Tent Talk

Welcome to a new season of Tent Talk, the Farmers Market Podcast. The theme for our next 7 episodes is Grow Where You're Planted, and it's all about using your own resources and the others available to you locally and in the wider farmers market community. Here in episode 360, let's start with taking stock. What's in store for your market in coming months, and how can you plan now to make it the most successful market season yet? Listen in as we talk about: Thinking about your core mission Ways to increase income and reduce expenses Creating win-win partnerships InTents National Farmers Market Conference sessions Stream the episode NOW on Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube. Register NOW at intentsconference.com

Welcome back to Tent Talk, it's been a minute! Be sure to stay with us until the end for an important announcement. Listen in to hear what's been happening at Farmers Market Pros and the rest of our community, what's coming in the next season of Tent Talk, the farmers market podcast, and new offerings at our Farmers Market Forum platform. Hear about some of the amazing speakers coming to the InTents National Farmers Market Conference in March (the South has something to say!). Do not miss the exciting news revealed near the end of this episode. Don't forget to register now for InTents 2026: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/farmersmarketpros/1764636 Listen in as we talk about:

• The next season of Tent Talk
• Farmers Market Forum newsletters
• Monthly live online calls
• Preview of InTents 2026 sessions
• and a Very Important Announcement!

Our theme for this season of Tent Talk is Survive and Thrive and boy does it feel relevant now more than ever. Between nearly a million government workers currently on furlough and 40 million people going without access to SNAP benefits, our customers, our farmers, and our communities are staring down the neck of truly dark and difficult times.That's why we're reaching into our toolkit and pulling out a word that guided us through the pandemic: PIVOT. It's time to lean on each other, get creative and resourceful, and mobilize quickly and efficiently to ensure our neighbors remain fed and our vendors balance their bottom line. Join us TODAY as we do exactly that during SNAP to It! a FREE live Zoom call with market managers across the country.

• What: SNAP to It! Supporting Your Market Family Today
• When: Monday, November 3rd, 2025 at 9:30 AM PT / 12:30 PM ET
• Where: Zoom
• How: Register at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/HALavysyRe6F09xnmrFtdQ#/registration

This episode of Tent Talk, the farmers market podcast, is supported by the National Farmers Market Coalition.

Every year the last quarter never fails to creep up on us and 2025 is no exception. As we reflect on the year and look ahead at what's to come, everywhere we turn we're haunted by budgets. How can we continue to ensure that our market business is turning a profit? How can we create a safety net so in times of stress we're still financially secure? The answer is simple: sponsors! This week on Tent Talk, we're calling back to an old, but ever so relevant episode and are revisiting creative ways to harvest support. Tune in as we discuss:

• The importance of budgeting for your market
• Why you should be connecting with potential sponsors now, rather than waiting for "charitable giving" season
• Helpful tips on the most effective ways to reach out to sponsors

Listen along and then get excited about making 2026 more profitable and less stressful.

Uncertainty often breeds innovation and periods of economic instability are no exception. Job insecurity can be the tipping point to that pushes makers to think outside the box and embrace the adventure of farmers market entrepreneurship. Suddenly there's space to turn that recipe into a money making reality. In this episode of our Survive & Thrive series, we're focusing on an unexpected benefit that markets sometimes see during times of turmoil: an influx of business start ups. As people part ways with corporate America and dip their toes into farmers market life, it's up to market managers to ensure those new vendors are informed, prepared, and properly supported. Listen in as we discuss:

• Why shifts in the economy and employment offer opportunities
• Resources that benefit new business owners
• Incubating new vendors to increase success
• How to determine if a farmers market business is right for you

This episode of Tent Talk: The Farmers Market Podcast is supported by Vendor-101.

Farmers Markets offer food founders the chance to capture high margin sales, but it only matters if you know how to make them profitable.

In this episode, Sarah Delevan sits down with Catt Fields-White, nationally recognized farmers market expert and founder of the InTents National Farmers Market Conference, to answer real questions from Good Food CFO listeners about maximizing farmers market revenue.

What You'll Learn:

• Why Catt told one cookie vendor to raise prices five times before adding production capacity

• The margin advantage of farmers markets vs. wholesale distribution (and why it matters for cash flow)

• Logistics for selling at 7+ markets weekly: staffing, delivery, and storage solutions

• Simple display changes that directly impact sales (including the pricing psychology most vendors miss)

• What to do before walking away from an unprofitable market, and more

In this episode of our Survive & Thrive series, we're going back to the basics when it comes to maintaining a financially stable market. While grant funding feels unstable and uncontrollable, when your passion meets profit, you're prepared to weather even the most unpredictable of storms. A strong P&L around the core function of supporting farmers and incubating small businesses is almost like tent weights for your market operation. Listen as we discuss doing the math on:

• Venue
• Equipment
• Operating costs
• Staff
• Marketing

This episode of Tent Talk, the Farmers Market Podcast, is supported by the Catamaran Resort Hotel & Spa.

When your job is weird, it's easy to feel isolated. Who do you ask for help when all of your friends work desk jobs? How do you advocate for the importance of markets in your community when you're a team of one? Where do you go to brainstorm city specific issues? Well the solution just might be in your own backyard.

In this episode of our Survive & Thrive series, we're emphasizing the importance of hyper-local coalitions on the success and longevity of markets in your city, county, or region. Because no one understands markets better than other market managers.

Listen in as we discuss:

• The effectiveness of collaborative problem solving
• Why it helps to lean on fellow market managers
• How to collectively navigate changes to local permitting and safety protocols
• The benefits of exchanging farmer and vendor information

This episode is supported by MarketWurks, making market management easier.

In this episode of our Survive & Thrive series, we're speaking with Dana DiPrima. She's built the For Farmers Movement on consumer education and thousands and thousands of small donations. Her organization's simple grant application creates solutions for one challenge at a time and ensures small farms can keep farming.

Listen in as she shares all about her story, the movements role in sustaining local food systems, and the importance of investing in everyday farming infrastructure. Because no farms, no farmers markets.

This episode of Tent Talk, the Farmers Market Podcast, is supported by SQUARE.

Dana's farmers market guide can be found here:

https://www.forfarmersmovement.com/farmers-market-guide

Tent Talk has returned with a new series, Survive & Thrive! Before we dive deep into our scheduled content, we're sharing a quick preview of this season and a few reminders. Tune in as we talk about:

• Next weeks episode featuring Dana DiPrima from the For Farmers Movement
• Our new online community, the Farmers Market Forum
• Early bird ticketing for the 10th annual inTents conference ends September 15th, 2025
• RFP deadline for inTents 2026 extended to September 19th, 2025
• Voting period for America's Farmers Market Celebration by American Farmland Trust closes September 30th, 2025

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