YOU made National Farmers Market Week a Success!

      Posted On: August 15, 2018

Hi farmers market friends,

This is Allie, FMC’s Program Associate and FMC National Farmers Market Week Coordinator. I’m pleased to share that the 19th annual NFMW was a huge success. Thank you for your hard work and participation!

Markets across the country ran with FMC’s NFMW resources and materials, hosting events and garnering media attention for their vendors. Whether it was on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, market communications or through the media, at market or around your community, participation was everywhere!

A recap of the whirlwind week:

• The USDA Proclamation rang in the week and inspired FMC’s Local Proclamation Template, the likes of which was utilized in advance of NFMW by markets nationwide.

Markets that made NFMW local include:

• Richmond Farmers Market, Indiana
• St. Louis Farmers Market, Michigan
• Denton Community Market, Texas
• Owensboro Regional Farmers Market, Kentucky
• Umpqua Valley Farmers Market, Oregon

& States Declaring Farmers Market Week Include:

• Kentucky
• Virginia
• Maryland

If your city or state issued a Farmers Market Week Proclamation, please let us know!

USDA Under Secretary Greg Ibach kicked off NFMW at Union Station Market, in Denver, CO. Secretary Sonny Perdue made an appearance at the USDA Farmers Market on Friday.

• Other officials celebrated NFMW too, including Virgina Gov. Ralph Northam, Kentucky Ag Commissioner Ryan Quarles, Rep. Jimmy Panetta, Rep. Chellie Pingree, Iowa’s Congressman David Young, and Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig.

We had some amazing influencers and organizations help us celebrate, including:

• • Farm Aid, Fran Drescher, Zooey Deschanel’s The Farm Project, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, Fair Food Network, Slow Food USA, National Farmers Union, Farm Credit, The Food Trust, National Young Farmer Coalition, and Salud America!
  • And to boot a few surprise mentions from the Food Network’s Alton Brown and NatGeo!

A big thank you to the 2018 NFMW Featured Markets:

• Gillette Saturday Farmers Market, WY
• Richmond Farmers Market, IN
• Columbia City Farmers Market, WA
• Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, CA
• Mulberry Market, GA
• Bloomfield Saturday Market, PA
• Webb City Farmers Market, MO
• 3rd and Curry St Farmers Market, NV
• Omaha Farmers Market, NE
• Union Station, CO
• & the Fresh Access Buck Crop-up Event, FL

FMC Farmers Market Resource Reach:

• • FMC’s NFMW Infographic was shared over 1,500 times, reaching over 210,000 people on Facebook alone.
  • FMC’s media kit was downloaded 1,670 times

Hashtag Reach on Twitter and Instagram:

#LovemyMarket: 1,164 posts, with approximately 7.5 million impressions!

#FarmersMarketWeek: 4,819 posts, with approximately 38.2 million impressions!

• • #Lovemymarket Instagram Contest generated 750 posts alone on Instagram during NFMW. The Contest is still going strong and will run through Sept. 2nd, so keep posting those fantastic market pics – you could win a prize for both you AND your market!

• • THANK YOU to everyone for extending NFMW engagement and reach. Not only does it generate more excitement for farmers market week, it shares the benefits of farmers markets with more people with the goal of creating new and returning customers! It also highlights the reasons farmers markets are important to their communities with local, state, and federal officials, with the goal of gaining their continued and future support.

National Farmers Market Week serves as a time to highlight the driving points of why farmers markets matter, on large and small scales. The week encourages attendance and celebration for its duration, but also reminds us all that support and buying power at farmers markets matters all-year long.

And just like that, the week has passed, but that doesn’t mean celebrating local food, farmers, and prosperity is over. In the spirit of National Farmers Market Week, make a commitment to shop at your farmers market each week and support farmers throughout the season. Farmers depend on your business to succeed. 

FMC planning for NFMW 2019 is just around the corner. Next year marks the 20th annual NFMW. Hold on to your hats and reusable totes, because it’s gonna be the biggest party yet!

#FarmersMarketWeek,

Allie Vrtachnik, allie@farmersmarketcoalition.org.