This booklet is the result of asking the question:
What can we do to increase sales and attendance at our market?
At first glance, it is a very simple question, but we found that the
answer is more complex. We begin with a bit more detail on the
question itself.
Resources for grantees
“Reach Out” Webinar Slides
Nykisha Madison-Keita, Farm Manager for Urban Tree Connection and Penn State Urban Ag Coordinator, Dorothy Cross
Explore the dynamics of farmers market promotion and outreach when shifted to a community-centered approach. Through an exploration of community assets, reimagination of strategic partnerships, and an investigation of barriers to engagement, learn how to REACH OUT to the community you serve and open doors for success. Farmers market challenges transform into opportunities for collective benefit when you adopt the mindset that the people are the money!
REACH OUT-A Community-Center Approach to Farmers Market Promotion & Outreach-FINAL-2nwaw77
USDA AMS Marketing Services Division
USDA’s main program on local and regional food system research and development, Marketing Service Division (MSD) features a dozen research and technical assistance specialists on local/regional food supply chains, including agricultural marketing specialists, economists, and a staff architect.
The program produces research and develops tools related to understanding direct farm marketing trends, practices, business models and economic impact. It also provides direct technical assistance to small- and mid-scale agricultural producers, handlers, distributors and extension educators that work with these populations.
Current activities and interest areas include:
- Design services for permanent food market facilities
- Local food market trends and emerging business practices
- Strategies for improving market performance
- Local food directories for farmers markets, CSAs, food hubs and on-farm markets
- National survey of farmers market managers
- Regional and community-level local food systems planning and economic impact analysis
- Commercial urban agriculture business models and marketing strategies
- Expanding marketing scope through aggregation, wholesale distribution and business incubation
https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/local-regional
Archived webinars by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service
Below is a list of informational webinars prepared by the USDA on a variety of topics
- USDA Market News is Moving to MARS
- USDA Market News Organic Reporting
- Specialty Crops Market News – Retail Reporting
- Is GroupGAP Right For You?
- Recent Changes to the Exemption on Organic Assessments
- Marketing Analysis & Reporting Services (MARS) – Help Map the Future of Market News
- New Markets & Growth Opportunities with GroupGAP
- FSMA Is Here….Are You Ready?
- Fruit & Vegetable Market News Organic Reporting
USDA Grants, Loans, and Other Support
AMS is helping communities scale up local and regional food systems and strengthen their economies. Whether you are an individual farmer looking to extend your growing season, a cooperative of growers looking to rebuild a food hub, a farmers’ market that wants to accept SNAP benefits, a school that needs cold storage to store locally procured meat, or anyone in between, we can help you identify funding opportunities to support your local food efforts based on where you are in the supply chain.
URL: https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/local-regional/food-sector/grants
Visit this site for the most up-to-date listings on funding resources from the USDA.
Aggregation and Distribution
As recent USDA statistics have illustrated, local food suppliers who are able to conduct business transactions with wholesale customers tend to be more profitable than those who rely on direct to consumer business transactions alone. The Department has many aggregation and distribution resources available that explore the various ways that producers and producer networks are working together to aggregate merchandise and meet wholesale customer requirements.
Center for a Livable Future – Johns Hopkins University
A research and education center with programs in food system policy, food communities, food production, and food system sustainability. Its Maryland Food System Map is a useful resource to Maryland-based applicants seeking information on existing infrastructure. The CLF’s Food Policy Network project “will support the development of effective and robust food policy at the state and local levels by working with existing food policy councils, national organizations and other interested groups.”
Center for Regional Food Systems (Michigan State University)
The MSU Center for Regional Food Systems engages the people of Michigan, the United States and the world in developing regionally integrated, sustainable food systems. Their website offers resources ranging from briefs and fact sheets to videos and a webinar series on topics such as institutional sourcing of local food, farm-to-school, farmers markets, and social justice in the food system.
eXtension’s Community, Local and Regional Food Systems website
This resource is hosted by the Community, Local and Regional Food Systems (CLRFS) Community of Practice. It is designed to provide information and networking opportunities for educators, community-based practitioners, policy makers, farmers/growers, families, and those individuals involved in building equitable, health-promoting, resilient, and economically balanced food systems. As a community of practice, we: 1) create new content; 2) compile and summarize information published by our member organizations; 3) and make it our goal to offer a unique, online meeting place for diverse groups and interests to share information and learn from one another.