MURFREESBORO, TN (WGNS) - For the fourth straight season, the Middle Tennessee State University School of Agriculture is back at the Murfreesboro Saturday Market, filling the historic courthouse square with student-grown produce, flowers, microgreens and that famously award‑winning milk. Thousands of shoppers pass through each week, and this year they’ll also see student‑athletes from several MTSU teams stopping by for meet‑and‑greets.

Market manager Linda Weeks says the partnership continues to be a natural fit. “We love our continued partnership with MTSU,” she said, noting that the Saturday Market is one of five featured stops on the Tennessee Farmers Market Trail. Operated by Main Street Murfreesboro, the market runs from 8 a.m. to noon every Saturday from May through October and features more than 70 vendors offering everything from farm‑fresh foods to handmade goods.

One of the biggest draws is the MTSU Dairy Farm’s chocolate and whole milk, which will be sold on June 20 and July 11 and 25. Farm lab assistant Erin Frantz says shoppers are getting milk at its peak freshness. Cows are milked on Thursday in Lascassas, the milk is processed Friday at the MTSU Creamery, and it’s in customers’ hands by Saturday morning. The milk is also available at 25 locations across Middle Tennessee.

The MTSU Small Farm sets up weekly with a rotating selection of vegetables, cut flowers and potted plants. Manager Chris Hall says the offerings shift with the season, but blackberries are a standout right now. Peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, lilies, dahlias, gladiolas and anemones will rotate through the booth, with figs and sunflowers arriving later in the summer. Students staff the booth and often find themselves answering gardening questions from curious shoppers.

Beyond agriculture, MTSU Athletics adds extra energy to the square. Blue Raider football players will appear each weekend in June and most of July, while the Lady Raiders basketball team returns July 18, Aug. 8 and Sept. 12.

Shoppers can also pick up a market loyalty card at the Main Street booth. Weeks says collecting three weekly stamps in a month enters patrons into a drawing for market gift certificates, a simple way to help people feel connected to the Saturday tradition.