Final report for ENE20-161
Project Information
In a survey conducted in fall 2019, 15% of farmers market managers expressed interest in addressing challenges regarding recruiting and retaining producer and community partners. Many indicate a need for a focused training and a better way to identify resources for them to be able to serve farmers and producers in their communities more effectively. Later that year a survey conducted by the West Virginia Farmers Market Association (WVFMA) showed that 47.62% of the managers participating in this second survey expressed that farmers in their area struggle with identifying trained and affordable labor to support their agriculture businesses. Of those managers surveyed, 47.62% reported that producer supply and demand over the course of the market season seemed to be a difficult barrier for the longevity of their farmers market.
To address these barriers and others not mentioned previously, the WVFMA developed a program to empower farmers market managers to act as service providers for the farmers in their communities. Over the two year program, eleven farmers market managers participated in workshops, online training events, consultations with expert service providers, and convened in a Peer Network. They were provided with personalized guidance and mentorship from individuals with similar experience. Farmers market managers were asked to complete one-on-one discussions with WVFMA staff after conducting surveys among the vendors at their market. The information gleaned from these interactions determined the types of training provided to farmers and farmers markets throughout the following season. Topics included barriers in understanding rules and regulations, identifying capital for investments in their business, networking among farmers market managers to understand common issues, and marketing. The most common need expressed nearly each meeting was for marketing assistance. In addition, the participants were afforded the opportunity to change the state agriculture landscape by joining the Processing, Aggregation, and Distribution (PAD) Network. These opportunities helped farmers market managers better understand the resources available for producers across the state, and helped provide education and resources to 110 farmers in West Virginia.
As a result of participating in this program, seven of the eleven participants saw a significant increase in vendor revenue. Seven of the participating markets saw an increase in customer spending. From the 2021 Dashboard, the average percent change in vendor revenue was 239.56% between 2019 and 2021. From the same document, the average percent change in customer spending was 63.27%. It is plausible, but not verified, that the reason the customer spending did not increase at the same rate as vendor revenue may be due to an increase in customers attending the farmers market. This data report was generated based on monthly reports provided by participants.
Due to the global pandemic caused by COVID-19, in-person events were cancelled or restricted for the first twelve months of the program. However, the WVFMA was able to adapt to host virtual meetings and one-on-one consultations over video conferencing services. The organization also began hosting monthly meetings to form the market manager Peer Network. This allowed the continuation of the program despite the ongoing pandemic. Each monthly meeting was hosted by the WVFMA staff and highlighted a special topic or speaker of interest. In summer 2021, the pandemic started to become more manageable and in-person training events began. Over these two years the WVFMA along with partners at WVU Extension, WV Department of Agriculture and local farmers markets were able to host a total of fourteen training events or workshops and twenty one-on-one consultations. These activities provided educational opportunities and resources for 110 farmers across West Virginia and contributed to an average increase of $40,893.20 per year of revenue to each participating farmers market's local economy.
Although we were not able to verify how many farmers adopted practices presented in this series, it is clear that this program has had a positive impact for the communities it served.
Twenty-one service providers will host 20 events for 70 farmers to address producer barriers. Ten farmers market managers will identify barriers and map resources to assist 60 farmers in increasing their farmers market sales. Ten farmers market managers will address barriers and improve marketing at ten farmers markets to increase customer spending by $1 per customer per week for 60 farmer vendors. Sixty farmers will adopt new marketing practices leading to $9000 in increased market revenue.
Problem and Justification: West Virginia producers were facing barriers without understanding the resources available to them in their region to remove those barriers. Agriculture service providers in the role of farmers market managers identified some common producer barriers in a targeted 2019 survey conducted by West Virginia Farmers Market Association (WVFMA). WVFMA monitored these barriers and periodically assessed the regional progress being made to help producers work through them.
Solution and Approach: Farmers market managers are supporting producers who are not fully aware of the resources available to them. WVFMA developed leadership skills among twelve West Virginia farmers market managers who now serve as agriculture service providers in support of growth and sustainability for profitable agriculture businesses. Managers were included in statewide conversation with experts and statewide service providers and trained by WVFMA and other agriculture service providers in a peer-to-peer environment which uses resources and technical assistance available to them to continually assess and address producer barriers. Trained farmers market managers have used the knowledge gleaned to provide ongoing support to producers through collaborative events and developed connections with statewide resource providers who can help them. Producers participating in the events coordinated by the local farmers market manager gained knowledge and confidence to improve the sustainability of their agriculture business.
Value Chain Cluster Initiative (VC2) has developed a statewide communication network around Processing, Aggregation and Distribution consisting primarily of agriculture service providers. Within that network there is greater representation of West Virginia farmers markets. Thirty-four organizations were represented with only 17.65% of them being farmers markets. Twelve farmers markets were invited and began to participate in the network, however, very few continue to attend regular meetings. WVFMA and VC2 used this established network to survey twenty statewide agriculture service providers, ten of them being farmers market managers, to determine what they believe are the biggest barriers for producers statewide. This survey assessed resources and technical assistance already in place to address identified barriers. The barriers were identified and services were mapped; connections between statewide service providers and producers were established. The services map was used to determine which service providers would be most interested and helpful in addressing the monthly topics mentioned by farmers market managers in the Peer Network.
Milestones and Performance Target: This was designed to improve the sustainability among agribusinesses through agriculture service providers. Managers were trained to collect and report vendor sales data and customer count data on a monthly basis using the WVFMA data collection toolkit available online. Twenty-one service providers hosted 14 events and 20 one-on-one consultations for 110 farmers to address barriers in their agriculture businesses. Eleven out of twelve farmers market managers who participated successfully identified barriers and mapped resources to assist 110 farmers in increasing their farmers market sales. Seven out of twelve farmers market managers addressed barriers and improved marketing at their farmers markets which increased customer spending by $3.72 per customer per week for their farmer vendors. With the help of farmers market managers, farmers adopted new marketing practices which lead to a total $40,893.20 in increased market revenue at eight participating farmers markets.
Educational Approach
The WVFMA solicited 13 farmers market managers via an open call for applications. A selection committee reviewed applications and selected participants who showed a strong relationship with farmers and expressed readiness to assemble experts, tools and resources in order to coordinate local trainings and events to meet the needs of the farmers and producers in their service area. Farmers market managers were provided training as agriculture service providers to: identify trained and affordable labor, address supply and demand, assess costs associated with input, processing and expansion, and general marketing practices. Additional topics offered included: production planning, vendor retention, and community partnership development based on the needs identified by local producers.
The WVFMA hosted an initial train-the-trainer event to kick-off the program where participating managers gained leadership development skills and were integrated into a peer network of statewide agriculture service providers. Survey results from previous trainees indicated a preference for peer learning and the WVFMA included phone calls, training opportunities and site visits. Throughout the program managers were offered 1-on-1 sessions with WVFMA staff and group peer support. Additionally they had access to technical assistance through the peer network. Peer training topics were focused sessions on areas of interest and future needs expressed by the participants.
Each manager was encouraged to develop their leadership skills as an agriculture service provider. They were provided resources and technical assistance available via the peer network to host training events for producers. Market managers successfully identified needs and developed strategies to overcome producer barriers. They became more proficient in financial sustainability, program and partnership development, and knowledge of available statewide resources. Participants were invited to attend peer-to-peer networking opportunities involving other agriculture service providers including market managers.
Milestones
In spring 2020, the WVFMA will survey 30 agriculture service providers statewide to determine what they believe are the biggest barriers for producers in West Virginia. Service providers within the statewide network, previously established as the Processing, Aggregation and Distribution (PAD) network, will be asked to report what resources, technical assistance, and services they have to assist producers in addressing those barriers. This initial framework will be a starting point for connections between agriculture service providers and farmers.
10
20
74
19
October 21, 2020
Completed
November 30, 2021
On May 28, 2020 the WVFMA collaborated with Liberty Newberry from Value Chain Cluster Initiative (VC2) and Grow with the Flow (Patti Miller) to provide an on-boarding training session to ten farmers markets. The training event took place via webinar (Zoom) and was recorded for future viewing and participants who were unable to attend on the day of the event. During the session, Erica Gallimore (WVFMA Project Coordinator) gave a program overview and outlined the WVFMA Data Collection and Record Keeping Toolkit with templates for vendors and managers. Participants were able to provide feedback and input data into a test form for practice. Liberty and Patti introduced the resources available through the PAD Network and began an open discussion about producer barriers.
In spring 2020 following the onboarding training session, the nine farmers market managers indicated through open discussion the types of barriers affecting their market and the agriculture businesses that support it. As a result, WVFMA staff set a schedule of meetings to include eight agriculture service providers with resources to address identified barriers.
In October 2020, the WVFMA and nine agriculture service providers discussed the biggest barriers identified by seventy four producers in West Virginia. Service providers within the statewide network, previously established as the Processing, Aggregation and Distribution (PAD) network, were asked to report what resources, technical assistance, and services they have to assist producers in addressing those barriers. This initial framework will be a starting point for connections between agriculture service providers and farmers. Later that month, the nine market managers (representing 74 farmers) contributed to the 2020 WV Farmers Market Census. (2020 Census Results Handout)
The WVFMA will then solicit up to ten market managers via an open call for applications between March 1 and April 30, 2020. A selection committee comprised of members of the agriculture service provider peer network will review applications to select farmers market managers who have strong relationships with farmers and who express readiness to assemble experts, tools and resources in order to coordinate local trainings and events that meet the needs of the producers in their service area. Eligible farmers markets must have at least six active producers or farmers in participation weekly during their season.
10
10
12
June 01, 2020
Completed
May 14, 2021
The WVFMA used the 2019 Farmers Market Census to identify and solicit nine market managers, representing 86 farmers, to participate in this program. The WVFMA recruited three additional markets representing 30 farmers in 2021 using a selection committee comprised of members of the agriculture service provider peer network. Eligible farmers markets had at least six active producers or farmers participating weekly during their active season and completed the 2020 Farmers Market Census.
One of the three ultimately could not participate due to personal challenges that could not be overcome through the methods presented in this project. However there were still additional producers served by this project, one of the new markets represented 10 additional farmers, while the other represented 14 new farmers. These two markets actively participated in group discussion, co-hosted workshops on public policy changes with the WVFMA and WV Department of Agriculture, and attended the virtual 2021 Small Farm Conference hosted by West Virginia University Extension.
Participants will be surveyed three times over the course of the program to determine a starting point and progress. The first survey will take place during the initial training event held by the WVFMA. Two additional surveys will be issued to participants in February 2021 and February 2022, one annually, during the WV Small Farms Conference.
10
10
91
12
February 28, 2022
Completed
November 18, 2021
During October 2020 the nine participating managers, representing 74 farmers, were also tasked with collecting data regarding barriers faced by producers and encouraged producers to speak with them about their challenges in sustaining their agriculture business. These interviews were guided by a checklist of known barriers identified by PAD Network service providers (Producer Barriers - Individual). Each of the nine managers met with WVFMA staff on either October 20 or 21, 2020 to discuss the results of the producer barriers discussion and to review the data analysis of the records and identify trends in reported metrics from the season. All managers improved their record keeping abilities and provided more accurate reports to the 2020 census as a result of implementing better record keeping practices. This was evaluated by comparing the analyzed monthly data records and results of the 2020 census analysis.
Participants were surveyed again in November 2021. Data was provided to the WVFMA from eleven of the twelve participants. Data was analyzed comparing previous information provided during the most recent census each market contributed to and information provided over the course of the program. A dashboard report was generated for the markets, and provided to the managers during one on one sessions in October 2020 and November 2021. The final result was the data report, 2021 Dashboard. This report shows an average change in customer spending at 63.27% and an average change in vendor revenue by 239.56% for the vendors who participated in the program.
Farmers market managers will be trained as agriculture service providers in November 2020. Resources and technical assistance will be offered and provided to farmers market managers before and after the initial training. Managers will be integrated into a peer-to-peer network of agriculture service providers including other farmers market managers that will allow them to address ongoing barriers and identify solutions to producer barriers. One-on-one technical assistance will be made possible once the barriers are identified and resources are mapped.
10
10
17
February 28, 2022
Completed
February 11, 2022
Once monthly after the initial meeting in May 2020, the managers met in a peer network virtual call to discuss producer barriers. In June, and July 2020 the managers met with each other and WVFMA staff. In August, Shelley Keeney (Manager of The Wild Ramp in Huntington) met with the peer group to discuss conflict resolution among producers. The peer network was introduced to the WV Department of Agriculture Regional Coordinators in the September meeting. October 2020 was full of events including a peer network meeting, one-on-one consulting sessions, and a production planning workshop. In November the peer network hosted the USDA Farmers Market Manager and their VegU Coordinator who spoke about marketing opportunities and vendor retention during the pandemic. In December 2020, Dr. Dee Singh-Knights spoke about food safety and GAP certification training.
Between May and December 2020, there were ten online events for the participating market managers and each of the nine managers participated in one-on-one coaching sessions with WVFMA staff. These meetings will continue indefinitely, and will gradually include farmers market managers in other WVFMA supported programs.
Virtual meetings continued into 2022. Farmers market managers attended frequently to discuss common issues effecting their producers and communities. This group has been established as the West Virginia Farmers Market Association Peer Network, and currently offers mentorship support to farmers market managers and representatives in West Virginia. In February 2022, seventeen farmers market managers were active participants in the monthly discussion. In March 2022, the WVFMA expanded the network to include all current members which as of July 2022 included 57 farmers market members. This network will continue indefinitely.
The WVFMA will work as the catalyst for farmers market managers to find partners and resources to address producer barriers. The WVFMA will then coach market managers to host their own regional training events annually, twenty events in total for individual farm viability. The WVFMA will assist in recruitment of partners and collaborators for these events.
60
10
47
17
February 28, 2022
Completed
June 13, 2022
In spring 2021, the peer network participants began scheduling events for producers with the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, and West Virginia Farmers Market Association which included resources provided by service providers who attended monthly peer network meetings. These training events were planned and hosted with a focus on regional producer barriers regarding food safety and vendor safety. There were 9 events in total between June 24 and August 24, where 11 farmers markets and 47 producers were represented.
Between April and June 2022, six farmers market managers within the peer network hosted three events to help farmers better understand marketing and labeling requirements. There were approximately 28 farmers in attendance, who connected with service providers to help them address their barriers in product development.
Managers will be trained to use the WVFMA data collection toolkit including the record keeping toolkit before the start of the 2020 farmers market season, which is variable for each farmers market. Once the 2020 farmers market season begins, the managers will report their monthly sales and customer count data to the WVFMA to be recorded. Participant sales will show an increase annually as well as the average dollar amount a typical customer spends at the market weekly. Data collection will continue throughout the course of this program.
60
10
110
11
December 31, 2021
Completed
March 25, 2022
Managers were trained to use the WVFMA data collection toolkit including the record keeping toolkit during a virtual on-boarding event on May 28, 2020. Once the 2020 farmers market season began, the managers reported their monthly sales and customer count data to the WVFMA to be recorded. The data metrics reported to the WVFMA by the participating managers were reported to them by the farmers and producers participating in their farmers market, 74 total farmers reported sales regularly to managers. The preliminary data has shown seven out of nine participants increased annual sales and five out of nine increased the average dollar amount a typical customer spends at the market weekly. As a result, a report to identify regional trends was created as a 2020 Dashboard. New Vendor Sales Report 2020 was used to collect data and data collection will continue until December 2021.
Data was collected through the end of 2021, and provided to the WVFMA in January and February 2022. In March 2022, the WVFMA was able to begin the data analysis for the information provided. It was compiled in a report called 2021 Dashboard. The eleven markets who participated in the peer network were presented with a dashboard outlining their growth since the beginning of the project with comments on the resulting graphs. Many chose to continue to participate in the peer network after reviewing the infographics, because they perceived a correlation between the market's success and their participation in the network.
A peer networking meeting will take place in fall 2020 and then another in 2021 to allow farmers market managers to share their successes and identified barriers with other agriculture service providers in the PAD network.
60
10
17
December 31, 2021
Completed
March 28, 2022
Monthly peer networking meetings began taking place in June 2020, and will continue indefinitely. The WVFMA continued monthly meetings through 2021 and 2022 to allow farmers market managers to continue to share their successes and challenges. Conversations and identification of common barriers has led the WVFMA to collaborate with WVU Extension Small Farm Center, a member of the PAD Network, to develop a curriculum for a West Virginia Certified Farmers Market Manager course. This curriculum will primarily focus on marketing and troubleshooting perceived challenges regarding marketing. Members of the Peer Network began to inform the content and resources for course materials in June 2022 and will be a vital influence in the curriculum throughout its development.
Managers in the peer network have participated in quarterly PAD Network calls since they were invited into the discussion in early 2020. This next step, developing a curriculum for market managers to understand marketing techniques, comes as a result of the market manager's involvement in both the PAD and Peer networks as well as a request for support from the participants of this program for this type of support.
Producers in attendance at the events hosted by the market managers will be asked to assess the training and their likelihood of implementing the programs or techniques into their businesses. Farmers market managers will conduct periodic surveys to identify areas where barriers have been reduced and connections between statewide service providers and farmers have been made.
60
10
91
12
December 31, 2021
Completed
November 18, 2021
74 producers were surveyed in fall 2020 by 9 farmers market managers (Producer Barriers - Individual) to better understand their challenges and begin developing a plan for producer focused education. The barriers were separated into five categories (Labor, Policy/Regulations, Business Development, Personal, and Crop/Land Management). The managers were asked to survey their producers to respond "yes" or "no" for each barrier listed. "Yes" being for those negatively impacted by the barrier or challenge, and "no" being for those not negatively impacted by the barrier or challenge. 14.89% reported that labor was a barrier for their agriculture business. 21.28% reported local, state, or federal policies/regulations were a barrier for their business. 29.65% reported business development issues as a barrier for their business. 36.93% reported personal factors as a barrier with a majority of negative impacts being internet access, age, and health concerns. 28.30% reported crop and land management as a negatively impactful barrier to their business.
Farmers market managers struggled to complete these surveys with producers in 2021, and there was not enough data provided to give a clear indication if the previous barriers had been addressed. Of the 9 markets to complete the task in 2020, only 2 managers were able to complete and return this survey in 2021. However, 8 out of the original 9 managers were able to discuss changes from their perspective in their producers through one-on-one interviews with WVFMA staff. The data provided in the one-on-one sessions in 2021 was inconclusive. There were an additional seventeen producers served by the program in 2021 and three additional farmers market managers included in one-on-one sessions.
Milestone Activities and Participation Summary
Educational activities and events conducted by the project team:
Participants in the project’s educational activities:
Learning Outcomes
Participants increased their knowledge of record keeping and reporting, verified through the annual WV census results. Participants increased their awareness of resources through their ongoing participation in the monthly Peer Network meetings.
Performance Target Outcomes
Performance Target Outcomes - Service Providers
Target #1
21
21 service providers (10 farmers market managers plus 11 statewide and regional service providers) will host a total of 20 events in ten WV communities for 70 farmers to offer resources and support to address producer barriers.
70
NA
19
47
NA
Target #2
10
Ten farmers market managers will identify barriers and map available resources with assistance from the Processing, Aggregation, and Distribution (PAD) network or statewide and regional service providers, and use this information to assist 60 farmers in increasing their farmers market sales.
60
NA
11
110
NA
Target #3
10
Ten farmers market managers will address barriers and improve marketing at ten farmers markets, leading to an increase in customer spending by an average of $1 per customer per week, increasing revenues for 60 farmer vendors.
60
NA
11
110
NA
- 2 Curricula, factsheets and other educational tools
- 20 Consultations
- 2 Online trainings
- 7 Webinars/talks/presentations
- 5 Workshops/field days
- 1 Managers participated in the Processing, Aggregation, and Distribution (PAD) Summit and will be incorporated into the PAD Network.
In 2020, nine farmers market managers were recruited to take part in the Localized Information Exchange Program. The initial meeting on May 28, 2020 was recorded for any manager unable to attend. This meeting guided managers through the program expectations and how to collect accurate data from producers in order to report back to the WVFMA. From that point moving forward, managers met monthly on the second Friday of each month to discuss a variety of challenges producers were facing. The managers also kept records of vendor sales and customer transactions to help the WVFMA staff evaluate customer spending.
Data collected and reported by managers was compiled by the WVFMA staff and a visual data dashboard was created to understand the sales and customer trends between 2019 and 2020. A baseline was established by using data provided by the participating markets in the 2019 WV Farmers Market Census. 2020 data revealed that on average across the state, customers spent $9.38 per visit to the farmers market and farmers took home on average $185.55. The increase in customer spending and average take home for producers may have been due to the increased need for local food sources caused by the global pandemic, COVID-19.
Between June and December 2020, participants of the Localized Information Exchange Program were provided a space monthly to discuss openly the barriers effecting producers in their communities. Ten service providers from national, state, and regional organizations provided insight and resources available from their organizations to help the managers address expressed barriers. In October 2020, nine market managers provided one-on-one consultation to WVFMA staff which will guide training programs for producers in 2021. These sessions identified current needs for business development, processing equipment, and broadband internet among other challenges.
Monthly discussions continued in 2021 and expanded to include five more farmers market managers. During a session in spring 2021, the WVFMA staff shared the Data Collection and Record Keeping Toolkit. New participants were offered one-on-one sessions, support through digital toolkits, and networking opportunities outside of the monthly discussions. The WVFMA expanded its staffing capacity which allowed for the development of new resources to help farmers markets self assess and collect customer data. Manager participants assisted WVFMA staff in drafting the assessment model to help strengthen farmers markets. This model will be used to identify perceived barriers from the customer perspective for individual vendors and the farmers market altogether.
The impact of these tools has not been determined, but the sales and customer count seem to indicate positive changes to the farmers market and agriculture businesses. As a result of participating in this program, seven of the eleven participants saw a significant increase in vendor revenue. Seven of the participating markets saw an increase in customer spending. From the 2021 Dashboard, the average percent change in vendor revenue was 239.56% between 2019 and 2021. From the same document, the average percent change in customer spending was 63.27%. It is plausible, but not verified, that the reason the customer spending did not increase at the same rate as vendor revenue may be due to an increase in customers attending the farmers market. This data report was generated based on monthly reports provided by participants.
In Spring 2022, the WVFMA co-hosted four workshop events with 6 farmers markets where 75 producers were in attendance. During this series of workshops, farmers were provided with resources and training to ensure their farm business was operating within established regulations. Farmers market managers assisted in coordinating the event and recruiting producers to attend. After the event, managers were assigned the task of ensuring information provided during the event was disseminated to any farmers market vendors who had not been present. Additionally, some farmers requested to join the Peer Network to learn from other farmers and managers across the state. (Information Exchange Farmers Market Manager Contacts)
Performance Target Outcomes - Farmers
Target #1
60
60 farmers will address barriers and adopt new marketing practices leading to an increased farmers market revenue of $150 per season per farmer ($9000 total per season).
8
NA
Prior to the beginning of this program, the average farmer revenue according to WVFMA census records for the participating farmers markets was $120.59 per week. The average farmer revenue for 2020, as reported by participating managers, was $185.55 per week. In 2021, this metric held a similar position at $184.22 per week vendor revenue. The growth over the two year program for producer revenue based on the census data was 239.56%. Producer focused training events began in early summer 2021 to address barriers in food safety.
In November 2021, the WVFMA held one-on-one sessions with farmers market managers and hosted a virtual production planning workshop. The event was recorded, but automatically deleted after 60 days. There were several attendees to this event and three farmers participated a one-on-one consultation with an expert to create a production plan for their farm. An additional eleven farmers market managers participated in one-on-one consultations with the WVFMA staff to discuss marketing and business development needs for the 2022 season. Attendance was recorded in the WVFMA shared calendar.
In Spring 2022, the WVFMA co-hosted workshops in four locations. There was an opportunity for farmers to consult with attending service providers and take advantage of additional support. Five farmers adopted better marketing practices for their product labels, and two farmers are planning to incorporate a nutrition label on their products in the future.
Additional Project Outcomes
Information Products
- 2020 West Virginia Farmers Market Census Report (Fact Sheet)
- 2021 West Virginia Farmers Market Census Report (Fact Sheet)