Independent Researcher and Analyst list of contracts (In November 2019 began full-time role as FMC’s Program Director)
•AMS TA project: Mentor for national technical assistance project for current FMLFPP grantees led by the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development at Penn State University.
•Brooklyn NYC: Assisted BDPHO with developing farmers market technical assistance programs.
•Report on BDPHO’s 5-year market capacity project.
•Farmers Market Coalition Senior Research Associate for Farmers Market Metrics project creation (2015-)
• Farmers Market Coalition’s Senior Advisor, focusing on technical assistance for markets and networks (2015-)
•Illinois: Worked with ILFMA on evaluation plan for integration and upgrade of statewide fms and DTC information on integrated platforms.
•Louisiana: Assisted students at Southeastern University in Hammond with food system research and farmers market strategy.
•Louisiana: Assisted ReFresh Market and Garden with evaluation plan (2017)
•Louisiana: Working with Ruston Farmers Market on outreach strategy for new location
• Helping to craft resources and training for 2019 Fresh Central Certified Institute for Central Louisiana markets and producers with CLEDA.
•Louisiana: Organized first statewide farmers market conference for LSU Ag Center archives found at: lafarmersmarkets dot blogspot dot com
•Maine: Researched farmers market job descriptions found at www.helpingpublicmarketsgrow.com
• Mississippi: Providing research and analysis for City of Hernando MS 3-year project to grow flagship market
•Mississippi: Assisted Gulf Coast markets with FMPP project on analyzing access to markets for Gulfport resident and farmers. 2014 Local Food Awareness Report for Gulfport MS, found at www.helpingpublicmarketsgrow.com
•Vermont: Providing analysis and resource development for NOFA-VT’s annual data on farmers markets.
•Supporting markets creating their Legacy Binders
•Vermont: Researched and wrote report on SNAP, FMNP technology and policy answers for VT farmers markets in collaboration with NOFA-VT and VAAFM, 2013 Vermont Market Currency Feasibility Report found at www.helpingpublicmarketsgrow.com
•Vermont: Working with Vermont Law School on legal resources for farmers and market organizations.
•Vermont: Assisting with 3 year project to build capacity for direct marketing farmers and outlets through DIY data collection and use.
Wallace Center: Moderator of FSLN, advisory to the 2020 NGFN Conference to be held in New Orleans in March of 2020
•Why Hunger: Created online toolkit for grassroots communities.
Feel free to contact me at my name at gmail dot com if I might be able to help your market or business.
Thanks
Dar Wolnik
And I agree with your assessment that this vendor would be happier elsewhere. Clearly, we view markets as mechanisms for social good and therefore will always work to expand their reach, and this vendor would be most uncomfortable with that it seems.
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BTW, I don’t want to leave you with the impression that I aim for any degree of political homogeneity in my vendor base. Market vendors are all over the map, which can be seen as a strength, and many are unfortunately unengaged. But I think we can strive for enlightened self-interest even with the small-l libertarian segment.
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Agreed. absolutely.
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Darlene: I read some newspaper articles last year that indicated the Braintree market wanted to have a uniform acceptance policy but was being patient while they tried to reason with this pie vendor, which I see has been fruitless. The problem from my vantage point is that she’s tightly connected with a politician who was trying to use the issue to score points with voters who hate SNAP.
My markets state an expectation that our SNAP tokens will be accepted for all eligible product. It’s hard enough to make shoppers feel welcome without one vendor vilifying SNAP shoppers in the media. If one of my vendors wanted to play politics with SNAP, I’d say they’d be happier in another market.
Is this vendor going to throw her body in front of the freezer case at every grocery store in Mass. to make sure no one spends SNAP on Mrs. Smiths or Sara Lee? No, and she’d argue that she does not own those brands.
The SNAP program is not structured to make these cost/value distinctions. (We all have mixed emotions about soda and Little Debbie cakes.) WIC, unfortunately, is completely susceptible to top down cost analysis. So you get states saying no organic milk, and you can only buy the most boring cheese.
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Certainly a back story that I expected to find. Thanks for sharing Rebecca. I agree with your assessment of policing fruits and veg; it has long been my contention that all goods at my markets were healthy in moderation: that a small turnover is a lovely treat when made with fresh blueberries and will sate the palate much better than a giant “honeybun” sitting under a giant heater near a register for months and that when the engagement with growers and the care and pride with goods is absorbed by shoppers at market, they slowly change their behavior.
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