Fresh Farmers Together Brings Nine Rochester-Area Farms to Shed D
The Short Version
- Fresh Farmers Together launched in June 2026 as a grassroots nonprofit cooperative — nine farms sharing one booth at Rochester Public Market Shed D, with all net income returning to growers at year-end.
- Member farms stretch across Monroe County, from two adjacent backyards in the smallest case to 3 acres in production at the largest, all operating without synthetic fertilizers, toxic pesticides, or herbicides.
- New York lost 500 farms and 100,000 acres between 2024 and 2025 at double the national rate — 80% of those were small farms under $100,000 in sales, exactly the scale FFT is built to support.
- FFT's explicit mission is to grow BIPOC farm ownership in the Rochester area and provide training in agroecological practices and business management.
- The booth is in Shed D, Saturdays 7am to 1pm at 280 North Union Street; the market accepts SNAP benefits through a token program.
Nine farms across the Rochester region pulled into Shed D this past June with a different arrangement than the usual market stall. Fresh Farmers Together is a grassroots nonprofit cooperative — farmer-led, shared booth, shared season — and at year's end, the income goes back to the growers who grew the food.
A New Cooperative at the Fresh Farmers Together Rochester Public Market
A New Cooperative at the Fresh Farmers Together Rochester Public Market
FFT launched in June 2026 as a nonprofit cooperative that aggregates produce from participating member farms for a single shared booth at Shed D, Saturdays 7am to 1pm. The cooperative owns no crops — it sells what members bring each week, and the selection shifts with the season. Net income at year-end distributes back to grower participants, with operations built on principles of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity. No intermediary; the farmers decide what to bring, the cooperative markets it together, and the earnings return to the people who grew it.
Nine Farms Spread Across Monroe County
Nine Farms Spread Across Monroe County
The nine member farms reach across the region. Root of the Matter Farm is in Rochester. Melinda Friday's Seeded Earth is in Irondequoit. Jennie Brant runs Enka:ri Farm in Walworth. Fraser Garlic Farm is among the nine, with additional growers in Lima, Palmyra, and Churchville. The largest member operation is 3 acres in production.
"Growing clean and sustainably...it's about propagating community focused on environmental and social justice."
— Melinda Friday, Seeded Earth
Why BIPOC Farm Access Needs Fresh Farmers Together
Why BIPOC Farm Access Needs Fresh Farmers Together
The context around FFT's launch isn't encouraging for small farms in New York. A 2025 NYS Comptroller report found the state lost 500 farms and 100,000 acres of farmland between 2024 and 2025 — a 1.6% farm loss rate that is double the national rate of 0.8%. Eighty percent of those lost farms had annual sales under $100,000. FFT's members are exactly this size.
FFT's stated mission is to increase the number of farms owned and managed by BIPOC farmers in the Rochester area and to provide training in agroecological practices and business management. The cooperative booth model does something direct about that: a grower starting from two backyards can get to the Public Market's Saturday crowd without having to sustain a solo stall through the whole season.
Come Find Them at Shed D
Come Find Them at Shed D
The Rochester Public Market at 280 North Union Street has been running since 1905. Fresh Farmers Together's booth is in Shed D, Saturdays 7am to 1pm. The market accepts SNAP benefits through a token program. For week-to-week availability, FFT posts updates on Instagram at @FreshFarmersRoc.
The cooperative is four months old. Shed D is there every Saturday through the season.
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