MARATHON COUNTY MARKET

Marathon County, Wisconsin Farmers Market — Buy & Sell Local Crops Near You

🌽 From Wausau to Hamburg, Marathon County gardeners, small farms and home cooks post their extra harvest here for people nearby. Fruit, vegetables, cottage foods, plants, seeds and farm gear are all welcome. It's free to post, there's no cut taken, and local farm food carries no sales tax.

Farming in Marathon County by the Numbers

Marathon County has 2,059 farms on 477,577 acres (about 232 acres each). Together they sold $579.1 million of farm products in 2022, led by dairy (milk), corn and cattle.

Orchards and vineyards here grow apples, hazelnuts and grapes, and local fields produce pumpkins, carrots, green peas and cucumbers. Beekeepers tend about 612 honey bee colonies.

187 farms in Marathon County already sell straight to the public, about $1.4 million 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 Marathon County

Marathon County farms and homesteads keep 151,139 head of cattle, 28,127 egg-laying hens and 1,745 horses and ponies. Grass-fed beef sold by the quarter or half is a common way ranchers sell direct.

About 3,811 people run or help run farms in Marathon County, with an average age of 55. 32% of them are women. 388 are under 35 - the next generation of local growers. 12 farms earn money from agritourism - things like u-pick fields, pumpkin patches, farm stays and corn mazes.

Where Marathon County stands out: it ranks #3 of 72 WI counties for number of farms and #4 of 69 WI counties for total farm sales.