STREATOR Ill. — The Streator Farmers’ Market captured second place in Illinois’ statewide competition for 2014, and ranked 37th of the top 100 farmers’ markets nationwide. The competition began last spring and ended a month ago. The results were released in late October by the sponsor, American Farmland Trust (AFT).

“We didn’t know how it was going to turn out, or what would happen, but we were happy to participate with the program,” noted Streator Market Manager Curt Bedei. “We went ahead and did our part, and it ended up we were the top three in the state of Illinois and also in the top 100 in the nation. It was quite a surprise and we were happy to be a part.”

The “I Love My Farmers Market Celebration” by AFT encourages shoppers to champion local family farmers by pledging to shop at farmers’ markets each week. Nationally, shoppers pledged to spend $443,608.62 at the markets this season.

“There’s not a lot of this type of thing in our area,” Bedei said. “I’m happy to take the lead, be a pioneer in my field and offer these types of classes and games for the public to be better informed about what’s going on in the local foods movement and the farm world.”

Since Bedei assumed leadership, the Streator market has sponsored a week of activities in late July to observe National Farmers’ Market Week and help increase public awareness of how and where their food originates. The 2014 agenda included a beekeepers seminar and a cooking class for 10- to 12-year-olds on making pizza from scratch with ingredients from home gardens and local farmers’ markets. The end of October marks the last of the Streator market season. As a special treat, Halloween candies were offered and a magic show was staged.

Forty farmers and crafters participated in this year’s market, with products including tomatoes, beans, meat, eggs, baked goods and crafts. Plans for the 2015 Streator Farmers’ Market season are already under way.

AFT of Washington, D.C., is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to saving America’s farm and ranch lands, promoting sound farming practices and keeping farmers on the land. Many farmers are struggling financially and face pressure from development that destroys farmland. AFT stated farms closest to America’s cities, often the providers of the delicious local food found at farmers’ markets, are directly in the path of that destruction.