Never has the triple bottom line of farmers, consumers, and communities had more resonance as part of an economy that works for all of us in the 99%. Don’t neglect the opportunity to quantify your triple bottom line successes, because measurement matters. But we cannot let our ratios be defined by numerators and denominators someone else has chosen. Together, we can move past the notion that efficiency is dependent on economies of scale, to define (and improve on) our effectiveness, our diversity, and our sustainability over time.

By Natalie Roper, FMC Research & Education Intern In the last several months, the Farmers Market Coalition has been among other organizations in working with leaders in both Senate and House Agriculture Committees to support the growth and expansion of farmers markets nationally.  After months of working with congressional staffers, some of these efforts are [...]

On Sunday, August 7, the first day of National Farmers Market Week, Oregon Farmers’ Markets Association (OFMA) President Rebecca Landis received a flurry of emails and phone calls with dreadful news. Pathogenic E. coli had been found in strawberries for what is thought to be the first time. The source farm was found quickly. But [...]

By Drew Love As the food movement continues to gain in popularity and market share, the number of farmers markets have sky rocketed over the past few years.  From 2010 to 2011 alone there was a 17% increase resulting in a total of 7,175 markets. In order to guarantee the long-term financial and human resource [...]

In 2011, the Agricultural Market Services Department of the USDA reported that there were 7,175 farmers markets. That represents a 17% growth rate from 2010, (when numbers had grown 16% since 2009). The trend is hardly a recent phenomenon. Farmers markets have grown steadily, without exception, since 1994. Yet any farmers market vendor, shopper, or [...]

Buy Local blogs and websites abound these days, offering interesting content and ideas that appeal to the foodie movement.  A unique and useful (and free!) tool was recently introduced to FMC that stands apart from the rest of the food focused resources out there.  Small Farm Central’s ‘ Farming Faces‘ is a web tool that was [...]

It’s the 1st Annual FarmersMarket.com Photo Contest!   Football, shmootball…fall’s about more than pigskin and punts. It’s harvest time, when squashes shine!   So, farmers market and local food fans…let’s have a little harvest time fun with a photo contest! Submit your pics of pumpkins and squashes to celebrate the bounty of fall and…benefit your farmers [...]

The Future of Payment at Farmers Markets: Evolving Technology to Connect Farmers to SNAP and WIC by Drew Love There is a $64 billion dollar pool of money out there to support localized sustainable agriculture, and there is a piece of plastic standing in the way. The $64 billion dollars is the amount of money [...]

The Farmers Market Coalition (FMC), a national nonprofit incorporated in Iowa in 2006, now has presence in Charlottesville, Virginia.  This summer, Executive Director Stacy Miller relocated to the city, and brought the organization with her. FMC is committed to strengthening farmers markets across the country for the mutual benefit of farmers, consumers, and communities, and [...]

On October 10th, FMC and Michigan Farmers Market Association held the ’6050W and Farmers Markets: Electronic Payment Reporting Requirements’ webinar.  The webinar explained the background of 6050W, the implication of 6050W on farmers markets, and best practices for scrip recordkeeping.  Most, but not all, markets are exempt, and the webinar explains why and how a [...]