The Senate and House Agriculture Committees have both approved their respective versions of the 2013 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill is a massive piece of legislation that covers an extremely broad range of issues, but here’s an update on just one piece that we’re happy to share: both the Senate and House versions of the [...]

The House and Senate are set to start marking up drafts of the farm bill next week! An extremely broad range of issues are covered within the bill—crop subsidies, agricultural research, SNAP, farm exports, rural economic development, rural aid and biofuel development—and the Farmers Market Coalition it dedicated to ensuring the best interests of farmers markets and community farmers are included.

We are excited to announce the winners of the 2013 Discover You Can Learn Make Share℠ program. Thirty FMC member farmers market organizations have been selected by the Farmers Market Coalition and Jarden Home Brands, makers of Ball® Brand Fresh Preserving Products, to take part in this summer’s canning education program. The selected 30 organizations [...]

The past two summers, farmers markets around the country got a taste of Discover You Can℠ and we just had to preserve it! FMC is excited to bring back this summer canning education program, and invites your market to apply for the 2013 season. With just under 6 million attendees at last year’s participating markets, [...]

Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed the Senate’s continuing resolution funding federal programs through the end of 2013.  Funding for the Farmers Market Nutrition Programs (FMNPs) was included in the bill, coming in at $15.3 million for the WIC FMNP, and $19.4 million for the Senior FMNP. Both programs were cut significantly. Senior FMNP was [...]

Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan is stepping down from her position as second in command at USDA. During her term, Merrigan championed local and sustainable farming, and spearheaded numerous projects supporting small, beginning, and minority farmers. The USDA has released this quote from Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsak, saying, “Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan has helped USDA [...]

Farmers Market Coalition Board of Directors elections is now underway. All members in good standing can vote by March 12th. Read about the position requirements and the candidates below and cast your vote today! Members of the Board of Directors are FMC member volunteers with demonstrated leadership experience in the field of farmers markets and [...]

A letter from Jen O’Brien, Interim Executive Director, FMC Here we are in the dead of winter, but there’s no off-season in sight. Despite the plummeting temperatures and record snow storms, the farmers market community is as busy as ever. This year, the USDA reported that the National Farmers Market Directory saw a 52 percent [...]

by Stacy Miller, Project Director Since the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) first issued grants under the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP), 575 projects have been awarded in all fifty states, totaling $32,310,288 in funding.  In what ways has the program contributed to stronger, healthier, more innovative and inclusive food systems? As reported in the [...]

By Natalie Roper, FMC Research & Education Intern, and Stacy Miller, Project Director The New Year seems to have kicked off with less than positive news for farmers markets. The nine-month farm bill extension that passed late New Years Day surprised many by failing to provide mandatory funding for a variety of smaller programs that [...]