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 y...
Apr 08, 2024•38 min
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 fo...
Apr 01, 2024•34 min
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....
Mar 25, 2024•41 min
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 s...
Mar 18, 2024•35 min
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 ho...
Mar 11, 2024•30 min
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 ...
Mar 04, 2024•56 min
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 ...
Feb 26, 2024•37 min
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 p...
Feb 19, 2024•30 min
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 • M...
Feb 12, 2024•34 min
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 happ...
Feb 05, 2024•54 min
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 ...
Jan 29, 2024•33 min
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...
Jan 22, 2024•44 min
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, ve...
Jan 15, 2024•49 min
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 ki...
Jan 08, 2024•53 min
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...
Jan 01, 2024•3 min
Whether and however you're celebrating Christmas today, we hope you're getting a day off from at least most of your duties and chores. Farmers are still feeding animals and food makers may yet be delivering holiday orders. 2023 has been a lot: happy, sad, busy, full, and all of that has been better because we've done it together. Community is the greatest gift. Merry Christmas to those who are celebrating and our warmest wishes for peace to one and all from all of us at Farmers Market Pros....
Dec 25, 2023•2 min
How do you go from zero to 60, or maybe 90, in a bit less than three short years? For Christy Campli, some keys were starting with experience in local food systems, and building on an established brand. Now she manages multiple year-round weekly farmers markets, regularly scheduled artisan markets and several annual events with a small but mighty team. Listen in as we talk with Christy about the finer points of managing multiple types of markets and events. How some systems overlap and how some ...
Dec 18, 2023•42 min
Farmers markets are always a good time! The question is when is the best time for your market? Setting market hours is a foundational decision. There are a lot of factors at play. Whether your market lasts for two hours or six can be influenced by everything from farmer commutes to parking disputes. Fortunately, the beauty of markets is that there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution. Success means finding what works best for you and your market community. We’re here to help you find the right fit...
Dec 11, 2023•35 min
Tis the season for holiday gifting! Farmer, vendor or market manager, it's time to remember your employees, volunteers and maybe some of your great customers or loyal CSA members. If material gifts aren't in your plan this year, we’ve got tips for other ways to acknowledge people who have supported you this year. It really is the thought that counts, and a special thank you can go a long way. Grab your list, and check it twice as we discuss: • Who's on our holiday list and why • Useful gift idea...
Dec 04, 2023•32 min
Social media is a perfect example of a blessing and a curse. Engaging with your online community can strengthen existing connections, while inspiring and educating potential new shoppers. Navigating the comments? That requires a whole different skill set and sometimes a tough skin. There's nothing more fun than conversational volleys with your followers. But as we all know, it’s not always sunshine and rainbows in the comments section. 🌈🫠 Join us as we discuss... • Practical tips on effectivel...
Nov 27, 2023•32 min
Whether or not you have a robust social media presence, your website is your markets' home. Whether you're a market manager, a farmer, or a vendor, use your website to tell people the who, where, what and maybe why of your farmers market business. This is a great time of year to take a look at what's there, what should be, and what might be streamlined. Tune in as we talk about: • Putting the basic info front and center • Landing pages and links • Vendors and sponsors and maps, oh my! • Who upda...
Nov 20, 2023•32 min
Survey says: surveys can help you take the pulse of your market! Many of us are winding up our seasons, so why not take some time to listen, gather some data, and look at our markets from a different perspective? Opening a channel for honest feedback can help you improve, understand, and grow your market. No matter what you’re asking, surveys are one more way to communicate with your farmers, vendors, and shoppers. Join us as we chat about: Who to survey and why Creative ways to incentivize resp...
Nov 13, 2023•38 min
Ever wonder why farmers markets and small farmers don't have a bigger say in public policy? Us too! This week on Tent Talk, we brought in an expert to help shed light on the big issues that small farmers are facing. We learned a lot and it confirmed that the old addage is true: the squeaky wheen gets the cheese! Join us for this week's episode in which we get schooled by the one and only Kathy Zeman, Executive Director of the Minnesota Farmers Market Association, volunteer treasurer at Cannon Va...
Nov 06, 2023•54 min
Time flies and somehow we’re already wrapping up the third quarter of 2023! Because we've only got a couple months left in the year, we're chatting about what market managers should be doing to make 2024 even better: budgeting and sponsor outreach! In this episode we discuss the importance of budgeting for your market and why you should be connecting with potential sponsors now, rather than waiting for "charitable giving" season. We also give you some helpful tips on the most effective ways to r...
Nov 01, 2023•31 min
Unpopular opinion: inspections can actually be great! Of course, as market managers, farmers, and self-employed business owners, we definitely like to make our own rules, but it’s important to remember that inspections provide value in maintaining a market’s integrity and keeping things safe. Tune in while we help you navigate the regulations that keep your farmers market playing by the rules. Let's talk about: Making friends with your inspectors Scheduling farm visits Educating versus policing ...
Oct 23, 2023•41 min
Say it together, folks: OUR JOB IS WEIRD! Minnesota Farmers Market Association Director of Engagement and Inclusion Sina Pleggenkuhle chats with us about how widely varied experience qualifies us for all kinds of positions in the farmers market world and adjacent. She’s developed skills on skills on skills, soaking up all the knowledge this business and others have to offer. In her free time, she’s cooking up new, delightful ways to contribute to and learn from her community. Let Sina inspire yo...
Oct 16, 2023•30 min
It’s the beginning of the end…. end of year planning, that is! Heading into the fourth quarter means the holidays are upon us, folks. Get planning for Halloween costume contests, thanksgiving recipes, special holiday markets and events, and if you’re lucky, latke cook-offs. It also means tackling some less exciting clerical stuff and reports. It's a short episode today while we're tackling holiday event applications, so tune in for Pro tips on: Making holidays inclusive Surviving holiday markets...
Oct 09, 2023•19 min
We all advocate for farmers keeping the full retail price of their products by selling at farmers markets. So are produce distributors competing with markets for chefs' dollars and sometimes home shoppers? Or are they providing one more valuable income stream for farmers? Chris Cirkus manages the award-winning West Windsor Community Farmers Market in New Jersey. She also sells for Zone 7, a special kind of produce distributor. Listen in as we discuss: Innovative ways to promote your market Creat...
Oct 02, 2023•55 min
This week we celebrate 5 WHOLE YEARS OF TENT TALK! 🎉🎉🎉 It has been an absolute delight creating this podcast week after week, and it wouldn’t be possible without you, our listeners! Come party with Catt and Brijet as they reminisce over: Our amazing guests and followers Swoon-worthy accents Helping markets and vendors world-wide What we’ve gained through all these meaningful connections The future of Tent Talk 👀 Today’s episode of Tent Talk, the Farmers Market Podcast, is supported by InTent...
Sep 25, 2023•34 min
This week on Tent Talk, Cara Mae Wooledge of the Napa Farmers Market invites us into the world of successful fundraising for farmers markets. From sturdy tents to the compostable trash liners, it costs money to make a market go. It can feel uncomfortable asking your community to contribute financially to your market beyond simply shopping there. It helps to remember that it’s not just a money ask, it’s an invitation to be part of what we do, and an opportunity to grow community connection around...
Sep 18, 2023•58 min
