News
New book examines farmers market management ecology
Stacy December 8, 2008Title: Farmers’ Markets: Success, Failure, and Management Ecology Author: Garry Stephenson Farmers’ Markets: Success, Failure and Management Ecology explores historic trends related to growth and decline in market numbers, examines the management organization associated with markets of specific sizes, analyzes the characteristics and issues associated with markets that fail, and offers a model that illustrates…
July Proclaimed Michigan’s “Farmers Market Month”
Stacy July 28, 2008After walking through a sea of nearly 50 Michigan vendors at the “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” Select Michigan farmers market on the Capitol lawn Thursday, Governor Jennifer Granholm proclaimed July 2008 “Farmers Market Month” in Michigan. If every Michigan resident spent just $10 on local food weekly at farm stands or farmers markets like this…
July Proclaimed Michigan's “Farmers Market Month”
StacyAfter walking through a sea of nearly 50 Michigan vendors at the “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” Select Michigan farmers market on the Capitol lawn Thursday, Governor Jennifer Granholm proclaimed July 2008 “Farmers Market Month” in Michigan. If every Michigan resident spent just $10 on local food weekly at farm stands or farmers markets like this…
National Farmers Market Week Proclaimed
Stacy July 24, 2008The USDA Secretary of Agriculture Edward Schafer has issued an official announcement proclaiming August 3rd-9th as National Farmers Market Week for 2008. You can read the official proclamation here.
New Directors Join FMC Board
Stacy July 21, 2008After hosting FMC’s first ever web-based member meeting July 14th through 18th, FMC is proud to welcome eight new Directors to the Board: Copper Alvarez, Director, Big River Economic and Agricultural Development Alliance/Manager, Red Stick Farmers Market (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) Chris Curtis, Director, Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance (Seattle, WA) Cheryl DeBerry, Co-Owner, DeBerry Farm (Oakland,…
New Web site Resources, Upgrades on the Way
Stacy July 20, 2008The Farmers Market Coalition is pleased to announce that it is presently upgrading its web site to include some new features, including a searchable library of resources where users will be able to find sample documents, tip sheets, guidebooks, available research, and other resources on farmers markets in one easy-to-navigate portal. Working with the Wallace…
Preliminary Farmers Market Survey Results Offer New Insights
StacyAs many in the farmers market community are well aware, a dearth of comprehensive research on farmers markets at the national level is just one of many challenges to identifying and addressing common obstacles. The gap in knowledge, thankfully, is about to grow a little smaller, as the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will be…
Reader Survey Reveals Operational Trends
StacyThe magazine Farmers’ Markets Today recently celebrated its one-year anniversary, and this spring e-mailed a survey to 1200 of its subscribers who manage or sell at farmers markets or who are involved with a market in some other role. Editors at the magazine have generously shared data from this effort with the Farmers Market Coalition,…
“Market” Research: Learning the Dynamics of Building Community
Stacyby Michael Rosenkrantz, FMC trans·act Fellow What better way to spend a day than at a farmers market, enjoying juicy peaches, nectarines and plums, interacting with customers and vendors and finding out what people truly think about markets? Beyond the variety of food is the diversity of sounds: a young teen singing Neil Young covers,…
Summer is the Ideal Time to Sow FMPP Seeds
StacyMany readers are probably familiar with the Farmers Market Promotion Program, a competitive grant program administered by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service to assist in establishing, expanding, and promoting farmers markets and to promote direct producer-to-consumer marketing. In the past two years, limited funding for the program and a wealth of proposals has meant that…
