Downtown Farmers Market: Not Just a Market, a Movement

The Saturday Ypsilanti Farmers Market is moving downtown!

Family, farmers, and food justice champions,

The seeds of change are taking root in Ypsilanti! This spring, we are thrilled to announce that the Ypsilanti Farmers Market is moving downtown to 16 S. Washington Street/Black Lives Matter Blvd. This shift is more than a change in location—it’s a deepened commitment to food sovereignty, economic resilience, and community nourishment at the heart of our city.

By planting roots in this space, we are breaking down barriers to food access and expanding opportunities for local growers, food makers, and artisans to share their harvests and creations. With the market just steps from the transit center, fresh, nourishing food is now even more within reach—whether you arrive by foot, bike, bus, or car. This move also makes it easier for families with small children, elders, and community members with disabilities to navigate to and through the market, affirming that everyone deserves a place at the table.

This move isn’t just about food—it’s about strengthening our local economy. Increased foot traffic and visibility mean that our farmers, vendors, and food makers have greater opportunities to grow their businesses, share their craft, and reach new customers.

But this is about more than commerce; it’s about community power.

Our new home at MarketPlace Hall unlocks the potential for deeper engagement—offering cooking demonstrations, gardening workshops, and hands-on classes that equip our neighbors with skills to feed themselves and their families. Move this line to here: A thriving farmers market fuels a vibrant downtown—bringing fresh food, economic opportunity, and gathering spaces to the heart of Ypsilanti.

A vibrant local food system is more essential than ever. As our community evolves and the climate shifts, we must strengthen the networks that sustain us. This market is not just a place to buy produce—it’s a space where small growers, local farmers, food makers, and artisans directly nourish and sustain their people. Whether it’s fresh fruits and vegetables, pantry staples, or locally prepared foods, every item at the market carries a story of care, tradition, and deep community connection.

Grown, crafted, and prepared by us—harvested, baked, and built for our people.

This is more than a market; it’s a movement. A space where every neighbor—regardless of zip code or income—has access to fresh, culturally relevant food. We remain steadfast in our commitment to SNAP, Double Up Food Bucks, and other food assistance programs to ensure nourishing, local food reaches every table.

Join us in celebrating this exciting new chapter! Opening Day is Saturday, May 3rd, from 9 AM - 1 PM—featuring live music, local flavors, and the joy of community in full bloom. Together, let’s build a food system that honors our growers, nourishes our neighbors, and invests in a thriving Ypsilanti.

We’ll see you at the market!

Julius Buzzard

P.S. We’re still accepting applications for vendors, community partners, and musicians! Apply online today.

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Honoring the Earth, Honoring Our Farmers

By Julius Buzzard • April 1, 2025

Happy Earth Month! Spring arrives with a quiet urgency. The thawing ground reminds us of the resilience of our land, of the ancestors who tilled it, and of the communities who still gather to nurture its abundance. But this year, as we step into Earth Month, I carry a deep and growing concern for the future of our food system—one that has been shaken by policy decisions that threaten the very foundation of food sovereignty in Ypsilanti and beyond. The recent funding freezes and budget cuts—from the loss of the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program to the closure of USDA offices—are not just bureaucratic shifts; they are existential threats to our farmers, our food access programs, and the families who rely on them. I have sat across the table from our legislators, pressing them on these cuts and their real-life consequences. Time and time again, I have asked them: How will our small farmers recover from the sudden disappearance of revenue they had come to rely on? How will low-income communities access fresh, local produce when the programs designed to bridge that gap are gutted? The answers, when they come at all, ring hollow. And the weight of these decisions falls heaviest on Black farmers. Over the past few months, I have spoken to Black farmers across the state who have lost tens, even hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding. Each has asked to remain anonymous, fearing retaliation if they speak out. We’ve spent years investing in trust—through policy change, the Washtenaw County Black Farmers Fund, and steadfast community advocacy—and now, that trust has been shattered. The jar that held every marble of faith and progress has been smashed to the ground. I am deeply concerned about the long-term implications of these actions—not just for our farmers but for the fight for equity in our food system as a whole. If we continue down this path, we will see more land lost, more livelihoods destroyed, and more barriers to sovereignty erected. But let me be clear: while these attacks are meant to dishearten us, they will not stop us. Hope is not lost. We are building and investing in a local food system that ensures the right to food for all. We are planting, growing, and sharing. We are organizing, advocating, and refusing to be silenced. Our programs at Growing Hope continue to provide fresh, local produce to our neighbors, even as the environment shifts around us. We continue to uplift local growers, ensuring they have the resources they need to weather this storm as they have weathered past storms and will weather future storms. We demand that our legislators listen—not just to us but to the land itself, which has long whispered the truth of what justice looks like. This Earth Month, as we honor and commune with Mother Earth and the ancestors who fought for our right to grow, we reaffirm our commitment to a just and sovereign food system. We will not let short-sighted policies or political indifference derail the work of generations. And we ask you to join us—whether by growing, sharing, advocating, or simply refusing to look away. In solidarity, Julius P.S. If you’re looking for a practical way to participate and support our local food system, visit and become a friend of the market , where we’re reimagining how we invest in and support growers, eaters, and everything in between.

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