Washington State Farmers Market Association Annual Conference a Success!

      Posted On: February 10, 2016

Last week I had the pleasure of spending three inspiring days at the Washington State Farmers Market Association’s Annual Conference held in Olympia, Washington. Under the leadership of Executive Director Karen Kinney, WSFMA brought together over 200 participants from around the state to meet, reconnect, and discuss a diverse range of issues. My colleague Alex Canepa and I represented the Farmers Market Coalition as we spoke to many of these market organizers, farmers, policymakers, nonprofits and community organizations.

The conference’s highlights included an engaging keynote address delivered by Richard McCarthy, Executive Director of Slow Food USA and co-founder of FMC, who spoke to many of the opportunities and challenges facing rapidly growing markets and organizations.

Other experts to present included Kurt Tonnemaker, a farmer who spoke to the group about his recent experience testifying before the U.S. Congress on some of the challenges faced by direct-marketing farmers in Washington State. Before his trip to Washington, FMC worked with Mr. Tonnemaker, WSFMA, and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition to draft testimony that was informative, persuasive, and ultimately well received by the members of the House Agriculture Committee

Kurt’s successful trip to Washington is a fantastic example of the effective partnerships that FMC is privileged to enjoy with state and local leaders, as well as our partners on the national level. Congratulations to the Washington State Farmers Market Association for a wonderful and inspiring conference.