The Nexus for Tourism and Sustainable Agriculture: Adams County Farmers Market

By Christopher Trilleras

Members of Environmental journalism class at Gettysburg College had the opportunity to interact with the Adams County Farmers Market, a local sustainable marketplace, on Saturday, Sept. 11. Students were able to witness consumers obtaining nutritious food while also observing the vibrant relationship between agriculture and the community. 

The farmers market was high-spirited that Saturday morning. A local band provided an electric atmosphere with music performances from different artists ranging from califronatication by Red Hot Chili Peppers to wagon wheel by Daniel Rucker.

“Good music, good food, good times” stated Christopher Oechler, a professor from the Spanish department in Gettysburg who comes frequently to farmers markets on the weekends. The farmers market has benefited him by providing him with more fresh and organic food that is more affordable than supermarkets such as whole foods. Ocehler states, “I really enjoy the social aspect of the farmers market and seeing students outside of class. It is a nice atmosphere here, especially with the band playing the red hot chili peppers!” In regard to building a relationship with a local vendor, Professor Oechler is close friends with the farmer who sells him lettuce and they frequently converse. 

Angela Sontheimer, an alumni from Gettysburg college, holds shop for her pasta business called Pappardelles. She offers flavorful pasta dough, gourmet pasta, ravioli, gnocchi and other products at her stand. She comments on the environmental conscious behavior of farmers markets by stating, “The local interaction with the vendors is informative to the consumers because they are able to see where the food comes and how it is made. It creates environmental awareness while also building friendly relationships!”

Angela Sontheimer working with a customer 

Tanyia Weikert, a vendor that owns family runned Weikert’s egg farm,  also comments on the sustainable practices from her farm. The farm’s beef cattle are fed an all natural grass based diet without any special feed additives to speed up the animals’ growth. There are no hormones, antibiotics, or any other artificial substances used to enhance growth. Also, the crops grown on the farm to feed the cattle are grown without the aid of chemicals such as insecticides or herbicides. They use all non-GMO seeds to grow the crops.

The chicken on the farms do not live in cages, unlike large industrial plants. Instead they roam free in the rooms of the hen house where they enjoy natural sunlight and a diet of corn, soybean, alfalfa meal, vitamins and minerals.

WEIKERT states , “What we enjoy most about the farmers market is the consumer relations that are built and how customers are able to learn about how organic and naturally raised our livestock is.” The farm has been in the family since 1834. Eight generations of Weikert family have worked there.

Tanyia Weikert with her son

Economic and Environmental value of Farmers Market

From an environmental justice standpoint, Adams County farmers market provides affordability and accessibility to different communities. Produce is sold seasonal and created by sustainable practices that construct healthy food alternatives. The locality of the market has attracted several new vendors and customers which has helped fuel the local economy.

Consumer social interactions, such as enjoying the market atmosphere, communicating with farmers about seasonal products and having family present, positively influence market spending and sustainable practices of the producers. Due to direct farmer/consumer relations, vendors are more inclined to reduce chemical inputs to meet customer demands (Hunt 2007). This indicates that customer interaction can influence the economic and environmental sustainability of local agriculture.  

During the pandemic, according to market director Reza Djalal, the market has increased sales by 42% and in 2021 it has increased by 50%. There is an opportunity for growth and far more reach to the community that could benefit food insecure individuals. For new businesses, the farmers market is often viewed as a starting point for attracting more customers to ultimately transition to owning their own location. Studies also show that farmers’ markets are important contributors to local economies. They permit entrepreneurs and families to contribute to the economic life of local communities by supplying goods and services that are not readily available through mass markets and they also bring producer and consumer together to solidify bonds of local identity(Lyson et al., 1995).

The Farmers market has been running for 10-11 years and is a non profit. Shopping locally from Gettysburg helps serve the community and prevents things such as diabetes and from a health perspective it is an investment due to all the organic, fresh, natural food. As the market continues to grow in sales there is more awareness and helps serve a variety of people in the food gap. Due to increase in the market size, popularity, and being in commercial property, the Adams county farmers market plans on transferring to a different location. This opportunity for growth can prove to be effective by moving to an area that encompasses more capacity for local customers. 

Adams County Farmers Market invokes two main industries: Tourism and Agriculture. The food, crops, and local products come from locations 80 miles or less which helps keep produce fresh and nutritious, without preservatives. This being the case, the market is faced with a considerable opportunity as they chose their next location. Being a vibrant social hub, the marketplace offers local residents an opportunity to connect with the producers of their food and learn about the sustainable process that the food undergoes. Next is figuring ways to improve and increase community access, as well as retain their current clients as they move to a different location.

Citations:

Hunt, A. R. 2007. Consumer interactions and influences on farmers’ market vendors. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, 22(1), 54–66.

Lyson, T. A., Gillespie, G. W., & Hilchey, D. 1995. Farmers’ markets and the local community: Bridging the formal and informal economy. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture, 10(3), 108–113.

This story was updated on October 7, 2021. The primary changes include:

• Added citations
• Provided Subsections
• Fixed the grammar errors
• Took out certain sentences to make the story flow better
• Added studies to enforce the idea of how consumer and producer relations positively influence the community and agriculture practices