News
FMC’s Market Manager Fly-In to D.C.: A Productive Exchange
Bec Sloane September 28, 2023Reporting by FMC Policy Intern, Sarah Hale. Last week, for the culmination of this year’s chapter of our Farmer Fly-In Project, the Farmers Market Coalition had an intense two-day fly-in to Capitol Hill. Here’s a recap of our engaging and rewarding interactions with legislators and their staff. September 13, 2023 We began the day with…
FMC Announces Market Manager Fly-In to Capitol Hill
Honesta Romberger August 10, 2023FMC is thrilled to announce the upcoming Market Manager Fly-In in our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., scheduled tentatively for the 2nd week of September! What’s Happening? Thanks to generous additional funding from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and the Regenerative Agriculture Foundation, FMC has the opportunity to invite a select group of market managers to…
Farmers Market Managers are Eager to Make Change: A Report on the Anti-Racist Farmers Market Toolkit Community of Practice in 2022-23
Honesta Romberger August 6, 2023By Nedra Deadwyler and Nina Budabin McQuown The Anti-Racist Farmers Market Toolkit is a framework designed by Black food systems leaders for market managers to implement anti-racist practices throughout their farmers market community to improve experiences of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC). When the toolkit came out a year ago, the response was enormous!…
First-ever Congressional Resolution Recognizing National Farmers Market Week
Honesta Romberger August 2, 2023We are thrilled to announce that the week of August 6 – 12, 2023 has officially been designated as “National Farmers Market Week” through a first-ever congressional resolution recognizing the celebration, co-sponsored by Senator Padilla and Senator Ernst, with support from FMC! This is a monumental occasion for all involved in the world of farmers…
FMC Welcomes Aboard Executive Director, Charisse McGill
Bec Sloane July 28, 2023In the midst of FMC’s busy season ramping up for National Farmers Market Week (NFMW), Philly-based business owner and former market manager, Charisse McGill, steps up to take the reins as the organization’s new Executive Director. Charisse’ entry into the role comes at an exciting time, when opportunities to bring her energy, passion and vision…
Urgent Action Needed: Support These Three Essential Bills to Fortify our Local Farms, Markets and Food System
Bec Sloane July 26, 2023This week offers a critical opportunity for you to advocate for a strong local food system, and we’re calling on you to help make it happen. It’s time to advocate for a robust local food system that supports our farmers, markets, and communities. Congress is working on the 2023 Farm Bill, a critical opportunity to…
Sign-on Letter Supporting Reduction in Matching Funds in Local Farms and Food Act
Honesta Romberger July 6, 2023In an effort to improve the recently introduced Local Farms and Food Act and to seek a reduction in Matching Funds required as part of the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) and the Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) grants, FMC recently circulated a sign-on letter among our networks. The letter has accumulated incredible support, with…
Beloved Community: Tips on Running a Juneteenth Event at your Farmers Market
Honesta Romberger June 25, 2023By Nina Budabin McQuown and Sagdrina Jalal Last week, communities and farmers markets across the country honored Juneteenth—celebrating the emancipation of enslaved Black people in the American South in 1865. For this post, we talked with Sagdrina Jalal, lead consultant on the Anti-Racist Farmers Market Toolkit, and award-winning local food systems organizer, about what Juneteenth…
Farmers Market Organizations Wanted for National Research Study
Honesta Romberger May 26, 2023FMC is sharing an opportunity to participate in a research study on farmers market organizations, conducted by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Services (AMS) and Dr. Hilary King at Emory University. They want your help to identify farmers markets across the country. Many farmers markets are run by organizations that exist to manage that one market. But just…
2023 FMC Updated Policy Priorities
Honesta Romberger May 11, 2023As Farm Bill negotiations heat up, we would like to take the opportunity to share our revised Farm Bill priorities. This update includes priorities related to the acceptance and processing of SNAP and other federal nutrition benefits at farmers markets, specifically the need to: Provide farmers and markets with appropriate and no-cost equipment to process…
