Tent Talk

Happy Labor Day! The Farmers Market Pros team is taking a break today and we're bringing you a Best of Tent Talk episode that originally aired last fall. On this week's episode you'll hear our conversation with Jenny Heck, market manager and communication manager at Mill City Farmers Market in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where we discuss the impact grant funding can have in helping markets incubate ne...

This week on Tent Talk we're joined by our podcast friend, farmers market royalty, cookie maven, vegan business mogul and founder of Maya's Cookies: Maya Madsen! In this episode Maya spills the tea on what she's been up to: pitching her cookies on the Home Shopping Network, reeling in an ex NBA star advisor, opening her second brick and mortar location and still maintaining a presence at farmers m...

Would you get a chiropractic adjustment or purchase a time share at the grocery store? If you answered no, then why would you expect to find those services at the farmers market? This week on Tent Talk we discuss the pros and cons of hosting service providers and informational/promotional booths at your farmers market. Knife sharpeners, food prep services, masseuses, real estate agents, home clean...

This week on Tent Talk we welcome back Sarah Delevan of Sarah Delevan Consulting and the Good Food CFO podcast. We first spoke with Sarah on Tent Talk back in 2018 and since then she's presented numerous times at our annual InTents Conference, sharing her experience as a financial coach with a knack for understanding, diagnosing, and improving the financial performance of food businesses. In this...

Last time Daniel and Kasi Haire were on Tent Talk, back in early 2020, we were all adjusting our farmers market operations to accommodate COVID-19 protocols. In the time since, this farmers market power couple who manage the Nolensville Farmers Market have become invaluable contributors to our online community, sharing brilliant market hacks and solutions to the sticky situations market managers c...

WOW! 200 Episodes of Tent Talk, the farmers market podcast! Listen along as we celebrate this huge milestone by looking back on some of our favorite podcasting moments from the last year. We also discuss some surprising similarities between podcasting and managing farmers markets and chat about where we find our inspiration. Big thanks to our amazing Tent Talk listeners for sticking with us all th...

This week we have two special guests (Greg Plotkin, Director of Digital Communications for AFT and Corrina Smith, Executive Director of the Columbia Farmers Market) who give us all the details on the 2022 America's Farmers Market Celebration hosted by American Farmland Trust! Running from June 20 to September 19, 2022, the 14th annual celebration showcases the essential markets across the nation m...

While we strongly believe that farmers markets should focus on farmers, we also recognize that non-food vendors and crafters add a special element to the farmers market shopping experience. So this week, for the first time in Tent Talk history, we're chatting with an artist who sells at farmers markets! Our guest is Jess Pickering, fiber artist and owner of Jess Makes Macrame. In this episode Jess...

This week on Tent Talk we dive deep into best practices for communicating with your farmers and vendors. From email to social media groups to texting services, there are numerous ways market operators can keep in touch and provide vital information. Tune in for helpful hints from market managers Cori Veverka (Oswego Country Market), Gina Johnson (Madison Farmers Market) and Rebecah Boynton (Richla...

Value-added products come in all shapes and sizes and flavors: pies, salsa, guacamole, fresh-squeezed juice, soups, salads! The list goes on and on and on! This week on Tent Talk we define what value-added means and talk about all the tasty forms they can take. We also discuss some of the barriers of entry for farmers to make value added products and how market managers can help. For more informat...

This week on Tent Talk we're joined by Max Petrich, Vendor-101 grad and founder of San Diego Tempeh. Max sells his soy-free fermented products at farmers markets in San Diego and has also built a thriving wholesale business. After a brief hiatus from farmers markets, he's back with a banging new display and a spring in his step! In this episode we hear the story behind San Diego Tempeh and how Max...

Our most favorite week of the year is just around the corner! Of course we're talking about National Farmers Market Week, which is August 7-13! In preparation of festivities we're catching up with our friend and Communications Manager for Farmers Market Coalition, Hannah Fuller. In this episode Hannah shares FMC's focus for this year's celebration, how your market community can prepare, and tons o...

As many farmers markets are held on city streets, occasionally other large outdoor events disrupt a market's regular location. When special occurrences such as parades, art festivals, sporting events or expos require the temporarily relocation of weekly farmers market, it can be a headache. Luckily, this is something the Farmers Market Pros are well-acquainted with! Listen in this week to hear us...

Opening a new farmers market is no small feat! There is endless behind the scenes preparation that happens long before your first market day: research, permitting, vendor recruitment, and so on. This week on Tent Talk, we're focusing on the fun part: the grand opening! Tune in for tips on how to prepare for, promote and execute the first day of a brand new farmers market and what you can do to ens...

In this week's episode we're joined by with Emily Emmons, Executive Director of Hoʻōla Farms—a nonprofit that serves military veterans, caregivers, first-responders and their families by providing opportunities to heal, through agriculture educational training and hands-on experiences. In addition to beginner farmer education, Hoʻōla Farms operates a weekly online farmer's market with curbside pic...

This week our guest is Sina Pleggenkuhle, Director of Programs & Partnerships and Market Manager at the Minneapolis Farmers Market, Minnesota's largest open air farmers market. Sina is such a ray of sunshine, it's no surprise she's able to keep her farmers and vendors joyful seven days a week, no matter the weather! In this episode we chat about how to make the market your happy place, the pros &...

This week we're joined by Michelle Pusateri, Founder and Granola Master at Nana Joes Granola. After spending years working as a pastry chef in high-end restaurants in San Francisco, Michelle set off on her own venture in 2010 and launched Nana Joes Granola at local Bay Area farmers markets. Over a decade later, Nana Joes is a multi-million dollar company and Michelle's delicious granola can be fou...

Ok market managers, time to get real! This week we're tackling the tricky topic of "uninviting" a vendor from your market. Maybe they can't follow the market rules, or they're burnt out and the quality of their product has slipped below your standards...or maybe it's a personality mismatch. If approached correctly, breaking up with a vendor doesn't have to be messy. In this episode we'll cover all...

Our guest this week is Jake Johannes, farmer at Sacred Sun Cooperative Farm and Board Chair at the Brookside Farmers Market in Kansas City, Missouri. As a year-round farmer and vendor-run organization, the Brookside Farmers Market has a unique perspective on what it takes to operate a farmers market that serves its community and its participants. In this episode Jake gives background on how the Br...

"How much does it cost to pop-up a tent here?" If we had a nickel for every time a potential vendor asked us this question, we could retire from managing markets! No two markets are the same when it comes to collecting rent and fee structures vary greatly depending on a market's operation costs, number of vendors, location, length of season, foot traffic, and so on! Determining your fee structure...

This week we're joined by farmers market manager and market musician, Kristin Eggen. Kristin is in her second year of managing the Decorah Farmers Market in a rural area of northeast Iowa. One of the many ways she makes the Decorah Farmers Market feel welcoming is by bringing talented musicians to the market each week. Tune in to hear us chat about the pros and cons of hosting musicians at your ma...

Our guest this week is Sadie Scheffer, CEO and founder of Bread SRSLY. Sadie launched her gluten-free sourdough company in her home kitchen in San Francisco back in 2011. While her initial business plan was focused on selling direct at farmers markets in the Bay Area, after giving it a few goes, Sadie decided the market life wasn't for her. Listen along as we chat about gluten-free baking, farmers...

This Tent Talk Live episode is from long-time farmers market vendor and InTents Conference veteran, Sarah Marshall of Marshall's Haute Sauce in Portland, Oregon. Sarah's 2022 presentation "Can We Talk About Burnout?" will help you gain useful self-care and conflict management tools for market managers, vendors and employees, and accept that we've been through a lot and it's ok to be feeling it. Th...

This week on Tent Talk we're sharing another live recording from the 2022 InTents Conference! In his presentation "The State of the Market: Claiming our Place in the World," you'll hear farmers market advocate and practitioner, Richard McCarthy, share some surprisingly good news from the world of farmers markets. You'll learn about new market awareness, new models and new infrastructure linking ru...

Earlier this month we hosted hundreds of farmers market managers and participants at our 6th annual InTents: the Farmers Market Conference. Over the course of the conference, we invited our attendees to share their "why". Why do they do what they do? Why do they get up at 4 am to make farmers market magic happen week after week? Why do they keep going when they feel like they can't? And this week...