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.

View the agenda and register for the summit at this link: localfoodeconomics.com/agsummit.

Call for Outreach Posters

The Farmers Market Coalition and National Value-Added invite submissions of Outreach Posters for the 2018 National Direct Agricultural Marketing Summit in Arlington VA from September 17-18, 2018. Outreach Posters will highlight successful farmers market programs and technical assistance resources available to producers, market managers, and other practitioners involved in direct-to-consumer agriculture. We seek to recognize innovative work taken on by Extension staff, technical service providers, and local food system practitioners. Accepted Outreach Posters will be displayed throughout the summit. Poster authors will have the opportunity to present on their work during Poster Networking Sessions.

Use this form to submit a 300 word abstract on your proposed poster topic. Email Outreach Poster submissions to Jeffrey O’Hara, at  Jeffreyk.ohara@ams.usda.gov by June 18, 2018. Authors will be notified of acceptance by July 13, 2018, and will be responsible for creating and printing a 24″ x 36″ poster.  FMC will cover the conference registration fees for Outreach Poster authors (one per poster).

Accepted posters will be eligible for publication in the proceeding issue of the Journal of Food Distribution Research.

Call for Research Posters
Interested in showcasing exciting research you’ve taken part in? The Food Distribution Research Society is also hosting a Call for Research Reports and Updates, which will be displayed at the National Direct Agricultural Marketing Summit. To learn more, visit http://www.fdrsinc.org, and go to “Conferences.” Questions & correspondence regarding Research submissions can be sent to Research VP Dawn Thilmany at the following address: FDRSVPresearch@gmail.com.

Summit Scholarships for FMC Members

FMC seeks to ensure that an exemplary and diverse group of market operators is able to attend the National Direct Agricultural Marketing Summit in September, and is pleased to provide a $600 scholarship to 15 FMC members. Scholarship recipients will showcase a dedication to their farmers and community, and a desire to learn from and connect with other managers and leaders in the field. Recipients will commit to attending FMC’s pre-conference workshops on Sunday, September 16th from 3pm to 6pm ET, titled, “Managing Farmers Market Risk & Integrity.”

To apply, complete the following two steps:

  1. Complete this form by writing 4-6 sentences (under 250 words) about the mission and activities of your market, and how attending the conference will advance your goals.
  2. Complete a Market Profile for your market on Farmersmarketmetrics.org. For detailed guidance on creating a Market Profile, click here. 

FMC will send email confirmation of your submission when both the form and Market Profile have been received. Submissions are due by July 9th at midnight ET, and recipients will be announced on July 20th. Scholarships will be provided as a check made out to the farmers market organization. Applicants and scholarship recipients are still responsible for registering for the summit on their own, at this link.

These 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.