Iowa State Fair launches first ever farmers market this year

DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa State Fair may be known for its fried food, but some fresher options are coming this year with their new All-Iowa Fair View Farmers Market.

A spokesperson for the Iowa State Fair said it is starting small for the first year, with five vendors in total. Each vendor gets to choose which days they will do the market. All of the vendors will be set up outside of Grandfather’s Barn.

One of the vendors is the Holton Homestead . They are beekeepers based out of Elkhart, Iowa. They have 800 beehives and produce over 20 different kinds of honey, including hot honey, cinnamon-creamed honey, chocolate-creamed honey, and more.

The Holton Homestead will be at the market on August 16th and August 17th.

“This is great that it’s happening because that’s what the Iowa State Fair is about: agriculture, farming, locally made products, sourced goods, all of those things I think are important. So, to be able to go there and find those items is really exciting,” said Sara Holton, the owner.

She also said the market provides an opportunity for small businesses to be involved in the fair and get some exposure to other Iowans.

“That’s something that’s exciting for us because usually to be a part of the fair it’s very expensive. You have to rent a whole booth, they want a cut, it’s thousands of dollars to be there. So, this was really nice because we got to pick and choose when we wanted to be there, and it’s a very reasonable fee,” she said.

The other vendors at the market include:

• Brewer Family Farms (selling meat)
• Doty Angus Cattle Company (selling meat)
• Farm Story Meats (selling meat)
• Van Manen Sweet Corn and Fresh Produce (selling corn, tomatoes, and melons)

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