27th Annual Convention February 10-16, 2012 in Williamsburg, VA
Great place for farmers and direct marketing organizers to learn and share techniques.
North American Farmers’ Direct Market Association conference coming up
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Author: D.W.
Let’s retake ugly food too
This report makes a great point about our unease with ugly fruit. I believe that the entire responsibility DOES go to those supermarkets that started to stage light and wax fruit for display. They have lost the ability to lure people in with smells or bursting ripeness. Let me also say that the finger pointing to the consumer in this story as the culprit is unsubstantiated; we have become conditioned based how food has been presented in our lifetime, and it’s up to the farmers markets (once again!) to change that perception with gentle encouragement.
WE can bring back the ugly fruit too, by simply encouraging our farmers to bring “seconds” and then to promote them. Why not ask the farmers to bring a few boxes that are not perfect and do as the Monica family in New Orleans does- label the box “chef special” which, of course brings every serious home cook to peer in the box and then drop their jaw at the lower price.
report
WWNO: Louisiana Eats 12-28-11: Year In Review
Poppy Tooker is a favorite of every serious (and lighthearted) food organizer in my region – and if you want to get honest about it – those smart ones far beyond her beloved Gumbo Nation.
I could go on and on about her, but let me say this: Food organizers should be so lucky as to have a Poppy Tooker in their midst. She has done many things, including being largely responsible for the speed in which we rebuilt our food system after the federal levee breaks by alternately cheering, cursing and championing those producers (and market managers like myself) that needed to get back up and running, finding us money and support and the words to explain ourselves.
For many years, she has reclaimed food and its dignity in dozens of ways, with unique style and dedication, even while making everyone shake their head with laughter or hide it in fear of her righteous wrath at times too.
All as a VOLUNTEER.
She wrote the glorious Crescent City Farmers Market cookbook and now finds herself a radio star of the first order on the public radio station in New Orleans. Listen to her online now, here, because she is going to be heard a lot more places soon, and you can say, “Oh Poppy? I been listening to her for YEARS..”
Sioux City Farmers Market report
An excellent example of a market annual report. Clearly, this market engages lots of partners to help on a regular basis.
I truly believe that the most successful markets have the widest group of community partners assisting them.
Check out how much data they have for the year; each piece of that data will help another partner or a vendor or a market understand it’s function and potential a little better.
Sioux City
Lost ladybug project
Ah, those wonderful people obsessed with a corner of the natural world or food system! I like to believe that Thoreau would have been one of them if he was forced to live in this complicated time. (I can see him as a early market shopper, complete with knotty bags and crates to return to farmers, animatedly discussing timber production with the bee guy over there in the corner.)
In any case, we need to celebrate every success that comes from our brethren (such as those in the part of the environmental movement that is as appropriately-scaled as our piece of the food system) as a victory for the alternative food system. A good example found now are the folks from the “Lost Ladybug Project” which search and categorize ladybug populations. Good news: the long-thought extinct Coccinella novemnotata which is the state insect of New York was found last summer during an event the organization held.
This beauty was found on Saturday July 30, 2011 on a sunflower at the Quail Hill Organic Farm in Amagansett, Suffolk County by Peter Priolo.
How to fundraise through social media
Kickstarter is a perfect market fundraising tool for a board member to manage. Why not use to raise money for a small endowment that could pay for a staff person ultimately or save for a vendor emergency/business enhancement fund?
Remember to remember Japan
From Jacqueline Church’s excellent food newsletter, even though its now more like 10 months since the disaster:’As I finish these edits, I am just back from the debrief by the Japanese Disaster Relief Fund team. They had are just back from Tohoku, Japan. Two months after the March 11 triple disaster, 115,000 people are still in living in 2,000 shelters scattered around Tohoku. Volunteers from within Japan and from Boston are on the ground in various towns, helping to clear debris, trying to elicit health status from quiet and stoic citizens in shelters.
Don’t focus on your heavy heart. Be grateful for what you have but don’t forget Japan. Giving feels good. Help in whatever way, small or grand, you can. Just do something. You will be enriched for it and feel less helpful in the face of the horrific news as it continues to unfold, as surely it will.”
And in the months to come. Remember to remember. Japan is counting on us.
obesity, tariffs related?
“… countries that have business-friendly regulations and low tariffs have a higher incidence of obesity than countries with more tightly regulated economies.”
Kitchen Gardener pods
Markets can do well to encourage kitchen gardeners to socialize and find ways to encourage share information – maybe even to curate those discussions at the market.
L3C designation
As many of you may know from the listserve postings and from this blog, I am beginning to do research on types of governance of markets and market organizations. Interestingly, I find that many organizers that I am chatting with simply believe that they cannot get 501c3 status (mostly through informal local advice they get or even during the first foray to I.R.S.) or think the 501c3 process will be too long or arduous. In response, they incorporate as other types of 501s that do not allow donations or make it easy to receive grants. Just as often, many seem to not do any incorporation which, until a terrible thing happens and those running the thing are held financially responsible and lose their personal property as a result, may feel like enough. This is particularly of concern to me when markets are run by a farmer and therefore operating without a corporation or LLC designation may mean endangering the farm itself.
One of the options may ultimately be the L3C designation. As I was beginning this post, I received a call from a friend who works with a foundation (that does not fund food work, sorry!). Upon hearing what I was writing about she shared that she is also researching the L3C as a way to help innovative social enterprises that will not be covered under their grant-making rules.
While still largely untested, the low-profit limited liability incorporation may become useful for food enterprises, such as farmers markets. It means that profit is possible but profit is secondary to the general purpose and good of the organization. It allows for program-related investments (PRI) from foundations in states that have authorized it. So far, legislation has been passed in Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, North Carolina, Utah, Vermont, and Wyoming with many other states having introduced legislation.
So take a look and I’ll have more on this later…
L3C
Stifled by corporate America, the young turn to farming
Well maybe they’re stifled, or maybe they want to farm…
Community Food Security Coalition in 2012
A letter from the team at CFSC about our plans and hopes for 2012:
Vendor neighbors
Yeah, there are some differences between art vendors and farmers market vendors, but still, there is something here for all market managers to understand.
Olive this.
This is a great story about someone finding growing food as a second life. Wonderful really.
Helping Farmers Markets Grow 