Farmers till locally grown food market

South county farmers say more opportunities to sell directly to consumers would help them cash in on popularity of home-grown produce

‘‘Buying local and fresh, and meeting the people who are producing food, is a neat thing,” said Andy Turner, a Croom farmer who sells regularly at two markets in the county, and is expanding soon to a third. ‘‘I think they’re here to stay, and I think they’ll continue to grow.”

But some markets, like the Southern Maryland Regional Farmers Market in Cheltenham, have struggled, which farmers said speaks to the challenge of setting up and maintaining markets.

‘‘We used to fill this market up, but it’s fallen off in the last three or four years,” said Frederick Walzel, a Fort Washington farmer who helps organize and sometimes sells at the Cheltenham location.

The Cheltenham market, located on Route 301, includes a wholesale auction and a section for retail sales.

Most of the county’s farmers markets are in densely populated areas, including Bowie, College Park, Beltsville, Hyattsville, Laurel and Riverdale. Markets generally open one day a week starting in May or June and run until October, with local farmers paying a fee to set up and sell their produce.

National Harbor’s market, called American Market, opened in May at the massive, upscale development on the Potomac River. Vendors include not just farmers, but also people who sell crafts, fashion accessories and gourmet foods to tourists and residents.

An Amish market that opened in March on Brown Station Road in Upper Marlboro includes about a dozen vendors from Lancaster County, Pa., who sell produce along with meats, baked goods, candy and crafts.

While both venues offer the farmers market experience to consumers, they are a mixed opportunity for area farmers.

The Amish market is good for consumers, but because its vendors are from out of state, it ‘‘doesn’t do anything for the local farmers,” said Yates Clagett, who oversees agricultural issues for the county’s Soil Conservation District office.

Michael Quattrociocchi, a Brandywine resident who grows crops and produces honey on about two acres, said he and his wife considered selling their produce at National Harbor’s market, but decided against it because of the cost.

He felt that it would have been difficult to make up the $40 required to rent space there for one Saturday and the cost of gas associated with making the 30-mile round trip.

Quattrociocchi, who started farming three years ago after retiring, said finding the best way of getting his produce to consumers ‘‘has been a problem with us.”

He said that this season he is going to use a farmers market in St. Mary’s County, and possibly one in Bowie.

Even though Upper Marlboro recently got the Amish market, Clagett said he thinks that area could support another market that connects local farmers and local buyers.

A potential problem to bringing another market to southern Prince George’s County is whether there are enough local farms to support one, farmers said.

‘‘I guess the dilemma I see is that there’s not much farming taking place in this part of Prince George’s County anyway,” Walzel said.

Turner, who grows produce each year on about 25 acres of a large family farm, said that markets need the right combination of a strong customer base, good promotion and a core of committed farmers.

Whether there are enough local farmers interested in using a market, Turner said, ‘‘I don’t know.”