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: Commissioner Danny Glidewell, Uriah Matthews, Sommer Adams, Heather Marshall
What Is an 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.
Read More From 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 in the early stages of exploration and planning, and this blog post will serve as the central hub for updates as the project unfolds. At this stage, we are focused on two immediate actions:
Gauging Interest: We invite all local producers, customers, and community members to complete the short survey attached to this blog post. Filling out the survey not only helps us understand interest and priorities—it also serves as your sign-up for email updates about this project.
Community Meeting: We will soon announce a public community meeting to discuss the project further and hear from you directly. Please check back on this blog for the official date and time, and be sure to bookmark this page so you don’t miss the announcement.
Your participation—whether through feedback or presence at the meeting—will help shape a food system that supports producers and strengthens access to local goods throughout Walton County.
Updates
Coming Soon
