Accessibility at the Market At the 2018 Maine Farmers’ Market Convention (1/11/18), Ketra Crosson, OTL, and Jill Johanning, AIA, gave a presentation about accessibility at farmers’ markets. Jill and Ketra discussed the importance of topics such as secure footing, providing “handicapped accessible” parking (when the permanent blue parking spaces may be obscured by the farmers’ […]
Signage
Marketing Materials for MHB Markets
June 12, 2017 CategoriesSpreading the word… As our farmers’ markets begin to bring in the bounty, MFFM produces a host of marketing materials for our partner markets to use in all sorts of ways. Below, you’ll find many memes for Maine Harvest Bucks farmers’ markets to use in social media or on their website. At the bottom of […]
Key Components of SNAP outreach & promotion
December 20, 2016 CategoriesCLICK HERE to view this short slideshow that we created for a recent conversation with SNAP Educators from throughout the state. Many SNAP Educators assist their local farmers’ market with outreach and promotion of SNAP, Maine Harvest Bucks (or other nutrition incentives), WIC, and other low-income […]
Farmer’s Market Signs
January 28, 2016 CategoriesWhere are Your Farmers’ Market Signs? Maine is largely free of the scourge of billboards, but at the cost of some fairly complex rules around signage (as recently outlined in an article in the Portland Press Herald). Fortunately, the state allows farmers’ markets more latitude than bricks-and-mortar businesses in the area of signage. Here is […]
SNAP Promotional Materials
January 27, 2016 CategoriesHere’s a simple poster you can customize easily. (We hope to have more soon!) Generic SNAP Outreach Poster 2015 Here are some sample materials from other markets: 2015 Lewiston Farmers Market Summer Poster How to use food stamps flier Lewiston Farmers Market SNAP Outreach Poster 2014 with coupon – Lewiston SNAP Outreach Rack Card POLAND […]
Displaying prices: On a blackboard or on the produce?
November 28, 2014 CategoriesDetermining what price to put on your produce is certainly hard enough, but putting some price on your produce is itself an important aid to selling. No matter how appealing your display, how luscious looking and tempting, by not displaying a price on it you are losing sales. There are shoppers who may like the […]
Using the word “organic” when selling at farmers’ markets
July 16, 2012 Categoriesby Heather Omand, MOFGA Organic Marketing Coordinator homand@mofga.org MOFGA encourages market members and managers to monitor the use of the term “organic” at your market. The National Organic Program law, http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop, requires compliance with its regulations in order to use the term organic. If you gross more than $5,000 a year from the sale of organic […]
Quick tips for selling at market
July 10, 2012 Categories1. View Your Stand Like A Shopper. During a pause in business, take a walk away from your stand, then turn around and approach it as a shopper would. Then walk on past and approach your stand again from the other direction. Take note of what strikes your eye and consider how you could make each […]
Thinking about starting a farmers’ market?
June 22, 2012 CategoriesHow 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 […]
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: […]