Columbia Farmers Market holds first Wednesday market of the year

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Farmers Market -- located at the MU Health Care Pavilion near The ARC -- held its first Wednesday market of the year.

May 29 marked the first day of the market being open from 4-7 p.m. every Wednesday until Sep. 11. According to a news release from the market, this season's market will feature roughly 30 vendors.

In 2023, the market experienced record-breaking attendance and sales, the release states. More than 194,00 vendors sold over $4.2 million worth of local products. According to the release, $227,236 in food incentives, such as SNAP and WIC were also distributed in 2023.

McKinley Worley is a farmer in Ashland who has been a vendor at the Columbia Farmers Market for the past two years. Worley said every he's experienced numerous people utilizing incentives such as SNAP, which he says makes the market more important for the community and farmers.

"It helps people really stretch that dollar for their grocery bill every month," Worley said. "It helps us be... able to as farmers to accept those benefits, which just can be a little bit harder without the farmers market to accept SNAP as well."

The market is also open every Saturday from 8 a.m.-noon.