Initiative Releases Top 3 Celebrated Farmers' Markets

California, New York, and Georgia currently hold the top three spots for the states with the most celebrated farmers' markets in the United States, followed by Virginia and Ohio.

The top three rankings of every state's farmers' markets are available and updated every minute for American Farmland Trust's "I Love My Farmers Market Celebration," an initiative to show appreciation for farmers and farmers' markets and to raise awareness of the threat that urbanization poses to farmers' markets.

As farmers struggle to support their farms and to compete with urbanization, more farmland is paved over and lost, and thus, farmers' markets are threatened.

The initiative encourages consumers to show their support and help their local farmers' markets gain national recognition by pledging to spend $10 at their farmers' market. A pledge can be made once every day, and the farmers' markets with the most pledges will be featured on the "100 Most Celebrated Farmers' Markets" leaderboard that will be up by the end of July. Plus, every week one randomly selected participant and their favorite farmer will get a "No Farms No Food" hat.

So far, California's farmers' markets have received pledges totaling more than $6,000, New York's have received more than $4,700, Georgia's have received more than $4,400, Virginia's have received more than $3,400, and Ohio's have received more than $2,700. The top 100 farmers' markets will get a special "No Farms No Food" logo, gear, and national recognition on the "I Love My Farmers Market Celebration" website.