News
Farmers Markets as Part of Disaster Resilience
Hannah Fuller October 28, 2020While wildfires are a natural occurrence, over the past decade we have witnessed years of record breaking recurring wildfires throughout the US, with 2020 being a particular devastating year for communities throughout California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado and neighboring states. News coverage of the millions of acres burned is fading, but the effects of disasters of…
USDA Farmers Market, Local and Regional Food Systems Grants Announced
Hannah Fuller October 2, 2020The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced this week that it has awarded $27 million in grant funding through the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP) and $9.3 million in grant funding through the new Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP) grant program. The grants fall under the Local Agricultural…
Hitching Your Market’s Wagon to a Star
Hannah Fuller September 30, 2020This post was originally published on Darlene Wolnik’s Helping Public Markets Grow Blog. This blog was originally created during the period that our Training & Technical Assistance Director was working as an independent consultant to markets and to FMC. The focus of the blog continues to be opening discussions around systemic change and a theory…
Inspire Civic Engagement at the Farmers Market
Hannah Fuller September 28, 2020In the wake of the passing of the Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg, we hope that all Americans will mourn the passing of a historic member of our Supreme Court and be motivated to actively engage in our political process. These are times when we must lift our collective voices to create the country and systems…
2020 S.D. Local Foods Conference sees changes, opportunities for producers
Diana Broadaway September 24, 20202020 S.D. Local Foods Conference sees changes, opportunities for producers Yankton, S.D.- The annual South Dakota Local Foods Conference (SDLFC) is celebrating its tenth year. The 2020 event, Nov. 5-7 will be the first held entirely online. The SDLFC Planning Committee looks forward to discussing the new opportunities that this year has brought to local…
Disaster Preparation and Recovery: Farmers Markets
Hannah Fuller September 16, 2020Learn what you need to know about markets and disasters on our Disaster Resources for Markets and Farms page. Climate change is predicted to bring more frequent and extreme weather events to all parts of the world. This summer we have already seen historic fires, storms, floods and temperature swings—on top of a global pandemic.…
Drive-Thru Markets: Innovation to Keep Communities Safe
Hannah Fuller September 14, 2020Market leaders are familiar with daily crisis control, but when the crisis is a global pandemic, the resilience and innovation of farmers market operators is vital. One way markets have adapted to COVID-19 has been by implementing drive-thru and curbside delivery and online purchasing methods. Although diversifying sales and delivery methods have been effective ways…
Technology and Farm Direct Channels: Solving Problems
Katie Myhre September 4, 2020Of all the definitions for technology out there, the one I like the most is “knowledge put into practical use to solve problems or invent useful tools.” In my experience fighting for a regional-based food network, the problems our food communities face have always been the focal point. At center of creating a strong local…
Reflecting on National Farmers Market Week 2020
Hannah Fuller August 26, 2020The 21st annual celebration of National Farmers Market Week took place August 2nd through 8th. Seeing the engagement of market operators and dedicated supporters throughout social media during the week made it clear from the start that this NFMW was a great success despite the historic challenges faced by farmers market operators nationwide due to…
Seen but not heard: Farmers markets on the frontline of the coronavirus crisis
Hannah Fuller August 17, 2020Photo by Reana Kovalcik 2020, at FARMFRESH Farmers Market in DC The coronavirus pandemic has shown how quickly our food supply chain can be interrupted. While farmers markets are often viewed as a privilege for the well-off, this pandemic has cemented markets as essential businesses that have an important role to play in increasing access…
