How do prices at your local farmers' market compare to those listed in the Grassroots OPX? Are you getting more for your early tomatoes, less for organic eggs? You're already at the farmers' market. Grab a pen or pencil, jot down what you're seeing and send it in. Becoming a Grassroots OPX Reporter is easier than ever. Just click on "Become a Reporter" above, tell us what market you want to price and we'll either give you the go-ahead or put you on our back-up list if the market already has a reporter. Once you're signed up, you're ready. Visit your Reporter's Desk, print out the handy-dandy product list, gather prices at the market and type them straight into the system. Your latest entry will automatically appear each week when we update. Put your favorite producer-only market on the map (no resale markets please) and get your local prices listed. The more markets we have quoting, the more representative the prices become. Signup to become a Reporter!

This pioneering project is not only helping new farmers figure out how to price their products, it is tracking direct farmer-to-consumer purchases-showcasing the power of direct marketing and local, grassroots business across the US.

Want to see prices for all the products at just one market? You can. Want to see what basil is going for from New York to California? You can. Want to compare the price of eggs at one market to the price of eggs at another market? You can! The Grassroots OPX lets you customize information to suit your needs and presents it all in an easy-to-read, easy-to-use, easy-to-print format.

How can you find out more about the markets? We collect prices from markets big and small, sophisticated and simple, urban and small-town. Each market has their own short description so you can accurately evaluate their prices based on their market size, hours of operation, customer base and/or location.

How do we get the prices? The street-level prices paid by real people for real food are collected by a volunteer corps of farmers' market reporters. Their faithful work and observations create the numbers and insights that make the tool so valuable.

How many markets do we price? Our goal is to track at least two markets in each state so you can get a current snapshot of local food transactions across the US. That means we need at least 100 people to volunteer during the market season to gather numbers for us. (Interested in helping out? Check out the box at right for more information on becoming part of the Grassroots OPX Reporting Team, or signup today!)