Looking for a Better Online Farmers Market? Here’s How to Truly Buy Direct from Farms
If you’ve ever tried to buy directly from small farms, you know it’s not always easy.
Maybe you’ve searched for an online farmers market hoping to support local food, only to end up on a curated box service or a marketplace that feels more like a grocery store than a farmstand. While some sites make local food more convenient, they often don’t connect you directly with the farmer—or let the farmer keep much of the sale. For many of us, that’s the whole point.
That’s why Red Hen was created—a growing online farmers market that keeps the relationship between you and the farmer front and center.
A New Way to Shop: Farmer-First, Direct-to-You
Red Hen is a different kind of online farmers market. Instead of buying from a warehouse, you buy straight from the farm.
You order directly from the producer.
They choose if they offer pickup, delivery, or shipping.
You support their farm directly—with most of your dollars staying with them.
You’ll find vegetables, pasture-raised meats, eggs, raw milk (where legal), sourdough bread, even hatching eggs and heritage breed livestock. Some farmers sell seasonally, others all year round. Every farm is different—because they’re real.
The Problem with Most Online Farmers Markets
A lot of online marketplaces still act as middlemen. They aggregate food, brand it, package it, and ship it—sometimes far from where it was grown. That may be more convenient for logistics, but it takes a lot away from what makes local food so special.
And here’s something many shoppers don’t realize: most farmers only keep a small percentage of what you pay. Whether it's wholesale or many “local” box services, the margins are tight—sometimes less than 15%. For small-scale, regenerative farms that are focused on quality over volume, that model just doesn’t work.
Who Is Red Hen For?
If you care about:
Knowing who raises your food
Supporting farmers who build soil and treat animals ethically
Keeping your dollars in local communities
Avoiding big-ag middlemen and greenwashing
...this app is worth exploring.
Many farmers on Red Hen practice regenerative agriculture—meaning they’re actively healing the land, not just sustaining it. They may be first-generation farmers, women-owned, or family-run operations trying to keep small farming alive in a world that doesn’t make it easy.
It’s Not Just a Shopping App—It’s a Movement
Red Hen is rooted in the work of Regenerative Farmers of America, a grassroots platform that highlights and supports small farms across the U.S. With over 140,000 people following their farm stories, it became clear: farmers needed a better way to sell—and people wanted a better way to buy.
This isn’t a sleek startup trying to cash in on the “local food trend.” It’s a tool built by people who live it.
How to Use Red Hen App
Download the Red Hen app (available for iOS and Android)
Open the app to see farms near you & their inventory
Choose pickup, delivery, or shipping, depending on what farms near you offer
Get to know your farmer—many include farm stories, photos, and regenerative practices
Shop the online farmers market literally any time of day.
Supporting Small Farms Has Never Been Easier
Red Hen is one of the few online farmers markets that actually removes barriers instead of adding them—for both farmers and customers. It’s not perfect yet, but it’s growing fast, and it’s rooted in something real.
So if you’ve been looking for a better way to buy from farms, skip the flashy middlemen and start here. You’ll taste the difference—and feel it too.