The Easton Farmers Market has placed in the top five in Pennsylvania in a nationwide farmers market contest.

Each year, the American Farmland Trust holds a contest dedicated to raising "national awareness about local farmers markets, the role they play in supporting local farms, and the importance of protecting American farmland," as the group says on its website.

This year's contest ends Sept. 3. Four winners will be chosen in each market -- small, medium, mid-size and large—and will be crowned "America’s Favorite Farmers Market" for 2012.

So far for this year, Easton is in fifth place -- as of Monday evening -- with just 33 votes. 

This is the second year in a row Easton has made it into Pennsylvania's top five. In 2010, it came in second place in the "small market" category. It has since competed in the "medium" category.

There's also a parallel contest, open to local farmers, inviting them to submit essays to win the Farmers' Market Inspiration Award. The essay should illustrate how farmers markets make a difference to a farm, family or community.