re: farmer markets

In a brief article that I read today about some current food trends (America’s up-and-coming food capitals), the author mentions the increasing number of farmer markets in the U.S. -

"Between 2002 and 2006, there was a 40% increase in the number of markets nationwide, according to the market research group Packaged Facts. When last counted in 2006, there were 4,385 markets in the country, each of which exposes consumers to regional growers and purveyors."