Tent Talk

WOW! 200 Episodes of Tent Talk, the farmers market podcast! Listen along as we celebrate this huge milestone by looking back on some of our favorite podcasting moments from the last year. We also discuss some surprising similarities between podcasting and managing farmers markets and chat about where we find our inspiration. Big thanks to our amazing Tent Talk listeners for sticking with us all these years! This week's episode is made possible by support from American Farmland Trust.

This week we have two special guests (Greg Plotkin, Director of Digital Communications for AFT and Corrina Smith, Executive Director of the Columbia Farmers Market) who give us all the details on the 2022 America's Farmers Market Celebration hosted by American Farmland Trust! Running from June 20 to September 19, 2022, the 14th annual celebration showcases the essential markets across the nation making a difference for farmers, ranchers, and communities. In this episode Greg shares AFT's vision for the contest, some updates on this year's celebration, and step by step instructions on how market managers can update their profiles and get the vote out. Then we hear from Corrina who led her market to victory and nabbed the grand prize back in 2021! Corrina gives us an inside peek into her marketing strategy and all the awesome benefits that come with winning. Listen in to get excited, then find out more at markets.farmland.org! This week's episode is made possible by support from the Farmers Market Coalition.

While we strongly believe that farmers markets should focus on farmers, we also recognize that non-food vendors and crafters add a special element to the farmers market shopping experience. So this week, for the first time in Tent Talk history, we're chatting with an artist who sells at farmers markets! Our guest is Jess Pickering, fiber artist and owner of Jess Makes Macrame. In this episode Jess explains what led her to trade in her cushy 9 to 5 job for a 10 x 10 tent and a new life as a full-time artist. We also chat about what market managers can do to better support artists and crafters at their markets, tips for building a social media following, and how to find inspiration amid the weekly grind of production and selling at markets. This week's episode is made possible by support from Square.

This week on Tent Talk we dive deep into best practices for communicating with your farmers and vendors. From email to social media groups to texting services, there are numerous ways market operators can keep in touch and provide vital information. Tune in for helpful hints from market managers Cori Veverka (Oswego Country Market), Gina Johnson (Madison Farmers Market) and Rebecah Boynton (Richland Park Farmers' Market). We can't promise we know the secrets to getting your farmers to open your emails or read them, but we do have some creative ideas! This week's episode is made possible by support from Vendor-101.

This week on Tent Talk we're joined by Max Petrich, Vendor-101 grad and founder of San Diego Tempeh. Max sells his soy-free fermented products at farmers markets in San Diego and has also built a thriving wholesale business. After a brief hiatus from farmers markets, he's back with a banging new display and a spring in his step! In this episode we hear the story behind San Diego Tempeh and how Max and his team are pushing full steam ahead into the wholesale game. We also chat about the benefits of taking a temporary break from markets to avoid burnout. This week's episode is made possible by support from Sarah Delevan Consulting.

Our most favorite week of the year is just around the corner! Of course we're talking about National Farmers Market Week, which is August 7-13! In preparation of festivities we're catching up with our friend and Communications Manager for Farmers Market Coalition, Hannah Fuller. In this episode Hannah shares FMC's focus for this year's celebration, how your market community can prepare, and tons of creative ideas for engaging your vendors and shoppers. We also discuss the return of the National Farmers Market Poster Contest and American Farmland Trust's annual Farmers Market Celebration. This week's episode is made possible by support from Farmers Market Coalition.

Opening a new farmers market is no small feat! There is endless behind the scenes preparation that happens long before your first market day: research, permitting, vendor recruitment, and so on. This week on Tent Talk, we're focusing on the fun part: the grand opening! Tune in for tips on how to prepare for, promote and execute the first day of a brand new farmers market and what you can do to ensure that shoppers continue to show up week after week. This week's episode is made possible by support from our new online course, Marketing for Markets! Register today at farmersmarketpros.com and gain access to the self-paced course materials.