Join us at the 2018 National Direct Agricultural Marketing Summit, held September 15-18 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA. Registration is now open!

The summit will convene practitioners, researchers, and technical assistance providers to explore best practices in farmers market, farm stand, and CSA management, programming, evaluation, products, and expansion. The summit is made possible by the Food Distribution Research Society (FDRS), the Farmers Market Coalition (FMC), Value-Added Agriculture Conference, and Farm Credit Council (FCC), in partnership with the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service.

Conference attendees will engage with national leaders and experts during plenary and break-out sessions, with technical assistance available for FMPP grantees and MarketMaker stakeholders. FMC is excited to offer the following pre-conference workshops, tailored for market managers and their partners:

• Managing Risk at the Farmers Market (Hosted by Center for Agriculture & Food Systems at the Vermont Law School)
• Trust but Verify:  Maintaining Market Integrity through Policy, Verification & Communication
  
• Data-Driven Messaging to Effectively Tell Your Market’s Story

In addition to assisting with the following summit sessions:

• Data at Work: Fostering Strategic Partnerships at the Market, Program, and Network Level
• Apps, Widgets, and API’s: Tap into Existing Tech to Streamline Your Programs
• SNAP Programming to Support Farmers & Customers

Check out the full summit agenda and register at this link: localfoodeconomics.com/agsummit.

FMC Summit Speakers

Summit Scholarships for FMC Members

The window for scholarship applicants has closed and recipients have been notified as of July 20th. The scholarships are available thanks to generous support from the Center for Agriculture & Food Systems at the Vermont Law School, and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Training & Networking Events Around the Country

(Listed in order by DATE) 
Email Honesta Romberger at honesta@farmersmarketcoalition.org to add your conference or training to the list.

Louisiana:
A Farmers Market Manager Workshop will be held May 31, 2018 in Alexandria, LA. Attendees will learn about the role of farmers market in the food system, insights into managing and sustaining rural markets, pratical tools to develop policies and partnerships, how to strengthen staff and fundraising capacities, and more. Click here for more info.

Louisiana:
The Health Meets Food Conference will be held June 14-17, 2018 in New Orleans. This year’s conference will build on last year’s themes, with a continued focus on food insecurity and a panel of innovators in the field. Click here for more info.

Colorado:
Slow Food Nations will hold its annual festival July 13-15, 2018 in Denver, CO. The event is free and open to the public with select ticketed events. Click herefor more info.

Alaska:
Calypso Farm and the Ecology Center will host a two week Farming Intensive July 22 – August 4, 2018. The Farming Intensive is a highly condensed version of Calypso’s 5-month Farmer Training Program, giving participants a crash coarse in a broad array of growing and homesteading techniques and the business planning materials to develop a Whole Farm Plan for a successful food project. Click here for more info.

National Conference:
The National Direct Agriculture Marketing Summit will be held September 15-18, 2018 in Arlington, VA. The first of its kind in the United States, the summit is specifically designed for farmers market leaders, researchers, technical assistance providers and farmers wanting to share and learn about direct-marketing agriculture resources, research, and more. The summit will be hosted in partnership with FMC, USDA, Food Distribution Research Society, National Value-Added Agriculture Conference and Farm Credit Council. Click here for more info.

Virginia:
The Virginia Farmers Market Association will host their 6th annual farmers market conference on November 8-9, 2018. More details to come. Click herefor more info.