Columbia, MO (March 16, 2023) - Columbia Farmers Market kicks off its 43rd season on Saturday, April 1st, from 8 am-12 pm, located at Columbia’s Agriculture Park (1769 West Ash Street).  The Market transitions to its spring hours, 8 am-12 pm, on April 1, welcoming many returning and new vendors, bringing fresh produce, meat, farm-fresh eggs, cheeses, honey, cut flowers, plants, artisan items, and more. Live music from Tex Carroll.  Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture will be offering free kids' activities.

To celebrate the Kickoff, Columbia Parks and Recreation, along with the City of Columbia’s TreeKeepers volunteer group, the City’s Tree Board, Columbia Farmers Market and University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry, the annual Arbor Day tree giveaway will take place, alongside the Market. The giveaway will start at 8 a.m. and lasts until seedlings are gone. The giveaway table will be located near the east entrance of the Market.

Columbia Farmers Market, a not-for-profit, is a year-round producer-only farmers market in Columbia, Missouri. As a producer-only market, everything sold is grown or made by the farmers and artisans who help sustain our mid-Missouri region. Open since 1980, the Market is the largest in mid-Missouri with over 80 vendors who provide a diverse offering of locally grown agricultural and artisan products from within 50 miles of Columbia. In 2022, the market saw the best year in its 42 years of being open, breaking all records. It was voted as the #2 Farmers Market in the Nation, and #1 in Missouri, by American Farmland Trust. It had the highest number of customers ever visiting the market, with over 196,000 shoppers in 2022. The vendors sold over $3,700,000 in locally grown and produced items in 2022, a 12% increase from 2021. CFM dispensed $111,940 in food incentives funds, such as SNAP/WIC matching and a Produce Prescription Program, and another $59,521in SNAP funds. For more information about the success of CFM in 2022, view its annual report.

The market offers a unique gathering space for the mid-Missouri community, where people come together to shop with their local producers, connect with their neighbors, learn about local agriculture, and eat delicious, nutritious food!  Columbia Farmers Market strives to be an accessible, inclusive resource where our next generation of producers can utilize our programming and the expertise of our other members. As one customer stated, “I have lived in several places, and CFM is the most innovative and largest market I’ve patronized. Kudos to the team. Especially appreciate the tokens - more $ in farmers’ pockets is a good thing!”