Leavenworth and Cashmere Farmers Markets wrap up season after strong harvest, lighter turnout

LEAVENWORTH — The Leavenworth and Cashmere Farmers Markets wrapped up another successful season on Oct. 11 and 12, closing out a strong year for local growers despite a dip in sales. As organizers reflect on the season, they’re already planning several changes for 2026, including a new midweek schedule for Cashmere and expanded programs to support farmers and food access.

“The growing season this year in our region was pretty excellent, actually. It was a long growing season. Most of our farmers were able to start harvesting earlier than normal, and are still harvesting,” said Cascade Community Markets Executive Director Cali Osborne.

While harvest conditions were favorable, foot traffic wasn’t quite as strong as in past years, according to Osborne. This year, Cascade Community Markets – the nonprofit organization that oversees both markets –  estimates that nearly 12,000 people attended Leavenworth and over 3,400 attended in Cashmere. About 7,200 attendees were visiting from over 50 miles away.

 “We had some changes to vendor lineup and some of the logistics at the markets that we think caused that, but also we expect that a good portion of seeing a slightly lower sales year…has to do a bit with just the fact that people are traveling less this year, and it seems to be a common experience,” said Osborne.

Even so, Cascade Community Markets is planning a number of changes that Osborne hopes will better connect vendors and shoppers. One of the biggest changes ahead: the Cashmere market will shift from Sundays to Wednesday evenings, but remain at the same location. The decision followed a season-long review and analysis of the Cashmere market, which included a survey from the public and vendors.

“Farmers markets have this really interesting sort of self fulfilling prophecy…and that is a chicken and the egg between customers and vendors. Every customer says they want to come to the market when there's more vendors. Vendors say they want to come to the market when there's more customers,” said Osborne.

According to Osborne, Wednesday evenings were favored by the public, but it also fills a gap for mid-week markets in the region. With most markets scheduled on weekends, the overlap forces vendors to choose one over another.

“So vendors, especially farmers, who need two or more markets per week to move their product, are all having to attend multiple markets on the same day or back to back markets. Some of our local vendors are also being forced to choose the busier markets in other regions on Sundays, because they need to maximize their income in our short season,” said Osborne.

By providing a mid-week option, Osborne hopes that more vendors will be able to participate, increasing profit opportunities for vendors and increasing options for customers.

The organization also hopes to improve the number of market shoppers using food access benefits, which Osborne says has been on the decline since 2023, when the Washington State Department of Health changed the maximum match amount to its SNAP Market Match program. The nutrition incentive program helps families and individuals who use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)/EBT increase their ability to purchase fresh and local fruits and vegetables from local farmers markets. The match was reduced from $40 to $25.

“They are favoring the lower prices of the grocery stores compared to the farmers markets. And the farmers markets are not the cheapest way to shop, we know that, but it is the most sustainable way to shop locally. It is the most fresh way to shop and have food that lasts the longest, and we think that all people should be able to afford it,” said Osborne, noting the additional nutrition benefits to shopping at farmers markets.

Cascade Community Markets has applied to a number of grants for 2026, which would help establish an unlimited matching policy at both markets. Instead of relying on the Department of Health for the matching program, the organization hopes to provide its own matched dollars for benefit users.

“We have seen in previous years the amount of EBT and SNAP Match dollars that were being redeemed at the market was so much higher than in these years, and that means that all of that money is going straight to the small farmers,” said Osborne. “Instead of being put into a much larger food economy on a national scale, that money is kept locally.”

During the off-season, Cascade Community Markets will work on sharing season reports, renewing relationships for the following season, planning outreach, and welcoming new board members, staff and vendors. 

It will also open applications for a new equipment and infrastructure grant for farmers. Over four seasons of fundraising through the Farm to Table dinner, receiving market donations, and saving Good Farmer Fund surpluses, the organization has created a pool of funding to help farmers with improving quality and efficiency, such as replacing tools, buying market signage, or upgrading their wash station.

“[The fund] is large enough now to start granting small but hopefully impactful amounts to our farm vendors to invest in their infrastructure or their equipment, in order to hopefully see them bring even more delicious produce to the market each week,” said Osborne.

According to Osborne, the organization will begin accepting applications mid-November.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media