This week we caught up with James Grevious of Rebel Marketplace in Aurora, Colorado. Since he last joined us on Tent Talk, he’s been addressing  challenges around establishing a consistent location and a sustainable business model. Staying rebellious, he  continues to create neighborhood food security with a hyper local farmers market. Along with today's update, it's a pleasure to share our talk with James that was originally broadcast in August 2023.  Listen in For James' views and tips on: Intentionally developing and incubating urban farmers  Increasing community capacity from the inside  Balancing market growth and operator capacity  Weighing community needs and financial security

Inviting young people to vend at your farmers market can foster a new generation of market entrepreneurs and delight your community. Sure, there are challenges. It can be a trick to be sure that kids meet permit requirements. Their grown up is probably going to have to sign for insurance. Figure it all out and watch as family and friends come out to support the youngsters and maybe get hooked on farmers market shopping for the long term. Listen in as we consider:   Exploring local regulations for under age vendors  Deciding whether friendship bracelets fit your farmers market  Providing sales tips and training to kids Making sure your consistent vendors benefit too

Whether you're a farmer, maker or market manager, if you have a team, providing them with feedback will make their work life and yours better. It doesn't have to be awkward or uncomfortable to discuss workplace performance. (OK, sometimes it can be.) If you've provided employees with expectations and the tools to meet them, this is just a checkup. We're talking today about how we make these chats productive for everyone involved, including:  Giving people a chance for self evaluation Hire in a hurry? It's never too late to share job descriptions.  We're all motivated by know the why behind processes  Bosses can benefit from feedback too: listen!

What could be a more fitting fundraiser for a market organization than a dinner featuring local chefs and farm fresh ingredients? Organizing a farm to table dinner or a cultural food festival is a little different than coordinating a farmers market. Kasi Haire of Nolensville Farmers Market in Tennessee assures us that much of the skill set is the same: planning, staffing, renting equipment and marketing. Listen in to hear how and why her market keeps finding new ways to help people do good by eating well, including:   The pros and cons of serving dinner on a farm What to consider when budgeting for your event Why fundraising is just one of the goals How to use special events to incubate new vendors

Bookkeeping is yet another of the many hats that farmers market managers wear. There are so many formulas for setting space rent at markets and, especially post-Covid, a whole variety of ways to manage calculating and actually collecting those fees. Do you use a market management program with built in invoicing? Are you adding up percentages of sales and handling cash at the market? Either way, there's plenty to consider and to communicate to make sure things run smoothly. Let's talk about: Pros and cons of flat fees and percentage of sales rates Calculating processing fees vs labor costs Reimbursing for nutrition incentives  Understanding penalties for missing markets or late payments  Building trust with clear communication   

How do you learn and grow in your farmers market career? We met Jessica Mullen of South Carolina's Travelers Rest Farmers Market when she traveled to San Diego for InTents, the national Farmers Market conference. In this episode of Tent Talk, Jessica shares what she finds valuable about InTents and other conferences and networking with other market professionals. She's all about learning, and also about offering educational opportunities at her market. Listen in for Jessica's tips on: Interactive programming for kids Simple cooking classes at the market Using data to educate your community Funding education for farmers and vendors  

What's new and exciting, and what's comforting and familiar about InTents, the multinational Farmers Market Conference? Join us for a quick look ahead to what's in store in March 2025.   What's NEW:  2025 Theme: Speak Up for Farmers Markets! Brand new venue with rooms and meeting spaces under one roof Central location with shops and restaurants and the beach nearby Break out tracks for new and experienced market managers Special sessions for market farmers and vendors What's FAMILIAR: Speed-friending session lead by Cara Mae Wooledge Making your market or business financially sustainable Tons of networking time with people who get you Local food, inspiring talks, (mostly) sunny San Diego

While working for a cheese maker at New York City farmers markets, Peter Henry started thinking about ways producers could expand their reach and increase efficiencies. Now, Ten by Ten Logistics serves more than a dozen farmers at markets throughout New York. Peter continues to explore and refine systems of transporting goods to market, managing inventory and using staff based closer to the market than the farm. Listen in to hear what kinds of coordination help farmers sell at more markets and still have time to farm.  Separating packing and driving from farming, setting up and selling Palletizing so the tent weights are on the truck and the Square is charged Training farmers' own city-based employees on best market practices Creating compensation models that benefit everyone involved

It's another Ask the Pros episode this week, with a mix of topics based on listener questions. We always find that discussing one person's question helps others that are pondering some variation of the same thing. If we don't necessarily have THE answer, we have ideas and experience and those might inspire your handy solution. There's nothing quite like the hive mind. This week we're talking about these questions and more:   • Where can farmers find online tutorials for building effective marketing displays? • How do market managers control political campaigners at the market? • Can we help farmers kick the plastic bag habit?  • What does it actually cost a market to facilitate EBT use?   And last but not least, could a chicken salad donut be a thing? We'll have to check with the sourdough wizards at Slow Rise.

The fourth quarter rolls around every year, but somehow we often forget what to do to prepare for it. Listen in as we chat about moving past the September slump. We're looking forward and making plans to make the upcoming season more productive and less stressful. How are you getting ahead of things?   Reminding farmers and vendors that this cycle happens every year Planning ahead for necessary off days Using slow days to experiment with new displays and systems Recognizing that you can do anything, but maybe not all at once   #farmersmarket #holidaymarkets #popupmarkets #marketvendors #smallfarmers #marketmanagerlife

Managing a farmers market is just like managing a craft fair or fall festival, right? Yes. And no. There are similarities and there are big differences between coordinating vendors on a weekly basis and once a year. When experienced annual event managers Patricia and Brett Keller took over a local farmers market after the sudden departure of its founding manager, they learned a few things. Are you a large scale event coordinator thinking about taking on a farmers market, or a market manager planning an annual fundraiser? Listen in while they share those lessons, including:   • Ease into changes to an established market to avoid mutiny • Relationships are key to both kinds of events • A permit is a permit is a permit, right? Not always • Recruiting help once a year is different than weekly staffing   Today’s episode of Tent Talk, the Farmers Market Podcast, is supported by InTents, the National Farmers Market Conference.

This week we're sharing something a little bit different: a podcast episode where Catt Fields White is the featured guest. Enjoy this conversation from the Fresh Take podcast about the importance of supporting local farmers, small businesses and of course farmers' markets. If Catt doesn't convince you over the next 45 minutes that farmers markets will save the planet, you might want to listen one more time. 😜 Follow along as Catt and Lana over at Fresh Take discuss:  The transformative impact of farmers markets on communities and local economies Challenges farmers are facing today  Navigating regulations, pricing, marketing, and community engagement Preserving healthy food options for future generations

Market participants are a generous bunch, so how do you make sure your farmers and vendors don't give away the farm, so to speak? Freebies and discounts that are shared with market managers, staff and fellow vendors are fun. Still, some guidelines are important. Gifts from the market to your community's worthy causes are the same. Keeping your heart and your business mind aligned is important to keep your whole market family financially healthy. Join us as we consider:   Appreciating generosity while watching out for farmers' well being Developing guidelines to avoid conflicts Balancing the costs and benefits of donations Using donations and giveaways to build loyal shoppers

When The Food Corridor offered a Shared Kitchen-101 workshop at the 2023 InTents Conference, it was a sell out. It's no wonder. In a survey of food businesses operating out of shared kitchens, farmers markets were the most commonly used sales channels, with over 50% responding that they sell at one or more farmers markets. A shortage of kitchens ultimately means a shortage of food vendors at farmers markets, so many markets are exploring developing their own incubator kitchens. Join us as we chat with Food Corridor CEO Ashley Colpaart and discover:   • How to find a shared kitchen that has what you need • Like market managers, shared kitchen operators' jobs are weird • Why swim goggles are required while making habanero hot sauce • The excitement about the Shared Kitchen Summit being back in person 

Selling farmers market gift certificates are a great way to help dedicated customers introduce friends, relatives and associates to the world of fresher food and local community. Now kick that idea up 350,000 notches. Maine Federation of Farmers Markets proactively sells employers on using market dollars as part of their workplace wellness programs and farmers markets statewide are harvesting a bumper crop of sales and shoppers. Listen in as we discuss that program and other topics including:   • The power of cooperative marketing • How tough is tracking and billing? (Not as hard as you'd think.) • The key selling points for big buyers • Don't miss a little tangent about possible changes to SNAP at markets

With election season upon us, managing free speech issues at farmers markets is top of mind. This week we're chatting with Wendy Chen, of the Center for Agricultural and Food Systems at Vermont Law School for a quick update on court decisions that might affect how you manage free speech at your market. And we're spotlighting an episode originally broadcast in 2021, with Lihlani Nelson, also of Vermont Law School, home of the Farmers market Legal Toolkit. Topics today include   • Limiting your farmers market's liability with clear guidelines • Whether speech outside the market can be regulated • How your governing structure might affect your decisions • How to access the Farmers Market Legal Toolkit resources

We know you're busy this week. Us too! Catt's on the road speaking at conferences and visiting Midwest markets. Brijet's rocking National Farmers Market Week in San Diego. You're doing the same, right? So take just a minute and tune in while we chat with Erica Meadows of the Mt Washington Farmers Market in Kentucky. They gained the most votes in America Farmland Trust's 2024 America's Farmers Market Celebration and scored the big prize. We also hear from our friend Sagdrina on Farmers Market Week, National Black Business Month and the latest Farmers Market Coalition initiatives. Super Early Bird tickets for InTents, the Farmers Market Conference is live now with big savings: don't sleep on that. Use the link in our bio and save your seat. 

We have a mixed bag of topics in this month's Ask the Pros episode. With hot weather advisories, fires and floods becoming more common, we've been getting a lot of questions about when closing a market is justified. Weather or not, farmers need to move their produce so it's not a decision managers take lightly. We're chatting about that and a variety of other questions from our listeners and our online community today Listen in while we chat about these quandaries and more:    • Balancing safety, comfort and farmers' and vendors' need to make a living • What to do when you're selling out mid-market • Managing vendor to vendor conflicts that go public • Listening closely to find the source of customer complaints   Remember, Super Early Bird registration for InTents, the National Farmers Market Conference 2025 starts THIS Thursday. Watch this space and our email newsletter for all the details and save.

Join us for a report from Catt's trip to the World Farmers Market Coalition's second General Assembly, in Rome, Italy this month. Delegates from some 70 countries and organizations gathered, representing hundreds of farmers markets and policy making bodies. They heard about the international coalition's current projects and contributed to its visions for the future. Maybe most importantly, they shared perspectives, broke bread, and formed and renewed bonds, market operators from a multitude of places sharing the community that is common to farmers market culture.  

We're about to share so much news about 2025's InTents: the National Farmers Market Conference. Today, we're starting with the announcement that the Request for Proposals opens in just a few days. We're adding a special farmer and vendor track in 2025, so possibilities abound.   Are you ready to share your expertise about a topic with market managers or participants from throughout the US, Canada and beyond? Submit that proposal!   Do you have a need that you're hoping a speaker or panel will address? Pop us an email or a DM and we'll add it to our targets.   Listen in for some tips on how to create a successful proposal, then stick around as we look back on attendees at the 2022 Conference sharing what makes them keep doing this important work.

Volunteers are the lifeblood of many farmers markets and we know that even market managers are sometimes labeled as volunteers. That labor of love is admirable. Is it legal? That depends, and it's complicated. Wendy Chen joined us at InTents, the National Farmers Market Conference earlier this year. Her work at the Center for Agricultural and Food Systems at Vermont Law School includes the newest section of the Farmers Market Legal Toolkit, specifically focused on the role of volunteers at farmers markets. Listen in as we discuss the answers to these questions and more:      What kind of organizations can host volunteers? Do the market bucks you give volunteers put you at risk?   Who is responsible if a volunteer is injured at the market? Can a full time manager be a volunteer? What penalties come with misclassifying team members?   Find the new volunteer resource and more at farmersmarketlegaltoolkit.org

It's hard to believe that we've produced 300 episodes of Tent Talk, the farmers market podcast, since we started almost five years ago. You'd think we might run out of things to talk about, but nope! There are so many ideas to explore, questions to ponder, and issues to delve into. We love creating  opportunities for market businesses and operations to change and grow. We appreciate the endless number of interesting people doing amazing things that generously share their stories with us and our followers. We appreciate you for listening and subscribing. Join us today as we look back and look forward and have a few laughs. Stay tuned, we're just getting started. 

Call it internship, apprenticeship or learning by doing, it's all about training the next generation of farmers, foodmakers and market managers on the job. On this week's episode we talk about how interns can help your market and ways to make those programs beneficial for both sides. A true internship provides education and that takes effort. Determine the best time to establish an internship that works, by considering issues including:   Identifying the differences between interns and volunteers Deciding whether an internship is paid or unpaid  Making sure you get the work your interns produce into that binder Creating success stories like the one from Williamsburg Farmers Market   Thanks to Downtown SLO Farmers Market for the 📸    

It's the 25th anniversary of National Farmers Market Week. Get ready to get ready with the Farmers Market Coalition Toolkit, it's available now. Get ahead of the game with early press releases and outreach to your local policy makers. Order your temporary I Love Farmers Market tattoos. Plan a celebration and don't forget to slip in a little education. This is our week to shine. Join us as we chat with Nino Budabin McQuown of FMC about all the best ways to use the week to raise your farmers markets' profile, including:   Customize your celebration for your community Request a proclamation or visit from local officials now  Suggest farmers and market vendors use NFMW to promote their businesses Whether you plan ahead or scramble, make it fun FMC Toolkit: https://farmersmarketcoalition.org/national-farmers-market-week/

Juneteenth is coming up, are you ready? With the mid-week holiday coming up, we're seeing observances and events scheduled this coming weekend also the following Saturday and Sunday, June 22nd and 23rd, in addition to June 19th itself. Sagdrina Brown Jalal joined us last year to discuss how to honor that day at our markets. This year we'll be amplifying the collective Juneteenth awareness campaign that Sagdrina is leading for the Farmers Market Coalition. Listen in to our brief conversation about this year's plans, and to this spotlight episode originally broadcast in June of 2023, about:   Simple ways to make your farmers market more inclusive Supporting local organizations already doing the work How markets are putting the Anti-Racist Toolkit to work Keeping the momentum going as Black Business Month and National Farmers Market Week intersect

We love a good vendor story almost as much as we love Not Your Nonna's nut-free pesto, full of locally grown basil. Adrianna Zizzo operates her pasta sauce business in six farmers markets a week. Her fledgling business weathered pandemic protocols shortly after she launched. This summer her business is celebrating its five year anniversary. Devoted to using locally grown ingredients and no preservatives, Adrianna has built a devoted customer base and an extended market family. Listen in as we talk about: Ways entrepreneurial parents set us up for success Limiting staff turnover with realistic job descriptions Educating shoppers about eating seasonally Using customer requests to grow your product line Her last word on the sauce versus gravy debate Learn more about our online courses, annual gatherings and farmers market resources at https://www.farmersmarketpros.com. Copyright @ The Farmers Market Pros, 2024.

It's a celebration, it's a contest, it's two exciting things at once and it kicks off this coming weekend. American Farmland Trust has operated America's Farmers Market Celebration for 16 years now. It offers a great chance to make your market more visible and engage your shoppers. The cash prizes are an added bonus. This year's contest is shorter and maybe a little sweeter than last year's, with some new rules in place. Listen in on our conversation with AFT's David Thayer about all the ways the Celebration is designed to advance our shared mission of protecting farmers while promoting farmers markets. Learn about all this and more:     Why the Celebration has a new, shorter timeline Getting your market registered before June 1st Creative ways market contestants get out the vote Remembering that we're all on the same side Celebrating farmers markets all year    Today’s episode of Tent Talk, the Farmers Market Podcast, is supported by American Farmland Trust.

We’re baaaaack! Did you miss us? After our short recording hiatus, listen in to find out where we’ve been and where we’re growing next.🌱 It’s been a busy spring, and we’ve got a lot cookin’ over here. Follow along as we answer burning questions, including:    How Catt and Brijet keep it real (hint: still schlepping barricades)  The location for 2025's InTents Farmers Market Conference Will the Tent Talk Podcast ever be on video? 👀  How to find grant assistance and other consulting services  Where in the world is Catt Fields White, and how many books is she writing?   We'd love to hear what you’ve been up to. Drop a comment and let us know!   Today’s episode of Tent Talk, the Farmers Market Podcast, is supported by Farmers Market University.

The work you do farming, or bringing small farmers and shoppers together, is vitally important. Brent Preston spoke at InTents: The Farmers Market Conference 2019 about his time as an organic farmer, the effects of farming on the environment and how farmers and consumers can change those. His book The New Farm: Our Ten Years on the Front Lines of the Good Food Revolution, shined a light on the complexity of our food systems. Brent continues to do the good work, on his farm in Southern Ontario, Canada, and as current president of Farmers for Climate Solutions.     This episode was recorded and originally broadcast in March 2019 and we think it's still relevant and important, for long time listeners to review and newer followers to discover. It’s a pleasure to share it with you again now.     Today’s episode of Tent Talk, the Farmers Market Podcast, is supported by the national Farmers Market Coalition.

Would you get a chiropractic adjustment or purchase a time share at the grocery store? If you answered no, then why would you expect to find those services at the farmers market? This week on Tent Talk we discuss the pros and cons of hosting service providers and informational/promotional booths at your farmers market. Knife sharpeners, food prep services, masseuses, real estate agents, home cleaning services, and bike mechanics all offer valuable services that your market community may desire. However, integrating them into your farmers market requires some strategy. Listen along for tips on how to curate your markets service providers in a way that aligns with the mission of your organization.    This episode was recorded and originally broadcast in August 2022. Enjoy this encore for long time listeners, and helpful information for our newer followers. It’s a pleasure to share it with you again now.     Today’s episode of Tent Talk, the Farmers Market Podcast, is supported by Project for Public Spaces

Pirate vendors, aargh! No, we’re not talking about buccaneers that sail the seven seas, we’re talking about sellers and solicitors that set up in or around a farmers market as unofficial vendors. Though usually well-intentioned, hawkers, buskers, petitioners, and street vendors can confuse shoppers about where and when the actual farmers market begins, encroach on sales, and could potentially be a liability for farmers market operators. Tune in for some commiseration and brainstorming about what to do and how to handle these unofficial farmers market vendors.   This episode was recorded and originally broadcast in January 2023. We thought it was worth an encore for long time listeners and a great way to provide newer followers with this valuable information.   This week's episode is made possible by support from Vendor-101.

Opening a new farmers market or starting a new season at an existing one is exciting. A lot goes into getting ready to launch, and building up to a truly grand opening. Building awareness and anticipation for both the community and your family of farmers and vendors means a busy opening day. Planning for the natural cycles of a new market will keep everyone's enthusiasm and commitment strong. New and established alike, there's no part of farmers markets that just happens. You make it happen and keep happening for your team and your neighbors.   This episode of Tent Talk was originally recorded and broadcast in May, 2022. We thought it was worth an encore for long time listeners and a great way to provide newer followers with this valuable information, including:     Scheduling an intentional opening date Getting the word out in all the ways Making shoppers feel welcome Understanding the natural ebb and flow of attendance Staging  to maintain the excitement   This episode of Tent Talk is supported by Marketing for Markets, providing online marketing tools and tips to farmers market managers and participants.

Communicating with your farmers market community can take a lot of forms nowadays. Do you send emailed vendor advisories? Use a private Facebook or Instagram group? Smoke signals or carrier pigeons, maybe? One way or another it's important for farmers, vendors and managers that everyone stays in the loop. In this episode Catt and Brijet and Justine are joined by market directors Gina Johnson from Madison, Illinois, and Rebecah Boynton from Nashville, Tennessee.    This episode of Tent Talk was originally recorded and broadcast in July, 2022. We thought it was worth an encore for long time listeners and a great way to provide newer followers with this valuable information, including:     Subject lines that get your emails opened Why written communication is important Determining the right timing for reminders  Facilitating conversations open to everyone  Using social media platforms and tools  This episode of Tent Talk is supported by Vendor-101, providing online education to prospective market farmers and vendors and helping small businesses succeed.

What do farmers market people bring home from vacation? Our first stop is always is the local market, and farmers market merch is our favorite souvenir. Selling shopping bags, t-shirts, water bottles and magnets can add to your income stream and also provide a valuable marketing tool. Depending on local regulations, farmers and vendors can also use swag to remind people of where they found that amazing tomato or bread.   Join us as Catt and Brijet discuss all the tips for how to produce and sell your memorable market merchandise (say that 5 times fast), including:   • It all starts with shopping bags • Determining your real cost of goods • Creating effective designs and displays • Budgeting for lost inventory • Counting and reordering    This episode of Tent Talk is supported by Square, providing simple, efficient ways to track inventory and make on-site sales. 

Your Info or Welcome Booth is your market home away from home. It's often the place that shoppers and farmers and vendors find your team, where you sell fun merchandise, and where you process SNAP EBT transactions. All the things that apply to making farmers' and vendors' booths effective apply here too.    Listen in as Catt and Brijet discuss how to make your Welcome booth, well, welcoming! Discover tips on:   • Making your Info booth visible and attractive • Keeping your booth staffed or letting folks know when you'll return • Making sure your team provides a welcoming presence • Handling prospective applicants effectively • Why local restaurants should be feeding your team   This episode of Tent Talk is supported by American Farmland Trust. If you haven't updated your market information in preparation for the next America's Farmers Market Celebration, do that today. And if you want to keep farmers farming, become a member now.   

What project could you complete if you had funding? The deadline for submitting Farmers Market Promotion Program grants is just 51 days away. This week, we chat with Melissa Siwiec, executive director of Pennsylvania's historic Lancaster Central Market, about the process of applying for and then implementing an FMPP funded project. The process seems intimidating, and the rules and guidelines are rigorous. USDA is very clear about what's required, so priority number one is following instructions. Melissa's pro tips include:   • Deadlines and required formatting are clearly stated and strictly enforced, don't try to skirt the rules • A plan and a goal come first, chasing funding for its own sake is not sustainable • Set some time aside, writing a winning proposal takes time and focus • Partnerships are a required piece of FMPP grants, identify compatible community organizations • Grant funding is released as reimbursements, you'll need reserves to get your projects started   As Ben Feldman pointed out at last month's InTents Conference, plenty of types of activities are funded by Federal grants, none of them any more important or deserving than supporting farmers, farmers markets and food access.    FInd more information and the FMPP grant application form by clicking USDA on the Resource Page at FarmersMarketPros.com   Need one on one grant writing help? Contact Melissa Siwiec here.    This episode is supported by Farmers Market University, helping market managers hone and certify their professional skills.

Our Live from the InTents Conference episode has become an annual tradition, and it's one of our favorites every year. Tent Talk producer Leandra Hays sat down with conference attendees and asked them to share the best part of their market day.  They made us laugh, and cry and sometimes say, "What the heck?" Drop a note in the comments to share the part of your market day that is your favorite. Big thanks to the wide variety of people who shared their experiences from markets coast to coast (we see you, New Brunswick!)

Moving a market is not as simple as scooting a tent or two down the street (not that scooting any tents is without drama.) Sometimes you lose part of your site to a construction project, sometimes a conflicting annual event happens and you have to move the entire market for a day. Finding a new site that can accommodate an established event is a puzzle. You know where the driveways and trees and giant dumpsters are at your current location. What surprises will your replacement venue hold? And how will your shoppers and vendors know where to go?    Listen in as Catt and Brijet discuss the ways they've found to ease the pain as much as possible, while you're away from your home sweet home site, with tips on:   • Identifying a replacement site  • Surveying neighboring businesses and residents • Mapping to minimize disruption for your vendors • What wedding seating plans and market maps have in common • Timing your announcement to avoid confusion • Keeping regular shoppers in the loop and attracting new ones   This episode of Tent Talk is supported by Square, helping farmers, vendors and market managers process payments and invoicing in the tents and at the desk. Don't miss next week's Live from the InTents Conference episode! 

Are you a farmer or small food business trying to navigate finding spaces to sell at farmers markets? Are you a farmers market manager buried in application emails and trying to find the perfect needles in that haystack? In this episode we're chatting about how we process applications for our markets and approaches used by some of our fellow market managers. Yes, you can have an amazing product and still not be a perfect fit for a specific market. Learn how to narrow down your targets if you're a producer. Listen in to find ways to help a diamond in the rough shine if you're a market manager.    Find tips on: • Telling managers everything they need to know about your business • Balancing your market's offerings • Application red flags • Helping new vendors launch successfully

Plenty of us have a love-hate relationship with social media.There's nothing like it right now for keeping shoppers up to date on market offerings days and times, and helping your farm or bakery stand out at a busy market. It's free, sort of. It takes so much time. It's so effective, until they change the rules. It's a trick to find the sweet spot between sharing honest views of your business and your life and maintaining boundaries.  Listen in as Catt and Brijet discuss the best ways for market managers and vendors to work together to increase sales, including:   • Specific tips for markets and farmers and vendors to amplify each other's posts  • The challenges of outsourcing farmers market social media • Defining "free" and remembering that time is money • Using social media to make your booth a magnet at a busy market • Making sure all your eggs aren't in one basket, in case someone trips   Need more marketing help? Check out our online Market for Markets class  https://www.farmersmarketpros.com/marketing-for-markets

Farmers Julie of Stoner Family Farms has diversified her products to achieve better sales at her farmers markets. Her farm is a family operation, and the market business is her baby. Bringing her daughters into the tent helps lighten the load, and teaches them all the things that small business owners learn along the way. Listen in as Julie shares:   • How she decides which markets work best for her • Where farmers markets land on the list of top income streams • Why she decided to diversify her product lines • Ways she's helping new market farmers improve their business   Find Julie's blog with resources for market farmers at www.sffvalpo.com/blog

The 8th annual InTents Farmers Market Conference is just around the corner, starting 3 weeks from today. Listen in to hear more about this year's schedule and what's coming up here in San Diego and live online. There's still time to register, just use the link in our bio or on the home page at farmersmarketpros.com Learn all this and more in this year's sessions:   • Join hive mind roundtables to discuss how we define "farmers market"    • Determine staff members' roles and avoid labor law issues • Map your market to minimize drama, tempt consumers and maximize sales  • Create places of belonging beyond the Anti Racist Farmers Market Toolkit  • Attract sponsors to support operating costs at any size market

We've known Maya Madsen since the beginning of her phenomenal Black woman-owned business' journey. You've heard from her before. We check in often enough to consider her an unofficial Tent Talk podcast co-host.    From the start she told us she meant to create a vegan cookie empire and she's done what it takes to accomplish that. She not only makes delicious cookies, she collects tons of data. She asks for professional help to analyze trends and inform her next moves. Basically, she treats her happy, gorgeous bakery business like a business. Join us to learn from Maya about:   • How a fractional CFO and operations consultant changed her business • Becoming a more profitable business with laminated SOPs  • Where farmers markets fit in a business with brick and mortar stores  • The origin of this year's Black History Month cookie collection • Ways markets can celebrate and not exploit Black History Month 

How can talented food makers learn to be successful farmers market vendors? In this week's episode of Tent Talk we're chatting about vendor education. Being passionate about your product is important; being fully prepared will increase sales and reduce stress. That makes small businesses enduring. Whether you're starting a new business or you're a market manager thinking about providing support to new and existing vendors, listen in to hear about all this and more.   • What do prospective vendors need to know? • Finding local resources to help new and existing vendors • Customizing Vendor-101 for your own markets' needs • What it takes to develop your own course offerings • Should you invest in small business education?

Enjoy this week's Vendor Story episode. Hot sauce is a fast growing category at our farmers markets nowadays, and Chef Saeed is on fire with his fermented sauces featuring unique flavor combinations. It's not just the taste that makes a food business successful though. In our Vendor-101 program we talk about the 4 Ps: Product, Packaging, People and Professionalism. Folks go to a grocery store to grab a familiar product off the shelf. They come to the farmers market to discover new things and get to know the people that feed them. Listen in to hear about Saeed Samad's story and tips for building a successful market business.

With lots of new farmers markets ramping up for their first or second season, let's take it back to the basics. Experienced manager? Stay with us, sometimes a little refresher can be a great thing. Farmer or vendor? Let's see if you think this is sound advice.  There's a lot to know and a lot to do to launch a farmers market and get through those early months. Thinking things through and taking the time to do it right in the first place is a lot easier than fixing mistakes. Locations, budgets, vendor mix and mapping are all key to making a good first impression on vendors and shoppers alike. We’re here to help you think through:  What's the start up budget and where is the funding coming from? Location, location, location! What makes a good site? When do you start marketing a new event? (Yesterday) How do you recruit farmers and vendors?  What to consider when you make your market map Today’s episode of Tent Talk, the Farmers Market Podcast, is supported by InTents, the farmers market conference and all of the speakers and attendees that make it happen. Register now and we'll see you March 4th, 5th and 6th, in San Diego or online.   

It's a new year, a blank slate. January always feels like a good time to think about what's working, what's not, and create your list of things to change and things to do at your market, and personally. We're all about setting InTENTions (see what we did there?). Market managers and market vendors coast to coast, from Florida to British Columbia, join us today to share about what they'd like to concentrate on in 2024. Listen in to hear what we're reflecting on and looking forward to, and what kind of goals some of the folks in our online community have in mind. We'd love to hear about your 2024 intentions: drop a note in the comments. 

Happy New Year! 2023 was a lot, full of changes, excitement, highs and lows. We're welcoming 2024 and looking forward to focused growth, outreach and some exciting collaborations. Unless the universe throws us onto a whole new roller coaster of course, and then we'll do what farmers market pros do: we'll make the very best of whatever we encounter. You will too. For now, take today to relax and we'll be back with a full episode of Tent Talk next week with 2024 In-Tent-ions (see what we did there?) from market friends coast to coast.