SustainFloyd is a local nonprofit working to support the environment, agriculture, renewable energy, and community well-being.  Under the leadership of this organization, Floyd Farmers Market has flourished in its mission to help develop a local food economy, growing over time to accommodate new vendors and more customers.
The Floyd Community Pavilion was custom built by SustainFloyd to house the Farmer’s Market.  Every Saturday from May to November, this open-air space, across from the iconic Floyd Country Store, has played host to farmers, bakers, millers, and more. The Market has been going strong for over ten years and will continue to provide locals and newcomers with the freshest food Floyd County has to offer.
In recent years, however, there has been an increase in demand for additional space to accommodate more vendors so that customers can find the produce they have come to love and rely on.  In response to this demand, and in keeping with the Farmers Market mission of bolstering the local food economy, 2021 will see an exciting expansion of the Market’s space and scope.
The adjacent Village Green, which is located immediately behind the Community Pavilion, will play host to craft vendors and other unique items on offer from local producers.  The live music which has served as the Market’s soundtrack in previous seasons will also move to the Village Green; a move which will give customers the space and time to safely gather and enjoy the local artists.
While this new space will add considerably to the number and variety of products available each Saturday, there will be even more growth to look forward to this year.
In the early months of 2020, grocery store shelves were bare, leaving many people looking to their local producers for access to staple products.  Though the mood and setting were different, though the live music was cancelled, and even though space was limited due to distancing requirements, the needs and means of meeting them remained the same.
By instituting social distancing guidelines and integrating online ordering, the Floyd Farmers Market grew to meet the need of its community.  Vendors stepped up each week to bring their products into the heart of Floyd for those consumers who needed them most.
With this experience in mind, SustainFloyd has come to see online sales as an important part of diversifying the local food economy for producers, improving access for consumers.  This year, the Floyd Farmers Market will launch its own, permanent, online marketplace where customers can see and pre-order from the broad range of products on offer week to week.
Pickup for products ordered online will take place on Thursday evenings under the Floyd Community Pavilion, alongside an experimental mid-week Floyd Farmers Market set up between 4:00 and 8:00 in the evening.  This will allow more shoppers to take home local goods, and it will offer yet another opportunity for visitors to take advantage of Floyd’s unique range of local products.  Perhaps most importantly, this second market day will give even more vendors the chance to bring their products directly to the consumer.
All these expansions are in service of the Floyd Farmers Market’s foundational goal: to develop a truly local food economy that simultaneously serves growers, consumers, and community health.  These steps are important, and SustainFloyd looks forward to having both community members and visitors join the journey of developing a strong local food system.
The expanded Market is not the only SustainFloyd project that visitors can look forward to in 2021.  This year, the annual Blue Ridge Eco Fair will move to a virtual format and will be airing on April 25.  To learn more about the Eco Fair and other SustainFloyd initiatives taking place throughout the year, visit online at sustainfloyd.org.
Details about the items available at the Floyd Farmers Market this season will be available online at floydfarmersmarket.org, with timely information and weekly updates.  After a year full of unexpected challenges, Floyd Farmers Market looks forward to returning bigger and stronger than ever in 2021.  Everyone involved is prepared to meet the needs of the community while still providing a unique experience that focuses on the agricultural, artistic, and forested products that Floyd County has to offer.  More than anything, the Floyd Farmers Market will continue to be a venue where food, freshness, and friends can safely come together.

Floyd Farmers Market • (540) 745-7333
205 S Locust St, Floyd, VA, US 24091
www.floydfarmersmarket.org
www.facebook.com/FloydFarmersMarket