How To Go About It There are several specific steps to follow. Generally start by finding farmers, gardeners and others in your area who might consider selling through a market. The success of any market depends ultimately upon the decisions made by the members, the range of products they sell to attract a range of […]
June 2012
Types of farmers’ market members
June 22, 2012 CategoriesIt may be useful in discussions about markets to categorize all the various members of farmers’ markets in some way. It is acknowledged that there are certainly other ways to categorize market members and that this particular method of ignores the size of their operation, although most of Maine’s farmers’ market members are micro-businesses, too […]
How do YOU spell it?
June 22, 2012 CategoriesYou see it on your market’s signs. You probably have to write it at least a dozen times a year. Not everyone has the same understanding of basic English grammar to get it right every time. Here’s how an English teacher might explain it: Farmer’s Market: a market belonging to a single farmer. Farmers’ Market: […]
Farmers’ Market Ads We’d Like to See
June 22, 2012 CategoriesSample Ad #1: Take a break. Get Outdoors. Go Shopping Outdoors. See what’s in season for dinner this week. Avoid eating industrial commodity foods from far away sold under fluorescent lights. Gather the goodness created by the local earth, the local rain, the local sunshine and the local people. Take a stand against the winter […]
Market rules and by-laws: What’s the difference?
June 22, 2012 CategoriesMany people use the terms “Rules” and “By-Laws” interchangeably. They are similar, but have basic differences. You might think of the difference this way: By-laws are like our Constitution, and Rules are like our laws. Rules (sometimes called “guidelines” or “regulations”) are for the day-to-day operation of the markets. They are often changed a little […]
Missing the point about “Why Farmers’ Markets Fail:” A lesson in radical green economics of yesterday and tomorrow
June 22, 2012 CategoriesThe recent feature article “Why Do Some Farmers Markets Fail?” excerpted from an extension bulletin by Larry Lev, Garry Stevenson and Linda Brewer in the March/April 2008 issue of Farmers’ Markets Today seems to have left out some very important factors leading to the demise of certain farmers markets. The article does mention several factors that […]
What do I need for setting up at a farmers’ market?
June 22, 2012 CategoriesSo you’ve decided to try selling at a farmers’ market. The gardens are weeded, the harvest is starting, and it’s time to sell. What equipment and techniques will you need to help sell your produce? This pamphlet was written by two farmers (Kate Slattery & Tom Roberts) from opposite ends of the state—one with 10 […]
Dependent Markets vs. Independent Markets
June 22, 2012 CategoriesConsider for a moment the way farmers’ markets are organized. Not whether or how they are incorporated, not how many or what kind of members they have, but rather how and whether the membership is involved in the management of the business of being a farmers’ market. There seems to be two general categories: those […]
A 2020 vision for Maine’s farmers’ markets
June 22, 2012 CategoriesThe future reality of farmers’ markets can be determined to a great degree by today’s vision of what we’d like to see, and on what tools we have and can develop to bring that vision about. This article discusses our understanding of where we are today, and what choices we might make to bring about […]
Promotional ideas for farmers’ markets
June 22, 2012 CategoriesThis list is a compilation of promotional ideas for Farmers’ Markets that have been tried in Vermont and Maine from 1985 to 2000. We include some obvious ones such as “take out an ad in the paper or radio” but also list the more creative and customer-involving ideas we have heard of. If you or […]