Market Manager Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to the Farmers Market Manager Frequently Asked Questions, a starting place for current and prospective farmers market managers and organizers looking to develop, expand, and improve their organizations. This resource is made possible thanks to the submissions many market leaders have made to the Farmers Market Resource Library, discussions among peers on the FMC Listserv, and the expertise of the FMC Education Committee. This FAQ was developed in 2010 in partnership with the Wallace Center at Winrock International, with support from USDA Risk Management Agency.

This FAQ is broken into seven categories, in which you will find links to specific entries in the FMC Resource Library. 

Market Fundamentals

The Market Fundamentals section includes many of the preliminary questions you will want to ask and answer before opening a market. Find answers to start-up FAQs and watch video interviews with veteran market managers here.

Market Policies

Rules are as important for a farmers market as for a professional sports team, and it’s no surprise that transparency and consistency are key to any policy. Find answers to the FAQs below and watch video interviews with veteran market managers here.

Market Staff

Whether paid, volunteer, or somewhere in between, well-trained market staff are critical for effective outreach and and communication with customers and producers. Find answers to Market Staff FAQs and watch video interviews with veteran market managers here.

Insurance, Liability, and Regulation

Find out what kind of insurance your market and its vendors need, how to legally have live music, and how to keep everyone safe here.

Market Growth, Outreach, and Evaluation

Get the word out about your market to potential customers and expand your product offerings. Read more about growing and measuring success here.

Extending the Market Season

Whether you want to operate year round, open a satellite market, or simply host an extra holiday market, extending the season means more revenue for your producers. Learn more about how to extend the season here.

Increasing Market Access

SNAP? EBT? FMNP? Learn more about integrating nutrition programs into your farmers market and helping connect your farmers with a more economically and socially diverse customer base here.

Please use the Contact Form to suggest additional questions and answers, as well as to clarify or add detail to an existing question or notify us of broken links. Updates will be made to the FAQ periodically based on this input. Share resources with your peers by adding a new resource to the FMC Resource Library using the Submit Form here.