Get Involved

The Rutherford County Farmers Market is always in need of volunteer support to assist in the smooth operation of the market. This can include helping us count our customers each week, the installation and removal of temporary signage, aggregating and packing orders placed through our online system, and generally being available to help answer questions for customers and vendors alike. 

As a Non-Profit Organization, we are at the mercy of our donors and funders to continue providing the services we all know are so desperately needed in Rutherford County.

According to the 2018-2019 Rutherford County Food Assessment, “22,678 residents of Rutherford County experience food insecurity…” It states that “73% of Rutherford County residents are either overweight or obese… only 7% of surveyed people said they consume adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables per day.” Additionally, “People will not access what is not there, what is not affordable, and something that does not appeal to their senses.” These issues will be addressed by Rutherford BARN by increasing affordable access to fresh produce and teaching people how to use it. In 2016, 19.3% of the population and 27.4% of children under age 18 in Rutherford County live below the poverty level. Relating to health, diet related diseases are among the leading causes of death in Rutherford County, and according to the 2018 Community Health Assessment, “only 7% indicate they are consuming five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day.” They rank as follows: “Heart Disease (#1), cancer (#2), chronic lower respiratory disease (#3), cerebrovascular disease (#4), and diabetes (#6). A poor diet has also been understood to have connections to alzhiemers (#7) and suicide (#8). (Rutherford County Community Health Assessment, 2019) With the exception of the three main towns, our geographically large county is largely devoid of food access, making them food deserts, or according to the USDA “parts of the country vapid of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthful whole foods…”

There are 620 farms in Rutherford County, comprising 59,921 acres , with only 165 acres growing vegetables. Of which, the vast majority are used to grow mono-crops that are distributed elsewhere. According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture, 9% of farms sell directly to the consumer, and only served 780 people through the farmers’ market. In a county of 66,701, less than 1,000 are accessing local foods.

For more information about food insecurity in Rutherford County, click here.