At NOFA-VT conference…

Listening in on the Vermont Farmers Market Association annual meeting while at the NOFA-VT Direct Marketing Conference.
Professional, really covering a great many topics and a diversity in farm stands, markets and CSAs represented.
Saw a bit of the round table on emerging farmers market questions, and sat in on the SNAP at farmers market talk. Seems like they have 30 markets in the state doing tokens, and a mini-grant program for new markets to start EBT. Very detailed talk and an obvious, great partnership between the Department of Children and Families rep and NOFA.
Lunch is coming, local ingredients galore.
Local apples and apple ciders on the table all morning have been delightful.
South Royalton is a charming little town; the picture postcard of Vermont it seems. The conference is being held at the Vermont Law School campus.
Should I buy books? there are a lot of farmer business planning books for sale. I wonder if our farmers would use it…

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Genetic Engineering for Good — Emerging Ideas — Utne Reader

Fascinating and necessary article for all food activists to read:

Genetic Engineering for Good — Emerging Ideas — Utne Reader.

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The Eco-Myth of Trader Joe’s – Emerging Ideas – Utne Reader

Ahh, transparency. The idea of having a set of values and standing directly behind them. The Trader Joe’s story seems to be still developing, but certainly the sense of fun and the lower price points for some items (loss leaders) is selling their brand to white collar shoppers.

The Eco-Myth of Trader Joe’s – Emerging Ideas – Utne Reader.

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“This bonding-between farmer and supermarket-is an idea whose time is now”

I often check these reports to keep up on the news from the supermarket side. Often fascinating and sometimes about farmers markets, like this one:

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Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont

I really like the way they post the data they collect:
NOFAVT

Simple, clear and accessible. I think if more markets thought of evaluation as a daily exercise we might not get so freaked out by grant reports or annual meetings. For example, one of the simple ways that our Executive Director does it is to ask the market staff (as they watch people coming and going) “Who’s not here?”
That could mean today or at all or right then, but whatever it translates to, it starts the part of the brain that scans and analyzes so that it is on alert during market times. Then to decide on whom to focus the communication to get them there….

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Iceberg Economies and Shadow Selves: Further Adventures in the Territories of Hope

One of marketumbrella.org’s favorite authors Rebecca Solnit adds another piece to her growing oeuvre about human-scaled endeavors, hope and social contracts:

Iceberg Economies and Shadow Selves: Further Adventures in the Territories of Hope.

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1996 Profile of Paco Underhill and Retail Anthropology

This article from 1996 gave me some of my earliest knowledge of the retail anthropology idea and began my exploration of it, using it in the next few retail stores I managed and/or helped to design. I had already found Jane Jacobs and William Whyte by this date, whose groundbreaking studies on public spaces led to Paco’s work in the retail sector. Whyte’s work of course is also the basis for Projects for Public Spaces excellent design and analysis that continues still, and includes their Public Market work. Gladwell (the author of the piece) became known for his “The Tipping Point” book and other research of crowd behavior.
gladwell

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Why the other line moves faster

Part of the quite fascinating research into shopping behavior. Does it help a market? It could help a market vendor….

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Hello market folks.

I spent 9.5 years working at marketumbrella.org in New Orleans LA. We founded and run the Crescent City Farmers Market and also founded the White Boot Brigade and “Festivus, The Holiday Market For the Rest Of Us”.

I love just about everything to do with public markets. I worked to start the marketshare project at marketumbrella.org, which works to:

To professionalize the field of mission-driven public markets by providing resources, tools and technical assistance for market organizations. We do this by:

a)  borrowing ideas from other sectors and adapting them for public markets use.

b) encouraging and analyzing innovation and evaluation in public markets

c) creating peer networks and shared information streams to build the movement up from the grassroots level.

I will continue some of this work on a national level, at times hopefully working with leaders such as marketumbrella.org, Farmers Market Coalition and others.
I have started this blog to share with others in real-time with informal posts. Many organizations such as marketumbrella.org and Farmers Market Coaliton and Projects for Public Spaces have excellent websites to see the tools and resources that they want to share, so look on their sites for more practical stuff.
For this blog, do me know if there is anything that would be useful to know that I can research or that you want me to start a topic on.
Dar Wolnik

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