Grow Your Farmer's Market

Grow Your Farmer's Market

Summary

Farmers’ markets provide a low-cost practice field for farmers, allowing them to test products that they may later enter into other markets. Farmers’ markets are also an excellent way to reconnect consumers with their food system and develop community support for locally grown foods. This project will expand the awareness of the role farmers’ markets serve in developing marketing skills and promoting sustainable agriculture. Educators will gain knowledge of how to use business planning to build successful farmers’ markets. As a long-term outcome of this project, Kansans will invest in local food systems through their purchase decisions, formulation of public policies and creation of economic development plans.

Objectives/Performance Targets

1. We will train farmers’ market leaders through holding six conferences over three years. Three hundred-fifty individuals will participate in the six conferences.

2. We will create mentoring partnerships between leaders and less-experienced participants to transfer knowledge. Twelve mentoring partnerships will be organized during the project.

3. We will develop and present a business planning curriculum for farmers’ market organizers, board members, managers and community partners. Twenty-five individuals from four farmers’ markets will engage in business planning for their market during the project.

4. Our project will focus on promoting key project activities and on recruiting participation.

Accomplishments/Milestones

1. Two farmers' market conferences, one in Warrensburg, Missouri and the second in Lawrence, Kansas, provided information on market management, promotion and risk management to 143 individuals. Keynote speakers included Jeff Cole, director of the Federation of Massachusetts Farmers Markets, Katherine Kelly, and Joan Vibert, both of whom are market vendors at Farmers’ Community Market in Kansas City..

2. The project organized mentoring relationships with 9 farmers' market professionals with two mentors. The mentor was Jeff Cole.

3. With additional project support from USDA's Risk Management Agency, 9 business planning workshops were conducted with 7 farmers' markets in Kansas. The project facilitated business planning workshops for 131 professionals as they developed plans to grow their markets.

4. Direct mail, news articles, brochures, flyers, press releases, web site announcements, E-mail invitations, and phone calls helped promote project activities.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

1. Educators will develop an awareness of the viability of farmers’ markets to cultivate entrepreneurship that markets local foods for local consumption.

Impact: In a self-assessment survey, participants stated they increased their awareness by 9%.

2. Educators will advance their knowledge of the role that business planning contributes to successful farmers’ markets.

Impact: In a self-assessment survey, participants stated they increased their knowledge by 19%.

3. Educators will work in partnership with farmers and community stakeholders to develop farmers’ markets.

Impact: In a self-assessment survey, participants stated their commitment increased by 20% to create working partnerships.

4. Educators will improve their skills in marketing through their involvement with farmers’ markets.

Impact: In a self-assessment survey, participants stated they increased their marketing skill knowledge by 34%.

5. Educators will work with public and private entities to generate funding to promote farmers’ markets.

Impact: In a self-assessment survey, participants stated they intended to increase their commitment to work with public and private entities to promote their farmers’ market by 38%.

The project coordinator collaborated with educators at Kansas State University to secure funds from USDA’s Risk Management Agency to expand business planning with farmers’ markets across Kansas.

This project benefits the North Central region by using farmer’s markets as a business incubator for sustainable value-added products. Business planning helps educators guide farmers in developing successful businesses. Mentoring deepens the learning following conferences and business planning.