Tent Talk

Celebrating all the things is an easy way to remind ourselves that we have the best (albeit weirdest) job in the world. We work really hard, whether the public knows it or not. So for vendors, farmers and market teams, a little frivolity can go a long way in making people feel recognized and in relieving the pressure that we're under as we monitor regulations, manage conflict and deal with traffic...

Farmers markets do everything they can to bring people to the market to shop. And sometimes we go beyond our grocery store in the street identity to make it more fun to stick around. Programming can mean dancing and demos, crafts and cooking. The best weekly offerings tie into fresh food and benefit our farmers. Tune in to this episode to get some new ideas   Booking music that complements rather...

Even in the age of AI and digital deliveries, farmers markets are growing. People hunger for personal connection, real food and the quality that only comes from human creativity and craft. In this episode recorded live at the 2026 InTents National Farmers Market Conference, Catt Fields White and author David Sax discuss how markets can leverage the power of analog to retain loyal shoppers and make...

Discovering new vendors that fill a need for shoppers at your farmers market is like hitting the jackpot. Finding the market that's the perfect fit for your business and your schedule is every vendor's goal. Communicate clearly and everybody wins.    This week the Farmers Market Pros are talking about balancing all the pieces that create a smooth, straightforward and welcoming application. With ju...

The USDA just opened the Local Agricultural Market Program (LAMP) request for proposals and Farmers Market Promotion Program applications are due on June 5th. This funding has been a moving target the last couple of years, with tight deadlines,  slow responses and sometimes sudden terminations to confirmed contracts. Still, the grant amounts are some of the largest available to farmers markets see...

Kicking off this season of Tent Talk, the farmers market podcast, we're looking back at last month's InTents National Farmers Market Conference. Our theme for this series is Past Tents; Future Tents so today we're recapping what we heard and saw at the tenth annual conference, and thinking about ways we might come back even stronger in 2028. Listen in and join us in the comments while we consider:...

We're in a farmers market (state association) state of mind. You already know we like all things local and farmers market associations are no exception. This episode of Tent Talk is all about the value of state market associations. Featuring Maggie Funkhouser, Director of the North Carolina Farmers Market Network, we discuss how state specific associations create more resilient markets, better mar...

The future of farmers markets starts with surveys   That's right folks! The National Farmers Market Survey is right around the corner and we're discussing it in detail on this weeks episode of Tent Talk: The Farmers Market Podcast. Featuring local leader, data enthusiast, and food systems advocate, Amanda Edmonds, we're digging into everything about one of our industry's most important and influen...

Farmers markets are based on human relationships and market manager communities are no exception   In this weeks episode of Tent Talk: The Farmers Market Podcast, we're highlighting opportunities to strengthen your relationships with other farmers market professionals in your region and across the country. From national conferences to local meet ups, we're covering a range of ways you can engage i...

It's time to apply our knowledge towards market applications   It's application season at farmers markets across the country! Each year offers a new batch of farmers and entrepreneurs anxious with excitement for the opportunities markets have to offer. But before that 10x10 is popped and in-place, they have to get past one thing: the almighty market application.   A critical tool for establishing...

Welcome to a new season of Tent Talk, the Farmers Market Podcast. The theme for our next 7 episodes is Grow Where You're Planted, and it's all about using your own resources and the others available to you locally and in the wider farmers market community. Here in episode 360, let's start with taking stock. What's in store for your market in coming months, and how can you plan now to make it the m...

Welcome back to Tent Talk, it's been a minute! Be sure to stay with us until the end for an important announcement. Listen in to hear what's been happening at Farmers Market Pros and the rest of our community, what's coming in the next season of Tent Talk, the farmers market podcast, and new offerings at our Farmers Market Forum platform. Hear about some of the amazing speakers coming to the InTen...

Our theme for this season of Tent Talk is Survive and Thrive and boy does it feel relevant now more than ever. Between nearly a million government workers currently on furlough and 40 million people going without access to SNAP benefits, our customers, our farmers, and our communities are staring down the neck of truly dark and difficult times. That's why we're reaching into our toolkit and pullin...

Every year the last quarter never fails to creep up on us and 2025 is no exception. As we reflect on the year and look ahead at what's to come, everywhere we turn we're haunted by budgets. How can we continue to ensure that our market business is turning a profit? How can we create a safety net so in times of stress we're still financially secure? The answer is simple: sponsors!    This week on Te...

Uncertainty often breeds innovation and periods of economic instability are no exception. Job insecurity can be the tipping point to that pushes makers to think outside the box and embrace the adventure of farmers market entrepreneurship. Suddenly there's space to turn that recipe into a money making reality.   In this episode of our Survive & Thrive series, we're focusing on an unexpected benefit...

Farmers Markets offer food founders the chance to capture high margin sales, but it only matters if you know how to make them profitable.  In this episode, Sarah Delevan sits down with Catt Fields-White, nationally recognized farmers market expert and founder of the InTents National Farmers Market Conference, to answer real questions from Good Food CFO listeners about maximizing farmers market rev...

In this episode of our Survive & Thrive series, we're going back to the basics when it comes to maintaining a financially stable market. While grant funding feels unstable and uncontrollable, when your passion meets profit, you're prepared to weather even the most unpredictable of storms. A strong P&L around the core function of supporting farmers and incubating small businesses is almost like ten...

When your job is weird, it's easy to feel isolated. Who do you ask for help when all of your friends work desk jobs? How do you advocate for the importance of markets in your community when you're a team of one? Where do you go to brainstorm city specific issues? Well the solution just might be in your own backyard. In this episode of our Survive & Thrive series, we're emphasizing the importance o...

In this episode of our Survive & Thrive series, we're speaking with Dana DiPrima. She's built the For Farmers Movement on consumer education and thousands and thousands of small donations. Her organization's simple grant application creates solutions for one challenge at a time and ensures small farms can keep farming.   Listen in as she shares all about her story, the movements role in sustaining...

Tent Talk has returned with a new series, Survive & Thrive! Before we dive deep into our scheduled content, we're sharing a quick preview of this season and a few reminders.   Tune in as we talk about: Next weeks episode featuring Dana DiPrima from the For Farmers Movement Our new online community, the Farmers Market Forum Early bird ticketing for the 10th annual inTents conference ends September...

The leaves aren't the only thing changing this fall! We're shaking things up with an adjusted schedule, a fresh new Tent Talk season, and an updated interactive platform. In our upcoming series, Survive & Thrive, we're focusing on how to operate a successful market business during unprecedented times. In this episode, we're taking a look back at where we've been and forward to where we're going. F...

Almost 350 episodes in, we're making some changes to Tent Talk. We're still here, that big archive is still bingeable and new episodes are on the schedule. We're also moving our newsletter to a more interactive platform, making it weekly and adding related offerings. Watch for upcoming webinars, live calls and later this year additional private podcast episodes just for members. Tune in to hear wh...

We're talking this month about Building a Bigger Tent at our farmers markets. Let's remember that the more people and communities we welcome to markets, the deeper our variety of produce, products and personalities. Exclusion, whether purposeful or just thoughtless, means we miss out on all the richness that comes with diversity.   Sagdrina Brown Jalal is back with us for this episode, just in tim...

This month we're going to be talking about Building a Bigger Tent and keeping our commitment to making farmers markets a welcoming and opportunity filled place for everyone. We're also getting ready to launch some new ways to share information to make your farmers market more profitable and less stressful for farmers, producers and managers. Don't miss those upcoming announcements. Meanwhile, expe...

Wrapping up our series on defining farmers markets, we're chatting in this episode about what a farmers market is, and what it isn't. Whether inadvertently or intentionally, a lot of places and platforms and events are identified as farmers markets that don't meet the definition.  Tents alone do not a farmers market make and the same goes for fresh produce.  Are there farmers present? Does it happ...