WASHINGTON, August 8, 2008 - The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced that nominations are being sought for membership on the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods. Due date for nominations and submissions: September 17, 2008

EPES, Alabama, August 15, 2008 – Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer announced that more than $4.5 million in grants will go to 23 Rural Cooperative Development Centers to improve rural economic conditions throughout 22 states

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6, 2008- Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer announced that $49 million will be provided in fresh fruits and vegetables for elementary school children, expanding a previous program to selected schools in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The program is targeted to students in the neediest elementary schools in each state.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2008 - Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer announced matching grants totaling $1,325,000 awarded in 24 states and territories to support agricultural market research. These grants are awarded through the Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program, administered by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service.

WASHINGTON, July 30, 2008 - Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer announced $21 million in final Fiscal Yea 2008 grant awards to 49 state agencies and tribal organizations for the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program. These senior’s markets provide low-income seniors with coupons exchanged for fresh produce at farmers’ markets, roadside stands and community-supported agriculture programs. These grants will serve more than 900,000 low-income senior citizens nationwide this season. This year, coupons for fresh produce will be accepted by over 14,000 farmers at more than 5,100 markets, roadside stands and/or community-supported agriculture programs

CHICAGO (July 28, 2008)   Daley Plaza Farmers Market visitors will get some fresh ideas for turning abundant summer produce into tasty dishes at the second COUNTRY Chef Challenge on Aug. 7, sponsored by COUNTRY Financial and the Mayor’s Office of Special Events (MOSE). 

Chefs vying to become Master of the Market from 11:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. are:

• Mark Mendez, Carnivale
• Jimmy “Tasty J” Madla, Coobah
• Kaminsky Thomas, Anteprima

Competing chefs will be given 30 minutes to select fresh ingredients from the market. They will then be given another 30 minutes to create a winning dish in a flavorful food face-off.

A panel of judges led by James Oliver Cury, executive editor of Epicurious.com, will determine the best dish and name the second COUNTRY Chef Challenge Master of the Market.  Ann Flood, editor of Edible Chicago will also serve as a judge. Jackie Tranchida from CLTV’s MetroMix will emcee the event.

One thousand COUNTRY Chef Challenge guests will receive a canvas bag provided by COUNTRY. The bag was designed by Adrianna Hedean, a Stephen Tyng Mather High School junior. She received a $1,000 scholarship from COUNTRY as winner of the first Farmers Markets Reusable Bag Design Contest.

“We are excited to bring the COUNTRY Chef Challenge back to the Daley Plaza Farmers Market. After our success last year, our chefs will provide more fresh cooking ideas to Chicagoans,” says Mike Fisher, COUNTRY director of new market development. “Earlier this year, we announced our continued support for the Chicago Farmers Markets through 2010. Look for us at your neighborhood market where we’ll be giving away our canvas bags.”

“The COUNTRY Chef Challenge is a great way to showcase the fresh, locally grown goods produced by the city’s own farmers and artisans,” said Mayor Richard M. Daley. “I commend the culinary community for using these fresh ingredients in their specialty dishes and encouraging residents to eat healthy foods while supporting the local economy.”

COUNTRY (http://www.countryfinancial.com) and its alliances serve about one million households and businesses throughout the United States.  Founded in 1925, COUNTRY has nearly 2,000 exclusive agents in 14 Midwestern and Western states who help clients protect what they have, save for a comfortable future, and in turn, achieve financial security.  COUNTRY, headquartered in Bloomington, Ill., offers a full range of financial products and services from auto, home and life insurance to retirement planning services, investment management and annuities.

MOSE provides Chicagoans and visitors with year-round, family-style entertainment by producing and promoting free festivals and city-wide holiday celebrations, including the Taste of Chicago, Blues Fest and the Chicago Farmers Markets.

The Chicago Farmers’ Markets is presented by COUNTRY Financial and the Mayor’s Office of Special Events, and is sponsored in part by the Chicago Tribune.

The District of Columbia Office of Property Management is seeking a contractor to operate and manage Historic Eastern Market in Washington, DC.

Originally constructed in 1873, Eastern Market is presently undergoing a $14 million rehabilitation. A temporary East Hall has been erected to allow market merchants to operate while construction proceeds.

Eastern Market is a thriving food market. Fresh meats, baked goods, cheeses, and other foods are sold from indoor stalls, and fresh produce is sold outside beneath the covered sidewalk. Artisans and antiques dealers also sell their goods outside the market on weekends, making Eastern Market a popular stop for both locals, residents of the broader metropolitan area, and tourists. Art, music and theatrical performances are held in the North Hall, which will also be available for public and private events.

The selected bidder or team should have demonstrated experience with the following:

• Operating public markets, public event space, farmers’ markets, or other similar facilities.

• Operating food markets

• Staff management and supervision

• Marketing, promotion, and special event development

• Retail tenant recruitment and leasing

• Strategic planning for nonprofit organizations

• Financial management

• Locally grown food suppliers and marketing

• Locally produced arts and crafts sourcing and sales

• Flea Market administration and management

A Pre-Bid Conference will be held at Eastern Market on August 14, 2008, at 11:00AM.

The full RFP package can be found online at www.opm.dc.gov/easternmarket.

The deadline for submissions is September 16, 2008, at 2:00 PM.

After walking through a sea of nearly 50 Michigan vendors at the “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” Select Michigan farmers market on the Capitol lawn Thursday, Governor Jennifer Granholm proclaimed July 2008 “Farmers Market Month” in Michigan.

If every Michigan resident spent just $10 on local food weekly at farm stands or farmers markets like this one, she said, it would generate more than $40 million each and ever week. Those dollars, because they are spent and received by local consumers and farmers, are more likely to stay in Michigan and support the local economy.

Granholm presented the proclamation to Elaine Brown, executive director of Michigan Food & Farming Systems – MIFFS, who co-sponsored the farmers market with the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA). Brown, along with Christine Lietzau and Don Koivisto of MDA, toured the market with the governor, who talked with vendors and bought some of the Michigan products.

Local farmers and specialty food producers from South Haven to Sault Ste. Marie, and everywhere in between, gathered there at the Capitol for the special farmers market to offer their locally grown, processed and manufactured products for sale. Fresh flowers were a big hit, with several vendors selling out early, and fruits and vegetables picked fresh from the field and orchard splashed color all over the Capitol lawn. Eggs, honey, sausage, wool products, grains, beans, spices, jams and jellies, baked goods, lamb, Lake Superior whitefish, potted plants and much more were among the other products filling buyers’ arms and bags as hundreds made their way through the aisles of vendors.

“This is the largest and most successful farmers market here yet,” said Brown of the fourth market that MIFFS and MDA have partnered to sponsor and put on. “We can’t wait to celebrate again on September 18 for the next Select Michigan farmers market at the Capitol.”

The farmers market is sponsored by the Michigan Department of Agriculture, Michigan Food and Farming Systems, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service, with additional support from the Michigan Farmers Market Association, the Food Bank Council of Michigan and Michigan farmers and specialty food producers.

Founded in 1998, MIFFS is a statewide membership organization (501c3) whose purpose is to promote diverse efforts that foster and sustain food and farming systems that improve economic, ecological and social well-being. MIFFS has been effective at establishing successful partnerships among producers, markets and institutions that have created more profitable, environmentally friendly food systems in Michigan.

The organization’s vision is based on the premise that agricultural productivity, environmental stewardship and profitability reinforce each other for the benefit of Michigan’s rural and urban communities. To learn more, please visit www.miffs.org or call (517) 432-0712.

The USDA Secretary of Agriculture Edward Schafer has issued an official announcement proclaiming August 3rd-9th as National Farmers Market Week for 2008. You can read the official proclamation here.

After hosting FMC’s first ever web-based member meeting July 14^th through 18^th, FMC is proud to welcome eight new Directors to the Board:

• Copper Alvarez, Director, Big River Economic and Agricultural Development Alliance/Manager, Red Stick Farmers Market (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

• Chris Curtis, Director, Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance (Seattle, WA)

• Cheryl DeBerry, Co-Owner, DeBerry Farm (Oakland, MD)

• Michael Hurwitz, Executive Director, New York City Greenmarket (New York, NY)

• Brigitte Moran, Director, Marin Farmers Markets (San Rafael, CA)

• Bernie Prince, Co-Founder/Manager, FRESHFARM Markets (Washington, DC)

• Leslie Schaller, Director, Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (Athens, OH)

• Ruth White, State Programs Administrator, Minnesota Department of Agriculture (St. Paul, MN)

In addition to these new Directors, four incumbents were re-elected to a second term, including Jeff Cole (Federation of Massachusetts Farmers Markets), Diane Eggert (New York Farmers’ Market Federation), Andrew Stout (Full Circle Farm), and Don Wambles (Alabama Farmers Market Authority).

With unanticipated levels of interest in these volunteer leadership positions, the FMC Nominations Committee extends a hearty thanks the additional candidates who were not selected for the slate, as well as ballot write-ins. We invite them to participate in committees and to continue being active members who will be considered for future openings on the board.

Together, the twelve candidates have approximately 167 years of experience with farmers markets, whether as a farmer vendor, market manager, leader of a statewide or regional farmers market association, or a representative of a state agency involved with farmers markets. The existing board of nine Directors is delighted to welcome its new members and looks forward to working as a team in order to better address present and future needs of farmers markets.

In addition to electing the proposed slate, members also voted on two proposed paths for the adoption of a definition for farmers markets. While the majority of members supported or suggested slight edits to a brief and simple definition, there was also support for set of common elements designed to encompass and encourage more specific state and local definitions. With no clear mandate from the membership, the board will continue to refine this effort to offer a common language for farmers markets throughout the country. Thank you to all the members who have provided input on this process, and please stay tuned for updates.

The Farmers Market Coalition is pleased to announce that it is presently upgrading its web site to include some new features, including a searchable library of resources where users will be able to find sample documents, tip sheets, guidebooks, available research, and other resources on farmers markets in one easy-to-navigate portal.

Working with the Wallace Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Winrock International, FMC is now collecting and categorizing resources on a wide variety of topics for the benefit of both vendors, managers, and communities looking to develop farmers markets.

The current FMC resource library now includes a page of sample policies, vendor applications, and market manager job descriptions, available by clicking here. If you would like to share a sample policy, procedure, or other document, please submit it on-line or e-mail to submit@farmersmarketcoalition.org.

As many in the farmers market community are well aware, a dearth of comprehensive research on farmers markets at the national level is just one of many challenges to identifying and addressing common obstacles. The gap in knowledge, thankfully, is about to grow a little smaller, as the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will be releasing a full report from the 2006 National Farmers Market Survey later this year. Here we provide a few of the preliminary highlights from the forthcoming report, thanks to the researchers at AMS.

Out of 3,743 surveys distributed to farmers market managers, 1,295 useable surveys were returned. Markets included in the survey were those that sold 50% or more directly to consumers, had a minimum of two vendors and were open during the 2005 market year.

According to farmers market managers, the top three reasons consumers shop at farmers markets were freshness, taste, and access to local food. Southwestern and Northeastern customers seem to be more interested in freshness than those in other parts of the country, while those in the Mid-Atlantic, Rocky Mountain, Far West and North Central regions were somewhat more interested in obtaining local food products.

Average annual sales per vendor during 2005 were $7,108, ranging from $2,349 to $17,017. Annual sales per vendor were significantly higher at the smallest and largest farmers markets than in the mid-sized category, and well-established markets (20 or more years of continuous operation) not surprisingly generate more income for vendors than other farmers markets. Average sales per market were higher for market between 5-9 years old and well established markets (20 years old or greater). Newer markets and smaller markets were more inclined to say that their demand exceeded supply.

The Northeast region reported the highest monthly WIC sales per market, while the North Central region reported the lowest WIC monthly sales per market. Interestingly, smaller markets reported higher participation rates in the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP), although average monthly sales of SFMNP vouchers was largest at larger and more established markets. 6.8% of respondents indicated EBT participation in the 2005 market year, and these markets reported an average of $279 in EBT sales per month.

Debra Tropp, Branch Chief of Farmers Market and Direct Marketing Research at the USDA AMS Marketing Services Division, says that farmers market managers can learn a great deal from this data. “It provides us all with valuable information about the apparent impact of farmers markets in terms of generating farm-based income for smaller agricultural producers and improving food access to recipients of Federal nutrition program benefits, as well as information about the role that geographic location, scale of operation, product mix, and population density seem to play in influencing market performance.”

Stay tuned for an announcement about the release of the full report, in which you will be able to compare shopper motivations, average monthly sales per vendor, market managers’ perceptions of the balance of supply and demand at their markets, and participation in the Women, Infant and Children Farmers Market Nutrition Program, Senior Farmers Market Nutrition program, and Electronic Benefits Transfer.

The magazine Farmers’ Markets Today recently celebrated its one-year anniversary, and this spring e-mailed a survey to 1200 of its subscribers who manage or sell at farmers markets or who are involved with a market in some other role. Editors at the magazine have generously shared data from this effort with the Farmers Market Coalition, and we offer some highlights from their results in the hope that the information will prove useful for anyone looking for a snapshot of market operations.

The survey had a response rate of 37%, with nearly half of the 438 responses from vendors and more than a quarter from market managers. Interestingly, nearly 18% of respondents were both vendors and managers. While 4% said that 2008 was their first year of operation as a market, 37% had been in operation more than 10 years.

More than 50% of market managers were volunteers, though 11.3% were employed full-time throughout the year. 86.8% of markets said that vendor fees contributed to their financial support. 29.7% received funding from a city or county government. Only 10% were at least partially supported by a state or regional farmers market association. 6.4% of responding markets were privately operated, for-profit businesses.

More than a third of the markets responding say that they have between 10 and 25 vendors, with approximately one quarter having between 25 and 50 vendors and another quarter with fewer than 10 vendors. The average number of shoppers per market day was 100-250 for 23% of the markets and 250-500 for 22%.

A large number of markets said they don’t track their annual gross revenue, but of the 226 responses to that question, only a few markets reported less than $2,000 annual gross revenue. About 55% had annual gross revenue of $100,000 or more, including 11 markets with an annual revenue of $1 million or more.

A whopping 71% of markets operated on Saturdays, and Wednesday appeared to be the most common among weekdays. 11.7% of respondents said that they operated year round. Only 30% of respondents said that vendors played a role in developing the rules and regulations for the market.

The top three product categories sold at the markets were fruits and vegetables, plant and flowers, and baked goods. Market managers ranked promotions/advertising as their biggest annual expense and word-of-mouth as their most effective marketing method, followed by signs/banners, news releases and website/email list.

The survey also gathered information about vendors and why they choose to sell at farmers markets. Their reasons centered on convenience, built-in customer base, affordability, retail pricing, self promotion, social interaction, atmosphere, education and community.

“Hopefully, some of these opinions shared by experienced vendors can be used by market managers to recruit new vendors to their markets,” says Marcia Hahn, FMT assistant editor.

A number of vendors’ comments can be found in the July/August 2008 issue of Farmers’ Markets Today. More survey data and discussion points – such as the top challenges market managers and vendors say they face and what trends or issues will most impact farmers markets in the next few years – will be shared in future issues of the magazine and posted on the FMT website at www.farmersmarketstoday.com.

“We appreciate the feedback we get from our readers, as it helps drive the content of Farmers’ Markets Today magazine so that we can cover pertinent topics to help direct marketers and farmers markets be more successful,” Hahn adds.

by Michael Rosenkrantz, FMC trans·act Fellow

What better way to spend a day than at a farmers market, enjoying juicy peaches, nectarines and plums, interacting with customers and vendors and finding out what people truly think about markets? Beyond the variety of food is the diversity of sounds: a young teen singing Neil Young covers, an older man singing traditional Japanese songs with a 20 year old guitar, a middle aged couple singing in Spanish, and toddlers dancing along with the market drummer. Neighbors are reacquainting, new friends are being made, and everyone is smiling, regardless of who they are, where they come from, or how much money they have or don’t have. The public space has been created to support family farms and local businesses, people are saving money and resources by walking or riding bikes, and consumers are learning healthy eating habits. If a farmers market can be such a powerful equalizer and simultaneously define community, I’m setting out to better understand the elements that make this possible.

Last month, I returned “home” to the Los Angeles area and am serving as this summer’s trans·act Research Fellow for marketumbrella and the Farmers Market Coalition. I’m investigating the seven Sustainable Economic Enterprise of Los Angeles (SEE-LA) markets, and one Kaiser Permanente Farmers Market in Woodland Hills, which is managed by the Southland Farmers Market Association. You can learn more about the history and goals of this project at the trans·act web site.

This is the second year of the research fellowship and there is presently another fellow working in New Orleans to refine the Sticky Economic Evaluation Device (SEED). Senior Research Fellow Robin Moon coordinates our efforts, and the Ford Foundation is providing the funding for this effort.

Who are the Local Partners?
SEE-LA is a community development corporation working to fill the void of fresh food access in urban, mostly low-income Los Angeles, by empowering the community through education and access, in turn empowering vendors. SEE-LA operates seven markets in the Los Angeles area, ranging in size from ten vendors at the Lemon Grove Farmers Market to150 vendors at the 17 year old flagship Hollywood Farmers Market. The markets operate in areas where the census tract “minority” populations range from 66% to 99% and the median household incomes range from 47% to 100% of the 2007 US Housing and Urban Development (HUD) family estimate.

Kaiser Permanente is the largest nonprofit health plan in the United States, serving 8.6 million members. In April, 2007 K.P. teamed up with the Southland Farmers Market Association, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting growers, to encourage healthy eating among employees, physicians, patients, and their families, by establishing the Woodland Hills Market. Kaiser has 23 farmers markets on hospital campuses throughout California and other farmers markets throughout Hawaii, Georgia and Oregon.

What are trans·act’s goals for 2008?
This summer’s goals for trans·act is to expand upon the 2007 research by refining and finalizing a set of survey tools developed to qualitatively and quantitatively measure the social capital impact that markets offer. This means investigating how building social capital impacts community health, and developing locality-specific case studies , to understand the dynamics and the social dimensions of markets.

My specific assignment is to manage a group of seven trained interviewers and conduct the field surveys at the eight Los Angeles markets. The surveys will be conducted in all eight markets over the span of six weeks, and after spending at least two days at each market, we now have a total of 21 days of market interviews and survey data, consisting of:

• in-person interviews of customers, vendors, and managers at markets, each with a unique set of questions
• door to door interviews of residents in the surrounding neighborhoods
• shadowing of customers and vendors at the market, observing their interactions with one another.

We are nearly through with our market day interviews and I’m observing first-hand the tangible and intangible impacts of these farmers markets, each one uniquely interacting with its surrounding neighborhoods. From my work to date, I’d like to share some of my personal, less formal observations.

The Hollywood Farmers Market (HFM) is by far the largest open-air farmers market that I’ve ever seen, with 150 vendors, mainly farmers. Every Sunday, the market transforms a four blocks between Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards into the community center. The mass of humanity and the variety of product is truly breathtaking. I haven’t seen any celebrities yet, but a couple of the interviewers told me that they tried to conduct a shopper interview of former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham (wife of the soccer star David Beckham), and were told by one of her bodyguards that “this wasn’t a good time”. I should note that the income stream of the HFM enables the organization to locate markets in low income areas where they are desperately needed.

Leimert Park Farmers Market is a true “community” market, taking place in a theatre parking lot every Saturday. I have felt very at home at this market, as I recently learned that, when I was a baby, my mother would walk me in a stroller on these very streets. The neighborhood population is mostly African American, with some of the vendors saying that they feel a “calling” to educate the community about healthy alternatives. One such vendor is South Central Farmers Health and Education Fund, a cooperative focused on bringing produce to underserved areas. In interviewing another vendor about which markets they preferred, they said Leimert Park because it is the “center of the Black creative community.” This market features music all day, and many of the customers can be seen dancing as they shop. Some even perform rap at the market open mic. On a recent visit, I noticed two men in wheel chairs sitting close to the music, grooving as they felt the beat moving them.

Watts Farmers Market is the newest SEE-LA market, located in a small park where the neighborhood’s median family income is at 56% of the national median, and 99% of the population is considered “minority”. The park features soccer and baseball fields. On a recent visit I noticed a group of six young men repeatedly asking for samples. One of the vendors became upset, so I approached the young men with a pint of strawberries which they gobbled down very quickly, and learned that they loved fresh fruits and vegetables. The issue, apparently, was their lack of money and the fact that their parents weren’t with them to actually purchase produce. Kaiser Permanente is helping to fund this market, which is a welcome addition to a community with few fresh (and especially organic) produce alternatives. Although we may intuitively know that this farmers market is a boon for the community in bringing healthy alternatives to residents, how do we get the larger population to frequent the market and adopt this as their own?

The Atwater Farmers Market recently celebrated its third anniversary by providing fresh carrot cake to all of those in attendance. This market features 30 vendors and recently added a vegan ice cream producer. As I watched one of the Asian immigrant vendors tend to her 11 month old baby and simultaneously wait on customers, I wondered what kind of life this woman had lived and how different her child’s life might be here in the U.S. Surely, for each individuals that make a farmers market come alive, there are many unspoken stories waiting to be told.

As the summer progresses, I look forward to listening to these stories and watching them unfold into the present tense. Later this year, not only will our data become available to the market community at large, but finalized versions of our survey instruments will become known as the Neighborhood Exchange Evaluation Device (NEED), adding to the growing number of tools to help markets effectively evaluate a range of impacts on their communities. For now, I’m enjoying participating in the vibrant orchestra that allows farmers markets to bring every type of person together in one place to celebrate some of the greatest things that life has to offer: food and community.