Agricenter International , Farmers Market

When I was little, my mom used to take my brother and me to the Agricenter Farmers Market once a week. It was such a neat thing, to be able to see fresh produce grown by local farmers. Meeting these hard-working men and women inspired me to keep a small garden in the back yard as a child, and I grew tomatoes, watermelon, and squash. As a college student, I've found myself returning to the farmers market. I've come to appreciate the fresh, healthul fruits and vegetables sold there. I've also come to realize that the lower costs are not only beneficial to me, but to the famers as well. By removing the middle-man (namely, grocery stores), farmers are able to sell directly to consumers, pocketing most, if not all, profits. This is in contrast to farmers dealing with grocery stores, in which case the stores increase the prices of the goods in order to make a profit themselves, while the farmers recieve less of the overall profit of the sale of their goods. The Agricenter Farmers Markets is extremely important to the community in Shelby County and the Mid-South region. It not only provides a means by which farmers can make a living, but it also allows consumers to develop relationships and communicate directly with farmers.