Tent Talk

There may still be 75 shopping days left until Christmas but if you're just now starting to plan for end of year holidays, you're already behind! In this week's episode we chat about all the fun ways to get your farmers market festive for the numerous holidays sprinkled throughout the last few months of the year. We also discuss what you can do to make your market marketing more inclusive and how to use food-centric holidays and themed market activities as a way to drive foot traffic. Time to make yourself a cup of hot cocoa and create a strategic plan for the most wonderful time of year! This week's episode is made possible by support from Marketing for Markets.

Our guest this week is Stuart Nealy, Director of Market Operations for Heritage Farmers Markets. We met Stuart at the InTents Conference back in March and he stood out as one of the fresh faces of a new, ambitious generation of farmers market managers. On this week's episode, Stuart shares how he and his team bring fresh food to Southern Californians across various counties at 4 farmers markets a week and how their organization differentiates itself from all the other food pop-ups and makers markets in the area. We also discuss the future of farmers markets and what a younger cohort of market managers might bring to the industry in years to come. Listen along for an interesting discussion! This week's episode is made possible by support from MarketWurks.

Hanging onto farmers market vendors can be like herding cats! Often times they are creative, independent business owners who like to do their own thing. While it's true that vendors will come and go and the occasional turnover is just part of farmers market life. However there are numerous things market managers can do on an organization level to keep vendors consistently coming back week after week. In this episode of Tent Talk we discuss strategies for retaining farmers market vendors, maintaining longterm vendor relationships, and how to coach new vendors through the first few months of a new market. Tune in to hear how you can keep a consistent roster of farmers and vendors season to season and year over year. This week's episode is made possible by support from Square.

This week our guest is Michael Clark, sales and production manager for JR Organics. Michael is a third generation family farmer who grew up working markets and on the farm. Over the years his family's business has expanded to include more than a dozen weekly farmers markets, a robust CSA program and wholesale customers. In this episode Michael explains the origins of his farms CSA program, how it works hand-in-hand with his farmers market operations, and the benefits of offering farm box pick-up at the market. We also discuss the pros and cons of maintaining organic certification and ins and outs of working closely with family members. This week's episode is made possible by support from Blue Owl Promos.

Time flies when you're having fun and somehow we're already wrapping up the third quarter of 2022! Because we've only got a couple months left in the year, this week on Tent Talk we're chatting about what market managers should be doing to make 2023 even better: budgeting and sponsor outreach! In this episode we discuss the importance of budgeting for your market and why you should be connecting with potential sponsors now, rather than waiting for "charitable giving" season. We also give you some helpful tips on the most effective ways to reach out to sponsors. Listen along and then get excited about making 2023 more profitable and less stressful! This week's episode is made possible by support from Sarah Delevan Consulting.

Happy Labor Day! The Farmers Market Pros team is taking a break today and we're bringing you a Best of Tent Talk episode that originally aired last fall. On this week's episode you'll hear our conversation with Jenny Heck, market manager and communication manager at Mill City Farmers Market in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where we discuss the impact grant funding can have in helping markets incubate new farmers and vendors. As farmers age out and vendors struggle with staffing issues, supporting those participants can have a big impact on filling and strengthening farmers markets. We're excited that Jenny will present at InTents 2023, the multinational Farmers Market Conference, about supporting farmers and vendors and growing your markets. Register today and save big with Early Bird pricing! This week's episode is made possible by support from American Farmland Trust.

This week on Tent Talk we're joined by our podcast friend, farmers market royalty, cookie maven, vegan business mogul and founder of Maya's Cookies: Maya Madsen! In this episode Maya spills the tea on what she's been up to: pitching her cookies on the Home Shopping Network, reeling in an ex NBA star advisor, opening her second brick and mortar location and still maintaining a presence at farmers markets and events. She also shares some insight into dreaming big and accomplishing her longterm goals. This week's episode is made possible by support from Square.

Would you get a chiropractic adjustment or purchase a time share at the grocery store? If you answered no, then why would you expect to find those services at the farmers market? This week on Tent Talk we discuss the pros and cons of hosting service providers and informational/promotional booths at your farmers market. Knife sharpeners, food prep services, masseuses, real estate agents, home cleaning services, and bike mechanics all offer valuable services that your market community may desire. However, integrating them into your farmers market requires some strategy. Listen along for tips on how to curate your markets service providers in a way that aligns with the mission of your organization. This week's episode is made possible by support from Local Food Marketplace.

This week on Tent Talk we welcome back Sarah Delevan of Sarah Delevan Consulting and the Good Food CFO podcast. We first spoke with Sarah on Tent Talk back in 2018 and since then she's presented numerous times at our annual InTents Conference, sharing her experience as a financial coach with a knack for understanding, diagnosing, and improving the financial performance of food businesses. In this episode Sarah makes a strong case for adopting a profit-first approach to budgeting for farmers market businesses. We also discuss some of the common financial mistakes small business owners make, why mission-driven businesses should extend the concept of sustainability to their budgets, and the importance of making a profit - even when your farmers market is operated under a non-profit organization. Tune in for this interesting and enlightening conversation! This week's episode is made possible by support from Gusto.

Last time Daniel and Kasi Haire were on Tent Talk, back in early 2020, we were all adjusting our farmers market operations to accommodate COVID-19 protocols. In the time since, this farmers market power couple who manage the Nolensville Farmers Market have become invaluable contributors to our online community, sharing brilliant market hacks and solutions to the sticky situations market managers constantly find themselves in. We're thrilled to welcome them back again to Tent Talk this week to chat about the benefits of collecting data at their markets and how they apply that data to their market operations. From vendor sales to weekly foot traffic, the numbers help inform Daniel & Kasi when making decisions about bringing in new vendors, applying for grants and have even changed their whole approach to pulling in sponsorships! Time to get your calculators & spreadsheets ready, folks! This week's episode is made possible by support from Marketing for Markets.