News
Search Results for: marketing
What’s In A Name? Protecting Farmers Market Integrity through a Common Definition
Stacy January 13, 2010One of the first issues that Farmers Market Coalition (FMC) members asked the organization to look at after FMC’s incorporation in 2006 was the definition of the term ‘farmers market.’ Then, as now, the use of the term (with or without an apostrophe) is coveted from marketing and public image perspectives and is not always used with sufficient integrity or in the best interest of family farms.
FMC Awards Nine Educational Mini-Grants to Farmers Market Associations
StacyThis winter, the Farmers Market Coalition awarded mini-grants of $500 each to support educational events for farmers market managers and producers in early 2010. Take a look at our nine very deserving grant recipients, and the unique events their awards will support:
USDA Update: Getting to Know ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’
StacyIn September 2009, the USDA launched Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food: a USDA-wide effort to better connect consumers with sustainable local producers and spark a nationwide conversation about the importance of understanding where food comes from. Since then, Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced Farm-to-School tactical teams that will tour American schools to evaluate how they might transition to purchasing local food, awarded $4.8 million to community food projects, and held a Facebook chat to expand conversation on local food systems.
FMPP Seeks Reviewers for 2010
StacyThe Farmers Market Promotion Program will have approximately $5 million in funding available in 2010 to encourage and support the viability of farmers markets and direct marketing projects nationwide, with a particular emphasis on those projects that will help increase low-income consumers’ access to fresh, local fruits and vegetables through the use of electronic benefit transfers (EBT). A request for applications, according to USDA AMS, should be posted in January or February.
FMC Member Meeting & Board Election Scheduled for March 17th
StacyThe Farmers Market Coalition board of directors has scheduled the 2010 member meeting for 1 p.m. Eastern on March 17th.
FMC Member Meeting & Board Election Scheduled for March 17th
StacyThe Farmers Market Coalition board of directors has scheduled the 2010 member meeting for 1 p.m. Eastern on March 17th.
FMC Partners with Wallace Center and SSAWG to Host Farmers Market Manager Short Course
StacyOn January 20th and 21st, a diverse line-up of presenters will converge in Chattanooga, Tennessee to lead a farmers market short course in advance of the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group’s (SSAWG) 19th Annual Winter meeting, Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms Conference.
USDA Announces FSMIP Funds for 2010
Stacy December 17, 2009On Tuesday, December 15, the U.S. Department of Agriculture invited state departments of agriculture, state agricultural experiment stations and other state agencies to submit proposals that help market, transport and distribute American food for funding through the Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP). FSMIP could be a promising funding opportunity for farmers market programs.
Food Safety Update: Some Victories Gained, Some Questions Remain
Stacy December 16, 2009Although recent revisions to the food safety bill S.510 address concerns about environmental standards and traceability requirements, the bill still includes several worrisome regulations that place undue burdens on local food systems. FMC describes the work that still needs to be done to create a bill that is safe both for consumer health and for the viability of small and mid-sized farmers.
Farmers Market Coalition Launches Website Upgrades, Improvements to Interactive Resource Library
Stacy November 24, 2009A newly upgraded Farmers Market Coalition website makes its online debut this week, strengthening the Coalition’s power to serve as a national hub for the exchange of farmers market best practices.
