys has the USDA done?

National Farmers Market surveys were conducted in 2000, 2006, 2013, 2014, and 2019, with the 2014 survey serving as a follow-up to the 2013 survey to capture rapidly changing trends. The USDA has conducted a total of five surveys since 2000 with response rates increasing over time. The 2026 survey will be the sixth. 

9. How is the USDA National Farmers Market Survey (NFMS) related to the USDA Local Foods Directory?  

The USDA maintains farmers market listings within their Local Foods Directories, but it is not designed to serve as the comprehensive list of all markets in the U.S. states and territories. The directory often misses both closed and new markets and lacks up-to-date contact info. Instead, the NFMS team compiled and verified a list of operating markets using multiple sources and web scraping. This list was the basis for a geographically-representative sampling frame used to select a randomized sample of farmers markets for this survey. While all markets are encouraged to take part in the survey, those in the sampling frame will receive direct invitations. 

10. How will the information gathered from this survey be used? 

The information gathered from this effort will be compiled and used to provide a clear, practical profile of farmers markets across the U.S. The survey is designed to gather key insights into how farmers markets operate, how they further access to local foods, and what services they provide that support agricultural producers and other farmers market vendors. This university-led project ensures that decisions about the future of local food systems are objective and derived from sound statistical methods The compiled findings will be shared with the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Services (AMS), organizations that support farmers markets, and with the public. These tabulations will help AMS develop and promote evidence-based policies around local food systems and farmers markets, affording AMS the ability to: 

• • • • Identify operational challenges and opportunities facing market managers. 
      • Track the evolution of the farmers market sector by allowing for comparisons with surveys from previous years. 
      • Inform legislators, community planners, and support organizations about current trends and emerging issues within the sector. 

Individual farmers market operators and managers can use these results for practical purposes right in their communities. The findings offer insights into the operations of other successful markets in their region as well as comparison to markets of their size or type, which helps managers refine their own marketing, operations, and grant applications.  

11. When will the results be released? 

We expect to have all the data tallied and reports of the findings available in the fall of 2026. 

12. How will the data be released? 

After the data has been collected and tallied, all reports and tables will be released using the NFMS webpage found at canr.msu.edu/national-farmers-market-management-survey. For additional inquiries, please use our Contact Us page or email us at farmersmarketsurvey@msu.edu. 

13. Will we be able to get state level data once the survey is complete? 

State-level compiled data (not raw data or individual responses) will be released for states that achieve at least a 15% response rate. As a result, it is possible that some states will have releasable data while others may not. 

The survey design aims to improve the likelihood of reporting at the state level by encouraging robust participation across all markets. When enough responses are received to confidently reflect a state's market landscape—without skewing the analysis—MSU will release those findings. 

State-level results will be published on the NFMS webpage. For additional data requests, users may contact farmersmarketsurvey@msu.edu as outlined on the site once results are available. 

14. Are territories being included in the survey? 

Yes. One of the key goals of the survey is to have a representative sample of farmers markets nationally, and this includes U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. The survey team has taken special care to identify markets in these territories. 

15. Who will have access to the raw data?   

Only the research team from Michigan State University Extension will have access to the raw data. USDA personnel, and farmers market sector representatives on the NFMS project team will not have access to raw data including individual responses.

16. What do participants get by completing the survey? 

By participating in the NFMS, markets are contributing to a nationwide project that will help to understand farmers markets. The data collected can be used at the state, regional, and national level to benchmark and compare farmers markets. This baseline data can help inform future needs and investments in farmers markets. For taking the time to complete the survey, the first 300 participants will receive a $10 incentive in the form of a VISA gift card.