The USDA Farmers Market in the summer of 2023. (Photo CC-licensed by the USDA)

USDA Announces ‘Great American Farmers’ Market,’ but Its Popular Weekly Market Is Gone

Sources say most staff working on the season-long market have left; the USDA disputes that claim.

July 8, 2025

July 8, 2025 – Last week, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will host a week-long “Great American Farmers’ Market” on the National Mall, from Aug. 3 to Aug. 8. The event is tied to the Trump administration’s planned celebration of the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding.

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But information on the event replaced a page on the USDA website that previously led to details on the agency’s season-long annual Friday farmers’ market, which typically runs outside its Washington, D.C., headquarters from May through October, with around 30 farms and food vendors represented each week.

Former Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue visits the USDA Farmers Market in July of 2019. (Photo credit: Tom Witham, USDA)

In March, the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), which typically runs the Friday market, posted a call for vendors for the 2025 season on Instagram. But while a listing in its own directory says the market is open from May to October, it never opened. A USDA email address provided as a contact within the directory no longer exists.

Nearly 100 AMS employees based in D.C. accepted a Trump administration resignation offer, which was intended to cut staff across the government, and according to two USDA employees who asked to remain anonymous due to the risk of retaliation, most of the staff working on the Friday market were among them.

An agency spokesperson said the suggestion that staffing had anything to do with the discontinuation of the market is “incorrect,” but they did not answer detailed questions about whether the Friday market is officially cancelled, or whether farmers will face a gap in sales due to the closure. Instead, they provided an emailed statement.

“As we approach the 250th anniversary of America, USDA is uniquely positioned to celebrate America’s farmers and ranchers,” it said. “The agency is proudly continuing the long tradition of hosting a farmers’ market at the agency through the Great American Farmers Market.”

After a grand opening celebration on Aug. 3, the event will feature themed days including a MAHA day focused on nutrition and wellness and a day showcasing farmers from around the country, with more specific details to follow. (Link to this post.)

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Lisa Held is Civil Eats’ senior staff reporter and contributing editor. Read more >

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USDA Announces ‘Great American Farmers’ Market,’ but Its Popular Weekly Market Is Gone