Farmers Markets

Arizona Resources
Colorado Resources
New Mexico Resources
Utah Resources
Organizations and Web Resource Lists
Developing a New Farmers Market
Farmers Market Business and Marketing Information
Farmers Market Research Tools
Food Safety for Farmers Market Vendors
Food Stamp Processing & Serving Low Income Populations at Farmers Markets
Farmers Markets Rules & Regulations
Farmers Market Policy Resources
Farmers Market Funding

*Each resource within the Four Corners region will be marked with an asterisk

See also:

• Four Corners Marketing Services listings of regional resources applicable to a variety of topics.
• Direct Marketing to Consumers for more marketing resources for selling directly to customers.
  
  

*Arizona Farmers Markets
Resource website put out by the Arizona Department of Agriculture.
http://www.azda.gov/CDP/farmersinfo.htm

*Direct Farm Marketing and Tourism Handbook
This is a publication put out by the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension. Within the publication are articles on developing and marketing Farmers Markets.
http://cals.arizona.edu/arec/pubs/dmkt/dmkt.html

*Arizona Cooperative Extension: Farmers Market Resource Site
This guide is designed to help farm and ranch operators (and other individuals who grow or process food products) market their products and services directly to the consumer.
http://cals.arizona.edu/extension/sustainableag/farmers.html

*Arizona Community Farmers Market Website
This website has information about various Arizona Farmers Markets times and locations. Additionally, there is information for vendors of Arizona farmers markets.
http://www.arizonafarmersmarkets.com/

*Colorado Farmers Markets
This guide identifies farmers markets in Colorado by region, as well as county fairs, and other possible agriculture marketing avenues.
http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite?c=Page&cid=1178305578888&pagename=Agriculture-Main%2FCDAGLayout

*Colorado Farmers Market Association
CFMA is a nonprofit Farmers Market Association that promotes Colorado Farmers Markets and provides a cooperative environment for farmers to work and market together.
http://www.coloradofarmers.org/

*“Colorado Farmers Markets Accepting Food Stamps”
This July 2007 article from the High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal looks at the rise of food stamp processing available at Colorado farmers’ markets.
http://www.hpj.com/archives/2007/jul07/jul2/Coloradofarmersmarketsaccep.cfm

*Farmers Market Fact Sheet
This is a Resource page developed by the Colorado State University Extension. Resources include planning a new market and information about state laws and local ordinances.
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/PUBS/FARMMGT/04007.html

*New Mexico Farmers Marketing Association
The NMFMA assists communities with starting new farmers markets.
They support the growth of existing markets, through assistance with organizational development, grower recruitment, finding volunteers, and developing revenue streams to help markets become self-sustaining.
http://www.farmersmarketsnm.org/index.htm

*New Mexico Organic Producers Marketing Guide
This guide is designed to help you explore which markets might work best for you and give you some ideas about how to access those markets. Marketing topics include Farmers Markets, CSAs, Selling to Retail Outlets, Selling to Restaurants, and Selling to Wholesalers.
http://nmocc.state.nm.us/pdf/MarketManual.pdf

*Utah’s Own Farmers Market Directory
This directory lists the locations and times of farmers markets in Utah.
http://www.utahsown.utah.gov/FarmersMarkets.htm

Farmers Market Coalition
The FMC is a member organization that strengthens farmers markets for the benefit of farmers, consumers, and communities.
http://www.farmersmarketcoalition.org/

Farmers Market Facts
This is a resource site put together by the Agricultural Marketing Service of the USDA. Resources include information about who benefits from farmers markets and how to access federal dollars to help with farmers market development.
http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/facts.htm

Farmers Market Map
This is a clickable map of the United States that helps locate farmers markets throughout the country. This is a resource of the Agricultural Marketing Service of the USDA.
http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/map.htm

Local Harvest: Search engine for finding Farmers Markets across the USA.
Farmers can be listed on Local Harvest's website as a means of marketing their products directly. Local Harvest is oriented primarily towards direct-to-consumer sales, but as the site grows, buyers for restaurants and stores may begin using it as a sourcing tool.
http://www.localharvest.org/search.jsp?&ty=1&nm=

North American Farmer Direct Marketing Association (NAFDMA)
North American Farmers Direct Marketing Association is a trade association dedicated to nurturing the farm direct marketing industry.
http://www.nafdma.com/FMC2/

USDA Farmers Market Resource Page
The Agricultural Marketing Service of the USDA has a website devoted to resources for farmers market development. Resources include funding opportunities and facts about farmers markets.
http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/

Farmers Market Consortium Resource Guide
The Resource Guide promotes a free flow of information between the programs that support farmers markets. It is divided into four types of projects: market development, producer training and support, consumer education and access, and market promotion.
http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/Consortium/FMCResourceGuide.pdf

Farmers' Market Managers Training Manual
This training manual was produced by the Farmers' Market Federation of New York, with funding from NE SARE. The manual offers a series of chapters that provide in-depth descriptions of a managers role, along with corresponding appendices providing more hands-on details such as checklists, samples, worksheets and policies.
http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com/trainingmanual.htm

*A Guide to Starting, Operating and Selling in Farmers Markets
This guide published by the University of Arizona looks at some of the challenges to starting farmers markets and addresses what elements make market successful.
http://ag.arizona.edu/arec/pubs/dmkt/AGuideto..FarmersM.pdf

Direct Marketing Resource Guide
This is an online database of marketing resources put together by the Western Region SARE office. This guide provides information on many of the best resources available to help farmers and ranchers learn more about agricultural direct marketing.
http://wsare.usu.edu/pub/index.cfm?sub=mktsearch

Farmers Markets Marketing and Business Guide
The number of farmers markets in the U.S. has increased dramatically over the past two decades. This publication is a resource for those who want to organize a farmers market or to sell at one.
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/farmmrkt.html

Organic Produce, Price Premiums, and Eco-Labeling in U.S. Farmers Markets
This study focuses on the role of farmers markets as a marketing tool for organic growers and on current customer attitudes about organic products at these markets.
http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/VGS/Apr04/vgs30101/vgs30101.pdf

Tools for Rapid Market Assessments (RMA)
Most farmers markets lack the information required to make effective changes and improvements. The Rapid Market Assessment includes three simple, low-cost methods to address these information needs. http://agmarketing.extension.psu.edu/ComFarmMkt/PDFs/tools_rma.pdf

When Things Don’t Work: Some Insights into Why Farmers Markets Close
The topic of market failure is rarely addressed. This report represents a starting point. It describes the dynamics of farmers’ market startups, closures, and manager turnover.
http://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/oregon-small-farms-technical-reports

Food Safety for Farmers Markets
This article covers various aspects of food safety issues regarding processing, harvesting and handling produce for farmers’ markets.
http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/library/hort2/mf2260.pdf

Safe Handling of Food at Open Air Markets
Once food has been harvested, processed, and packaged, it can be offered for sale to the public. Maintaining a safe food product means protecting it from contamination, assuring proper temperatures, and preventing damage. This article will help you identify the critical control points in storage and display that are important to food safety in the market.
http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/library/fntr2/FOODASYST/8market.pdf

Bridging the Technical Divide: A Guide to Accepting Food Stamps at farmers markets
In this guide produced by the Emerson National Hunger Fellowship, you will find tips and steps for becoming an authorized vendor, ideas about how exactly to accept Food Stamps, some information about companies that sell point-of-sale machines and handle the electronic benefit transactions.
http://www.ecologycenter.org/ebt/pdf/EBT_guide_LA.pdf

Improving and Facilitating a Farmers Market in a Low-Income Urban Neighborhood: A Washington, D.C. Case Study
The Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB) and USDA initiated a project in June 2000 to explore the potential for expanding farmers markets in a low income neighborhood of Washington, DC.
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELDEV3101257

Farmers Markets Rules, Regulations and Opportunities
This publication, by the National Center for Agricultural Law Research and Information, explores the multitude of guidelines necessary to follow for a successful farmers market.
http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com/pdf_files/fmruleregs.pdf

Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
The SAC website has a Farm Bill Policy Resource Center with information about how to advocate for federal grant programs that aid in farmers market development.
http://sustainableagriculturecoalition.org/

Farmers Market Promotion Program
This USDA- Agricultural Marketing Service site has information about the History of the FMPP. Also included is current legislative information about the Federal grant program that helps Farmers Markets with marketing.
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/FMPP

Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP)
The federal grants, authorized by the FMPP, are targeted to help improve and expand domestic farmers markets, roadside stands, community-supported agriculture programs and other direct producer-to-consumer market opportunities.
http://www.ams.usda.gov/FMPP/

FMPP Contact Information
Carmen H. Humphrey, Team Leader USDA/AMS/TM/MSB 1400
Independence Ave., SW Rm. 2646-S
Mail Stop 0269 Washington, D.C. 20250
Phone: (202) 720-8317
E-mail: Carmen.Humphrey@usda.gov
WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program

The FMNP is a federal program that provides fresh, unprepared, locally grown fruits and vegetables to WIC participants, and expands the awareness, use of and sales at farmers markets. Eligible WIC participants are issued FMNP coupons in addition to their regular WIC food instruments. These coupons can be used to buy fresh, unprepared fruits, vegetables and herbs from farmers, farmers markets or roadside stands that have been approved by the State agency to accept FMNP coupons.
http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/FMNP/FMNPfaqs.htm

WIC FMNP Contact Information
Patricia N. Daniels, Director
Supplemental Food Programs Division
USDA/Food Nutrition Service
3101 Park Center Drive, Rm. 520
Alexandria, VA 22302-1500
Phone: (703) 305-2746

Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP)
The Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP) provides matching funds to State Departments of Agriculture, State Agricultural Experiment Stations and other appropriate State agencies for applied research projects that address barriers, challenges, and opportunities in marketing, transportation, and distribution of U.S. food and agricultural products domestically and internationally.
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fetchTemplateData.do?template=TemplateC&navID=WholesaleandFarmersMarkets&leftNav=WholesaleandFarmersMarkets&page=FSMIP&description=Federal%20State%20Marketing%20Improvement%20Program

FSMIP Contact Information
Janise Zygmont , Staff Officer
USDA, AMS, FSMIP
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Rm. 4009-S
Washington, D.C. 20250
Phone: (202) 720-2704 or (202) 720-8043
E-mail: FSMIP@usda.gov or Janise.Zygmont@usda.gov

See also:

• Financing for general resources to help fund agricultural marketing ventures.

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