The Lawrence County Farmer's Market has been around for many years. It has provided the residents of Lawrence County and area counties fresh local produce and helped support local farmers and vegetable growers. On average, food travels 1200 miles before it make it to a families kitchen table. Produce that travels that far loses nutritional value and quality. According to the Farmer's Market Coalition, more than 85% of farmer's market vendors traveled fewer than 50 miles to sell at the farmers market. This produce at the farmer's market is available at peak freshness and nutritional value. 

Unfortunately, the number of vendors at the Lawrence County Farmer's Market has slowly decreased in the last 10 years. Older farmers are retiring with very few younger farmers to replace them. The Lawrence County Agricultural Advancement Council was concerned that the future of the Farmer's Market was at stake. They were concerned that the citizens of Lawrence County would not have easy access to local produce and that the local farmer's would see a decrease in profit if the farmer's market continually went down hill. Between members of the Agricultural Advancement Council and the Agriculture and Natural Resource Extension Agent for Lawrence County, new vendors were recruited and new events took place at the Farmer's Market during the 2017 season. 

Members of the council and the ANR agent went around the county and visited vegetable growers and those with large gardens to recruitment them to sell at the farmers market. During the 2016 season, there were consistently 2 vendors at the market, during the 2017 there was consistently 4-5 vendors with the most being 8. The Lawrence County Farmers Market increased their vendors by 100%. During the 2017 growing season the market also started 2 new events that were a huge success. The first event was having an early sale date for those vendors selling early crops such as lettuce, onions, new potatoes, and strawberries. The second event was opening up the market to any vegetable producer in a surrounding county for 1 day only. The market saw this as an opportunity to further their recruitment.