This reflective essay discusses the development, structure, operation, and transitioning of an online virtual farmers market in rural Ohio. In this model, customers order online and then pick up their fresh, local produce at a specified time and location. Through a combination of practitioner experience in the market's development and informal discussions with people associated with the market's development and management, the authors analyze the positive and negative aspects of the online market structure and implementation, as well as suggest critical steps that may be necessary to export this model to other communities. They also consider potential structural and process improvements that could increase viability and success. A last-minute addendum briefly discusses the potential for this model to become a meaningful response to the COVID-19 issue as well. Disclosure The first author of this reflective essay was directly involved in the conception, planning, fundraising, and implementation of this project, as part of his role as an Extension educator serving the area in which it was conducted. We hope this association will provide helpful insight as others study or consider conducting similar projects. Note: We have used the USDA's spelling of "farmers market," which does not include possessive case punctuation. Funding Disclosure The project discussed in this case study was funded by U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) Grant #15FMPPOH0008. The investigation, reflection, and written review presented herein were not included and had no external funding.
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