NASS comment on Local Foods Survey

Local Foods Survey Overlap with the AMS Farmer Market Questionnaire

Looking at the AMS questionnaire there appears to be some overlap with the upcoming NASS Local Foods Survey. It does appear that the AMS Farmers Market Questionnaire is driven to collect information from the people who run the farmers markets; while the NASS Local Foods Surveys is asking the farmers directly.

The first overlap that I see are the distance/mileage questions. What was the farthest that a farmer traveled to the market? What was the closest?

There is another cross over with what is sold at the market. In the local foods NASS asks the producers to list their crop sales, livestock sales, and processed/value added products in a table. There is also another table asking them the type of products that they sold locally. In the AMS survey there is a list for the farmer’s market managers to check off which items are sold at the farmers market. It should be noted that the NASS local foods survey is interested in more than just a farmers market for local food sales.

There are also questions on both surveys asking about certified organic. In the NASS Local Foods the farmers are asked if they are certified organic. In the AMS survey the farmer’s market managers are asked if there are any USDA certified organics producers selling at that specific farmer’s market.

The NASS Local Foods survey also asks in its farmer’s market section if the operation or the farmers market in which they sold their products, accepts SNAP or EBT benefits. There is a similar question in AMS farmer’s market manager’s survey asking which federal nutrition programs will the producers/vendors, at the farmer’s market participate in.

There is a question asking if there is “locally grown” fresh fruits and vegetables sold at the market (the main objection of the NASS local foods survey). They are asking about 2016 while the NASS local foods survey is collected for 2015.

AMS also asks a question “Are you familiar with the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service/Farmers Market and local food marketing program?” Not sure if this would be related to the NASS Local Foods Survey. (Not actually sure what this question is asking)

AMS also asks what the farmer’s market definition of local is. This is not something directly asked in local foods but might be related.

The Food HUB and the CSA questionnaires are a little more thorough in asking what is produced and sold at that particular operation. The question asked is to select the ones that apply. In the food hub questionnaire there is an additional table asking for specific products are they exclusively local, only local when available, both local and non-local, exclusively non-local. There are also mileage questions in these questionnaires too.

Finally I think it should be mentioned that in one of the website links that AMS provided it is called “Local Food Directories: National Farmers Market Directory”. The link is https://www.ams.usda.gov/local-food-directories/farmersmarkets. It appears that the main definition for them are locally grown products.