Rockford’s Farm Market stands atop the nation

Cliff and Nancy Hill were volunteer campaign managers during the farm market contest. Using the tried and true “hunt and peck method,” Cliff laboriously inputs one of the 3,405 farm market contest votes collected Saturday mornings during the 13 weeks of the America’s Favorite Farmers Market contest. Rockford won with a total of 6,083 votes.

by Cliff and Nancy Hill

When the online polling site closed last Wednesday evening at midnight, the Rockford Farm Market found itself atop the leader board in all market size categories in the 2011 America’s Favorite Farmers Markets contest.

The online contest is an annual nationwide challenge, sponsored by the American Farmland Trust, a pro-agriculture organization with headquarters in Washington D.C.  More information and complete rankings across the country can be found at www.farmland.org .

With 6,083 votes, Rockford found itself in first place nationwide in the small market size category (16-30 vendors), followed by the Venice Farmers Market of Venice, FL some 475 votes behind.  Our little sister, the Manistique, MI farmers market (up in the U.P., eh) finished second nationwide, with 3,208 votes, in the boutique market category (2-15 vendors) to another Florida farm market in North Port, FL.

All Michiganders have much to be proud of with two small-town farm markets, strictly vending locally harvested and fresh from the field Michigan produce rising (as cream does) to top rankings.

The Rockford Farm Market has actually pulled off a trifecta in this contest. First, our Farm Market claims the prize as Michigan’s Favorite Farm Market.  Second, our Farm Market claims the prize as America’s Favorite Farm Market in the small market category.  And third, market categories aside, having polled higher vote totals than any market nationwide, our Farm Market has earned the right to claim it is truly, “America’s Favorite Farm Market”.

Each week the swell of media coverage of Rockford’s lead brought new visitors to Rockford and its Farm Market seeking to discover what all the “buzz” was about.  They loved the “charm” of our town and its “Pure Michigan” farm market and added to our vote totals at the market’s polling site. A big thanks to the readers of the Cedar Springs Post for your help in making Rockford America’s favorite farm market!