Farms & Farmers’ Markets
If you’re looking for humanely raised meat from a small farm, your best bet is to visit a farmers’ market. At these weekly markets, many small-scale farmers sell meat, and you can talk with them about how they raise their animals. You can also ask if you can visit their farm.
Coming soon: the top 5 questions to ask a small farmer about their humane practices!
Note: This map is a guide to farmers’ markets. Humaneitarian doesn’t offer a directory of individual farms, so to find specific farms in your area, visit FarmPlate or Local Harvest.
Click on your state to find a farmers’ market near you:
FARMERS’ MARKETS
California Federation of Certified Farmers’ Markets:
(includes both Northern and Southern California)
FARMERS’ MARKETS
statewide:
summer/fall markets & winter markets
Centre County:
summer/fall markets & winter markets
Pittsburgh area:
summer/fall & winter markets
FARMERS’ MARKETS
New York City (5 boroughs): summer/fall & winter markets
New York Dept. of Agriculture: summer/fall markets or winter markets
FARMERS’ MARKETS
Northeast Organic Farmers’ Association of Vermont (NOFA-Vt.):
FARMERS’ MARKETS
Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA):
FARMERS’ MARKETS
Massachusetts Dept. of Agricultural Resources:
Tips on buying meat at a farmers' market!
- Bring a small cooler, to keep meat fresh on the way home
- Be bold: buy a cut of meat that's unfamiliar to you and try it out
- Don't expect that farmers will have the cuts you want; popular cuts sell out fast, and availability is often determined by season
- Farmers usually don't have labels on their products, such as grass-fed, pasture-raised, etc. Instead, talk to them about their farming practices.
- Some farmers do use common meat labels, though; you can read about those labels here.
- For the most part, you'll only find whole chickens at your local market. Selling chicken in parts is costlier for farmers, so most of them choose the whole-bird route.