Tent Talk

Our guest this week is Cara Mae Wooledge of the Napa Farmers Market. Before taking on her current role as farmers market manager, Cara Mae had a career in public health with a specialty in infections disease, so the events of this year have given her the opportunity to apply many of her skill sets! In this episode we talk about how her market has adjusted to COVID-19 and what farmers market managers can do to promote shopping safe and shopping local this holiday season. To watch the CalFresh Market Match video the Napa Farmers Market team produced, visit napafarmersmarket.org/community/calfresh/.

This week on Tent Talk, we talk a little about where farmers markets are now, and what's next. We don't dare make any predictions about what 2021 may bring, but we can make tentative plans and prepare for the best and worst. We also share some exciting news about our annual event. Registration for InTents: The Farmers Market Conference 2021 is live! Reserve your ticket today at farmersmarketpros.com/conference and use code TALK21 at checkout for a Tent Talk discount!

As the weather begins to cool, many farmers markets across the country are transitioning into their winter season. However, COVID-19 is still a present danger and poses numerous challenges to planning indoor markets and events. This week on Tent Talk we speak with Shawn Menard of Seacoast Eat Local in New Hampshire about overcoming some of these challenges. Shawn provides helpful advice on how to keep indoor markets open and safe for vendors and shoppers this winter.

This week our guest is Tent Talk co-host Justine's business and life partner Dave Mead! We talk with Dave about how his life as a musician led him to launch his farmers market business Baby Clydesdale Small Batch Hot Sauce. Dave also shares helpful insight into successful branding, attractive packaging, and honing his sales skills.

On this episode of Tent Talk we reveal some preliminary details of the fifth annual InTents: The Farmers Market Conference! Save the date for our live, online event February 15-18, 2021! We also answer some questions from our Farmers Market Pros Community about touchless shopping, vendors who've tested positive for COVID, and holding on to applications and market documents. Join us for an info-packed episode!

This week on Tent Talk we're joined by Lihlani Nelson, Associate Director and Research Fellow at the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law School. In cooperation with the Farmers Market Coalition, the Vermont Law School developed the Farmers Market Legal Toolkit, which provides free legal resources, best practice recommendations and case studies. In this episode we discuss free speech issues at the farmers market and what market managers can do to reduce common legal risks. To access more free information, visit https://farmersmarketlegaltoolkit.org!

This week on Tent Talk, co-hosts Brijet, Catt and Justine discuss what happens when the management of an established farmers market changes. In this year full of changes that may be happening even more than in the past, for a variety of reasons. Whether you're a longtime market manager considering your exit strategy, a new manager who's inheriting a market, or a farmers market vendor curious about all that goes into a changing of the guard, you'll find this episode helpful! Listen along for tips on how to make that management transition as smooth as possible.

Way back in February we had the privilege of meeting Tamara Cameron, market manager for the Boise Farmers Market, at InTents: The Farmers Market Conference. Much has changed since we last spoke, so this week, Tamara joined us on Tent Talk to share how she's forging ahead with her market season, despite the trials of COVID-19. By implementing new software programs, harnessing an impressive volunteer force and producing a creative socially-distanced fundraising event, Tamara has turned her seasonal market into a year-round drive-through farmers market to feed her community in Boise!

This week on Tent Talk our guest is Darian Washington, creator and operator of Oatmeal & Company, based in Austin, Texas. After her corporate job took an unexpected turn, Darian and her young son turned their side hustle into a thriving business at local farmers markets. Listen along to hear the inspiring story behind Darian's leap into farmers market success!

This week Brijet, Catt and Justine answer some tough questions from Tent Talk listeners and members of the Farmers Market Pros Community. Listen along for tips on how to handle CPR certification and first aid at the market, managing gift certificates, and longtime vendors returning to markets after a COVID hiatus. Do you have a question you'd like us to answer on Tent Talk? Drop us a line at [email protected] or dm us on Instagram @farmersmarketpros.