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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… Read More
Standing Together Against Racism: Black Lives Matter
Stephanie Fenty June 3, 2020Over the past week, the United States has been shaken by the deep inequities rooted within our justice system that have continued to destroy the lives of Black Americans like George Floyd. In the past, the Farmers Market Coalition has largely remained silent on matters of race and injustice. We will do so no longer.… Read More
“There’s Work to Do”, Edible DC feature with Community Foodworks Hugo Mogollon
Allie Vrtachnik October 12, 2018FMC’s Board President Hugo Mogollon sits down with Edible DC to talk Community Foodworks and food access, and the Market Share program. Read about it all in Edible DC’s feature. Read More
FRESHFARM awarded a 2018 FMPP USDA Grant
Allie Vrtachnik September 26, 2018Congratulations to FRESHFARM, a 2018 USDA FMPP grant recipient! Recipient: FRESHFARM Markets, Inc., Washington, DC Project Type: Capacity Building Expanding Market Success for New and Emerging Mid-Atlantic Farmers Through Training and Multimedia Promotion For a good grower, establishing him or herself as a successful farmer at market requires both business acumen to promote him or herself… Read More
Markets and Truffles: Delaware Couple Invested in Ag
Liz Comiskey August 27, 2018Bernadine ‘Bernie’ Prince believes that the future of farm markets is bright. She is the co-founder and was the former co-director of FreshFarm, a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., that operates a network of producer-only farmers markets in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. FreshFarm, with its school programs, chef demonstrations and other innovations, is considered a… Read More
Bipartisan Senate Farm Bill Good for Farmers Markets
Honesta Romberger June 11, 2018by Ben Feldman, FMC Policy Specialist | ben@farmersmarketcoalition.org On Friday, the Senate Agriculture Committee delivered a bipartisan farm bill that stands in sharp contrast to the draft that failed in the House, particularly as it relates to farmers markets. While the House Bill slashed funding for key farmers market programs, the Senate Bill provides robust… Read More
Farm Bill Update: Uncertainty Looms as Bill Heads for Vote
Honesta Romberger May 16, 2018by Ben Feldman, FMC Policy Specialist | ben@farmersmarketcoalition.org The fate of the House farm bill is still unclear, but over 100 amendments have been proposed, mostly from Republicans, as the bill heads for a possible vote by the end of the this week. Democratic leadership has asked their members not to propose any amendments —… Read More
Farmers Market Coalition Statement of Opposition to House 2018 Farm Bill
Honesta Romberger May 7, 2018May 7, 2018 – The Farmers Market Coalition (FMC), a national non-profit dedicated to strengthening farmers markets for the benefit of farmers, consumers, and communities, has joined more than 370 organizations in opposition of the House 2018 Farm Bill. While FMC is pleased by the increased support for the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) program,… Read More
2018 Opening Dates for DC area farmers markets
Allie Vrtachnik April 19, 2018Check out this DC-area farmers market guide for locations and dates to the 2018 farmers market season. Read More
2018 Program Plus Program applications available through March 23rd
Allie Vrtachnik March 12, 2018“Produce Plus began in 2013 as a locally-funded nutrition incentive program for farmers’ markets administered by the DC Department of Health with the express goal of increasing the consumption of healthful, locally grown produce by low resource residents. This is accomplished by offering incentives and ensuring greater access to farmers’ markets for low resource DC… Read More
Farmers Market Metrics and Market Vendors
Darlene Wolnik November 28, 2017By Dar Wolnik, FMC Senior Researcher | darlene@farmersmarketcoalition.org (A version of this article was published in Growing For Markets August 2017 issue by Dar Wolnik. To subscribe, go to GFM online) Since the 1970s, farmers markets have been started by various groups in order to serve many purposes. The timeline below is arranged by the major… Read More
FRESHFARM: more than markets.
Allie Vrtachnik October 16, 2017FRESHFARM is still a fresh face after 20 years establishing DC, Maryland, and Virginia area farmers markets. Originally launched in 1996 as an American Farmland Trust public education program, Ann Harvey Yonkers and FMC’s Bernie Prince started FRESHFARM’s first market in DC’s Dupont Circle neighborhood in ‘97, and FRESHFARM became its own independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit… Read More
FMC Visits Capitol Hill to Discuss Farm Bill
Honesta Romberger September 21, 2017Last week, Farmers Market Coalition staff and board members were on Capitol Hill as part of our ongoing discussions with legislators about FMC’s legislative priorities and the farm bill. In recent months FMC has visited with legislative ag staff, attended listening sessions, and worked with local markets to bring their representatives to market. This… Read More
How was your National Farmers Market Week?
Darlene Wolnik August 15, 2017Ours was great! AND busy keeping up with all of the amazing media shared by markets and market advocates on all types of platforms. So far, we’ve counted over 2,000 shares and retweets of our posts; last week our staff had numerous interviews with media including mentions in Politico and USA Today. Food and farming… Read More
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue Proclaims National Farmers Market Week
Honesta Romberger August 3, 2017WASHINGTON, Aug. 3, 2017 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has proclaimed Aug. 6-13 to be National Farmers Market Week. This is the eighteenth year USDA has supported local producers by encouraging families to meet, and buy from, the farmers and other vendors at their local farmers market. The proclamation Perdue signed notes farmers… Read More
A Look at Farmers Markets and Advocacy for Today and Tomorrow
Honesta Romberger August 2, 2017As Congress begins its August recess, we’re taking stock of the advocacy work accomplished so far in 2017, and charting the course for the year to come. Based on direction from the Farmers Market Coalition board of directors, the organization has increased our engagement in the the lead-up to the next Farm Bill. Earlier this… Read More
FMC Meets with House Agriculture Committee Staff
Honesta Romberger June 27, 2017Last week, FMC board members Christie Balch, Gary Matteson, Nony Dutton, and Hugo Mogollon were joined by farmer Calvin Riggleman for meetings with the House Agriculture Committee Staff. These staff are experts on Agriculture policy, who work for the committee as a whole, rather than an individual Congressional Representative. It is their job to review… Read More
FMC Statement on 2018 Federal Budget Proposal
Honesta Romberger May 26, 2017Budget Director Mick Mulvaney holds copy of President Trump’s proposed fiscal 2018 federal budget. Photo credit: Andrew Harnik, AP. This week President Trump submitted his 2018 federal budget request to Congress. The budget proposes a 21% cut to the United States Department of Agriculture and the complete elimination of the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) (p. 85),… Read More
USDA Secretary Perdue Testifies Before House Committee on Agriculture
Honesta Romberger May 19, 2017In his first appearance before the House Committee on Agriculture to testify on the “State of the Rural Economy”, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue reiterated the critical role that farmers markets play in providing Americans access to fresh, healthy, American-grown produce. Fielding a question on how USDA is seeking to better meet the nutritional needs… Read More
Counting Visitors at Markets
Darlene Wolnik March 20, 2017-Note: this article is also listed in the FMC Resource Library under surveys/evaluation and can be downloaded there. By Dar Wolnik, FMC Senior Researcher | darlene@farmersmarketcoalition.org Farmers markets across the U.S. use many different methods of counting their visitors. Some of these methods are best used for planning programmatic activities at different points of the… Read More
