Project: Wonderful Traveling Farmers Market
Introduction
The Wonderful Walton Economic Development Alliance, in partnership with local producers and community leaders, is evaluating the potential for creating an online farmers market to serve Walton County and its surrounding areas. This initiative builds on a recent field visit to the Red Hills Small Farm Alliance in the Tallahassee region, which operates a successful model of a digital marketplace for local farm goods. With the enthusiastic support of producers who joined the visit and our organization’s Chairman Danny Glidewell, we are now moving forward to explore how this concept can be adapted and implemented in our community.
From Left to Right: Red Hills Online Market Staff, Executive Director Uriah Matthews, District 2 Commissioner Danny Glidewell, Sommer Adams, Heather Marshall, Dave Underwood.
What Is a traveling Farmers Market?
An online farmers market is a centralized, digital platform where local producers list available goods—such as fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy, baked goods, plants, and more—each week for customers to purchase. Customers place orders through the website, and these are then packed and distributed through a combination of pickup sites and/or home delivery options.
This model serves as a modern solution for connecting producers with consumers in a way that supports local agriculture, increases access to fresh food, and fosters community collaboration.
You can read more directly from a local farmer attendee, Sommer Adams of Frost Lane Farms on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1P3DFtR5qg/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Vision for Walton County
The vision for Walton County’s version of an online farmers market is rooted in collaboration and accessibility. By encouraging cooperation among producers, the goal is to:
Support both large and small producers, including home bakers, gardeners, and livestock farmers
Provide consistent and convenient access to local food for residents year-round—not just on weekends
Create economic opportunities for local agricultural and food entrepreneurs
Encourage community resilience and food security
Importantly, this initiative does not intend to replace in-person farmers markets, but rather to supplement them and expand opportunities for both producers and customers.
Next Steps
We are continuing with our survey process in perpetuity. PLEASE if you have not yet completed, please do so now.
Completing these surveys gets you in the official communication loop for future communications
The surveys also provide key feedback to ensure we focus our attention appropriately
AND most importantly through the Customer Survey we are building our “customer list.” And as the program nears launch this is will be key. Today (July 25th, 2025) we have over 150 Customer Surveys. By building the Customer Survey response we also build the ability to attract producers to the program. Our goal is to acquire 1000 customer surveys within the next 30 days. Please help us by sharing on social media and amongst your friends and colleagues.
You will be hearing from our team in the next week or so via email communication to survey respondents regarding the formation of a steering committee that will bring this project to fruition. It’s important to note that not everyone can be a part of this stage of the project BUT you may be included in the decision-making process. We can see the Steering Committee utilizing the respondents of the surveys as a feedback mechanism as they move forward.
Please sign-up for future communications by completing one or both of the surveys above.
Thank you!
Updates
December 2025 – Steering Committee Launched to Design Walton’s Online Farmers Market
The Wonderful Walton Economic Development Alliance has officially launched the Producer-Led Steering Committee that will guide the development of Walton County’s first Online Farmers Market and supporting farm-to-table hub network. This milestone marks a key step forward in our efforts to build a modern, producer-driven local food system.
Over the past several months, local farmers, cottage food producers, and consumers have provided valuable input through surveys, community meetings, and direct outreach. Thanks to that strong engagement, we are now moving into the design phase.
What’s Happening Now
The newly formed Steering Committee is working to shape the structure of:
The Wonderful Online Farmers Market
A network of regional pickup and delivery hubs
A coordinated farm-tour program supporting ecotourism
The future agricultural marketing cooperative
This group will lead development of vendor standards, membership models, distribution strategies, and the first draft business plan for the market.
Steering Committee: Purpose & Makeup
Purpose:
To design the operational framework of the market—including cooperative structure, online system management, vendor eligibility, and delivery coordination.
Who We’re Seeking:
A mix of local producers (small to large, across all product types) and community members who regularly purchase local food and want to contribute to a stronger regional food system.
Commitment (short-term):
1–2 focused meetings each week
Light review of draft materials between meetings
Support the development of the cooperative framework by December 31, 2025
Why Your Participation Matters
Every producer and customer who engages helps shape a reliable, year-round local food marketplace. We’ve already surpassed 150 customer survey responses, with a next goal of 1,000+, a key milestone for ensuring sustainability and attracting producer participation.
How to Participate
👉 Apply to Join the Steering Committee
Tell us you're interested and share a few basics about your operation.
👉 Join the Producer List
Stay informed with updates and future working group opportunities.
What Comes Next
Near-term deliverables:
Draft business plan
Draft bylaws and cooperative operating guidelines
Online market schedule and distribution model
Pickup and delivery framework
Onboarding and participation standards for producers
Public update:
We’ll share the initial market framework once the committee completes its first sprint.
Questions?
📩 Contact: Dave Underwood, Wonderful Walton EDA
📧 dave@wonderfulwalton.com
October 2025 - Forming a Producer-Led Steering Committee
In July 2025, the Wonderful Walton Economic Development Alliance met with local farmers and consumers to gauge interest in three complementary efforts:
A marketing cooperative
A centralized online farmers market
A distribution system that supports reliable, areawide access
What’s Happening Now
We’re re-establishing direct communication with everyone who participated in the July meeting and inviting additional producers to get involved.
Our next step is to form a producer steering committee to define the path forward — with the goal of formally establishing the cooperative’s organizational framework by December 31, 2025.
Steering Committee: Purpose & Makeup
Purpose:
The committee will draft the initial mission, membership model, vendor standards, online market operations, and distribution approach.
Who We’re Seeking:
A representative mix of producers by size, product type, and geography — including growers, ranchers, value-added makers, and home-based cottage food businesses.
Commitment (short-term):
2–3 focused meetings over the next 6 weeks
Virtual or in-person (~60 minutes each)
Light review of draft documents between meetings
Timeline:
Committee seated by end of October
Begin meetings immediately
Support cooperative formation by December 31, 2025
How to Participate
👉 Apply to Join the Steering Committee
Tell us you’re in and share a few basics about your operation.
👉 Join the Producer List
If you can’t serve right now, sign up for email updates and future working group opportunities.
What Comes Next
Near-term deliverables:
Draft business plan
Draft bylaws and operating guidelines
Preliminary pricing structure
Online market cadence
Pickup and delivery framework
Onboarding standards for participants
Public update:
We’ll post a progress report and the initial framework once the steering committee completes its first sprint.
Questions?
📩 Contact: Dave Underwood, Wonderful Walton EDA
📧 dave@wonderfulwalton.com
July 25th, 2025 - We had a successful Community Meeting on July 22nd that was attending by over 40 members of the community. Presenters included Sommer Adams of Frost Lane Farms and from the Wonderful Walton Economic Development Alliance Dave Underwood and Uriah Matthews. The presentation included;
an overview of the WWEDA,
an explanation of our focus on agriculture as part of our strategic plan
why we focused on sales and customers
our study of Red Hills Online Market
the business model
next steps on the project
formation of a committee
continue to spread the word! Share this post!
encourage survey completion
We want to stress at this point survey completion is the single most important aspect of this project at this point. It serves a couple of purposes;
Gathers important feedback from producers AND consumers
Enters all interested parties into the communication stream
And most importantly build the potential customer list that will the key value of this program at launch
Thank you all for participating in this really great project! Let’s get to 1,000 surveys from consumers!
July 15th, 2025 - We’re holding a public meeting on Tuesday, July 22nd from 5:30–6:30 PM at the Hall of Brotherhood in DeFuniak Springs to share project updates and gather community feedback on the Wonderful Traveling Farmer’s Market.
RSVPs are required to attend.
Learn more and reserve your spot here:
👉 Read the Public Meeting Announcement
