Business Planning Contest Announced for New York farmers markets

      Posted On: September 7, 2018

The contest will be held at the annual Farm-to-Table banquet at the Farmers Market Managers Annual Conference, held March 5 and 6 at the Queensbury Hotel in Glens Falls, NY. The contest will be the after dinner entertainment so that the contestants will have a live audience to present to. A panel of judges will award the first and second place winners and the audience will award a “People’s Choice” award. Each awardee will receive prizes to help them implement their business plan and market their market. Prizes will include:

  • Conference registration fees for the 2020 Farmers Market Managers Annual Contest

  • 10 hours of consultation with CenterMost Marketing’s Lindsay Wilcox, a marketing specialist with specialized training in promoting farmers markets and local agriculture

  • 100 market specific reusable tote bags from Premier Marketing

To register for the contest (open to New York farmers markets only), complete the online application by October 12th. The application is available online here (https://cornell.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0vKPeTwIgy3Dfw1).

 The panel will look at the following criteria to judge the best farmers market business plan:

  • Valid research to identify the market’s local consumer base

  • Plans for long term sustainability

  • Community engagement

  • Realistic and tangible financial projections

  • Understanding of the market’s history and a view of the market’s future

  • Final outcomes expected from the implementation of the plan

  • A marketing plan that reflects the market’s customer base and current shopping trends and behaviors

For questions, contact Diane Eggert at deggert@nyfarmersmarket.com or Laura Biasillo at lw257@cornell.edu.

Funding for the Farmers Market Shark Tank: Farmers Market Business Plans Contest comes from the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets FMNP program.