MARION COUNTY MARKET

Marion County, Illinois Farmers Market — Buy & Sell Local Crops Near You

🌽 Looking for food grown in Marion County? Backyard growers and small farms around Alma, Centralia and Odin list it here. Homemade jams, breads and honey are listed right next to fresh produce and seedlings. Posting an ad is free and sellers keep every dollar.

Farming in Marion County by the Numbers

Marion County has 881 farms on 246,697 acres (about 280 acres each). Together they sold $232.9 million of farm products in 2022, led by corn, soybeans and hogs.

Local fields produce tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers and green beans. Beekeepers tend about 115 honey bee colonies.

24 farms in Marion County already sell straight to the public, about $89,000 a year in direct sales. Crop Market gives them, and every backyard grower, a free way to reach more neighbors.

Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2022 Census of Agriculture.

Farm Life in Marion County

Out in the pastures and barnyards, Marion County counts 8,306 head of cattle, 667 sheep and 502 horses and ponies. Grass-fed beef sold by the quarter or half is a common way ranchers sell direct.

About 1,430 people run or help run farms in Marion County, with an average age of 59. 30% of them are women. 93 are under 35 - the next generation of local growers. 8 farms earn money from agritourism - things like u-pick fields, pumpkin patches, farm stays and corn mazes.