Tent Talk

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. Gr...

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 sunshi...

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 b...

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, vend...

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 Zem...

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...

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'...

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...

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 specia...

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...

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,...

Has anyone else been feeling exhausted lately? The weather has been all over the place from triple digits to alleged "hurricanes", and that makes scheduling farmers markets hard. It's been a long, busy season, and the holidays are right around the corner. We know being a grower, vendor, or market manager is not a job for the faint of heart. The danger of burnout is REAL, Y'ALL! Don't forget to mak...

Are farmers markets a space for long term business success, or a springboard for your product to make it into wholesale? Short answer: yes. Long answer: It all depends on your product, your goals, and of course, your market. However, don't make the mistake of thinking wholesale is the only path to success. Tune in as Catt and Brijet dive into:    • The benefits of staying in Markets long term  • C...

This week on Tent Talk, Farmers Market Pros and InTents Conference founder Catt Fields White takes us inside the evolution of  InTents: The National (actually, multi-national) Farmers Market Conference. From the start, the purpose of the InTents Conference has been to educate, connect, share, and build community in this wonderfully weird world of farms, food and event management!  Because we all k...

We're talking with James Grevious of Rebel Marketplace in Aurora, Colorado. He's creating neighborhood food security with the hyper local farmers market he has developed and managed, featuring urban gardeners and farmers.    Listen in For James' views and tips on: • Intentionally developing and incubating urban farmers  • Increasing community capacity from the inside vs outside intervention • Mark...

Today we're chatting about what to wear and what not to wear at your farmers market. Find that perfect blend of comfort and creativity in staff uniforms to make your team stand out and be recognizable. Encourage your farmers and vendors to do the same for their teams.  Listen in as we discuss everything from punny t-shirts and safety vests to comfortable shoes and how we wish everyone from farmers...

B. Griffin, Farmers Market Support Program Manager for Community Farm Alliance, a non profit serving farmers markets throughout Kentucky. In this episode: B. gives us a rundown of the new Electronic Farmers Market Nutrition Program that was recently rolled out in Kentucky and the problem-solving efforts CFA has put into action. We also get an update on the impact last summer's floods in Kentucky h...

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 an...

How do you learn and grow in your farmers market career? We met Jessica Mullen of South Carolina's Travelers Rest Farmers Market when she traveled to San Diego for InTents, the national Farmers Market conference. In this episode of Tent Talk, Jessica shares what she finds valuable about InTents and other conferences and networking with other market professionals. She's all about learning, and also...

National Farmers Market Week is right around the corner! Sometimes we plan way in advance for this important week, and sometimes it sneaks up on us. Guess what happened this year? Not to worry, we all still have time to take advantage of this national campaign to bring attention to our local markets.   Tune in today as we discuss this year's theme and how to finish this sentence: Farmers Markets a...

The Information Booth is open! It's time for another Hot Topics Q&A episode of Tent Talk, where we provide some answers and insights around recent questions that we've heard from vendors, farmers and market managers.    Our social media direct messages and our private Farmers Market Pros Community on Facebook are full of great discussions this month and always. We also hear about hot topics from t...

School's out for summer and that means even more kids at the market, both in the aisles and in the tents.     Whether developing programs for kids visiting your market, or putting teens to work in your booth, this episode is full of ideas to help you make the most of this season for market fans of all ages. Tune in today to hear: Ways that markets, farmers and businesses are putting their kids to...

We recently celebrated a  big  milestone at the Little Italy Mercato farmers market - 15 years! - and a not-so-big milestone at our Chula Vista market - 1 year! Whatever milestone you have coming up at your market, whether it's big or small, this episode is packed with tons of tips to help you celebrate your vendors, your community, and your farmers market family.  Tune in today to hear: How to se...

Jorge Bustamante had a problem. Covid-19 completely shut down his thriving transportation business and he wasn't sure what to do next. He knew one thing, however, people loved his family's pozole recipe. So he formed a business plan, took our Vendor 101  course and My Pozole was born. In just a few short years, he's grown his business so much that he's at farmer's markets seven days a week and rec...