Exploring a Digital Farmers Market for Walton County

By Kerri Parker

A fresh, forward-thinking vision is taking root in Walton County—one that could redefine how local food reaches our families, how producers collaborate, and how our community invests in its own resilience. Led by the Wonderful Walton Economic Development Alliance, and inspired by a recent site visit to the Red Hills Small Farm Alliance in Tallahassee, a group of local producers, stakeholders, and officials are evaluating the potential of launching an online farmers market to serve Walton County and its surrounding areas. Among those in attendance was Sommer Adams of Frost Lane Farms, whose insight and enthusiasm helped bring this concept into sharper focus for our agricultural community.

At Red Hills, over 120 producers—ranging from large-scale growers to backyard gardeners—work together to serve nearly 4,000 customers. Each week, they post what they’ve grown or made on the Red Hills website. Orders come in, the team packs them, and by the end of the week, customers are enjoying the freshest food possible. It’s called a “Traveling Farm to Family” model, and it’s as efficient as it is nourishing. But this is about more than just fresh tomatoes and homemade jam.

Why Local Agriculture Matters—Now More Than Ever

Supporting local farmers isn’t just a feel-good gesture. It’s one of the most direct ways a community can invest in its own long-term sustainability and well-being.

1. Food Security
In an age where supply chains are increasingly vulnerable to disruption, local food systems are essential. When we support our farmers, we reduce our dependence on faraway producers and ensure that fresh, healthy food remains available—even in times of crisis.
2. Economic Resilience
Money spent on local food stays in the local economy. It supports not just farmers, but also the bakers, beekeepers, delivery drivers, and food artisans who are all part of a thriving local food web. When farmers do well, so do our schools, small businesses, and service providers.
3. Environmental Impact
Local farms tend to be smaller, more diversified, and more sustainable than industrial operations. They conserve open space, steward the land, and often use fewer fossil fuels due to reduced transportation. A community-supported food system is also a climate-conscious one.
4. Public Health
Fresh food tastes better—and it’s better for you. Local produce loses fewer nutrients in transport and storage, and knowing where your food comes from means knowing how it was grown. That kind of transparency is rare in a global food system.
5. Community Identity
When you know your farmer, food isn’t just a commodity—it becomes a story. Every jar of jam, every bouquet, every pasture-raised egg reflects the care and creativity of the people behind it. These relationships strengthen the social fabric of a place. They create belonging.

A Vision for Walton County

Frost Lane Farms believes it’s time for Walton County to embrace a similar model. One where our farmers, bakers, gardeners, and makers collaborate—not compete—to bring their goods directly to neighbors in a smart, streamlined, community-driven way.

Picture a 331 Traveling Farmers Market—where weekly orders are placed online, packed by volunteers, and picked up or delivered just days after harvest. This wouldn’t replace our cherished weekend markets. It would expand them—reaching working families, homebound residents, and anyone who can’t always make it to the tent-lined streets on Saturdays. Most importantly, this model welcomes producers of all sizes. Whether you’re growing tomatoes in a backyard bed or baking bread in your home kitchen, there’s room for you in a cooperative like this. That’s the magic of it.

Walton County: Your Voice Is Needed to Shape a Local Food Future

HWY 331 is proud to support this effort by helping spread the word and inviting you—our neighbors, growers, and good-food lovers—to weigh in.

Whether you grow or just want to support local farmers, your feedback will help shape what’s next.

Choose the survey that fits you:

I’m a Local Farmer or Producer
Take the Producer Survey

I’m a Customer or Community Member
Take the Customer Survey

These quick surveys, led by the Wonderful Walton team, will help gauge interest, define priorities, and connect you to future updates—including an upcoming community meeting to learn more and get involved.

This is your chance to be part of something rooted, real, and designed for our region.
Let’s grow together.