Direct marketing of agricultural products is not a new phenomenon. It is the original, purest type of food distribution. As soon as the first city became a reality, there existed a market for agricultural produce at a place away from the production location. Personal selling by the grower gave way to a distribution network that evolved through…

How to eliminate the middle-man has become a question of considerable importance, especially within recent years, since 'the high cost of living' has attained so much prominence in street corner discussions and in the columns of the public press. So long as commodities are produced in one section of the country to be distributed among consumers in…

In a highly urbanized society, direct farm marketing provides a link between urban consumers and rural food producers that can be valuable in developing sustainable communities. Farmers, extension workers, and government officials look to direct marketing as a means of identifying alternative income sources, preserving small farms, strengthening…

Every 5 years, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) engages in a comprehensive study of the U.S. farm economy, known as the Census of Agriculture. The Census examines various facets of farm ownership, structure, and production and marketing practices. Beginning with the 1997 Census, NASS has collected specific information from…

Given the geography and agroclimatic conditions of the Southeast, coupled with continued population expansion from in-migration, local foods markets may be a promising niche market for some farms in the region. The Southeast has more small farms than any other U.S. region. Using farm-level data, we address the question of how successful…