For our first Tent Talk episode of the new year, we welcomed Ross Graham of Food Liability Insurance Program to the show. Ross is a licensed insurance agent and strategic partnership manager focused on helping businesses find the coverage they need at an affordable price. In or conversation with Ross we talk about all things risk management at the farmers market and how to protect vendors and market managers.

Our guest this week is Sagdrina Jalal, founding Executive Director of the Georgia Farmers Market Association. Sagdrina works hard to provide support and education for farmers market managers in Georgia and across the country as a member of the board of directors of the Farmers Market Coalition. In our conversation with Sagdrina we discuss the pros of participating in a farmers market association, some of the challenges market managers face, and the importance of education for farmers market managers and vendors.

Our guest this week is community activist and farmer Karen Washington. She has spent decades promoting urban farming as a way for all New Yorkers to access fresh, locally grown food. In our interview we chat with Karen about how community activism got her interested in farming, how Rise & Root found their product niche for the farmers market, and her hopes for the next generation of farmers. Listen all the way to the end for Karen's insightful advice on getting young people interested in agriculture!

This week on Tent Talk we are joined by Food Cost & Strategic Sourcing Consultant, Sarah Delevan. Sarah works with food makers, restaurants, caterers, and retail markets throughout the US to help them become and remain financially sustainable. In this episode Sarah provides tips on sourcing quality ingredients, shares keys to understanding your food financials, and identifies mistakes food-driven businesses can avoid.

This week we welcomed Anastasia Plakias as our Tent Talk guest! Anastasia is Co-Founder and Vice President of Brooklyn Grange Rooftop Farm; Co-Founder of City Growers; and author of The Farm on the Roof: What Brooklyn Grange Taught Us about Entrepreneurship, Community, and Growing a Sustainable Business. As a native New Yorker she is dedicated to making the city that raised her a greener and more sustainable place to live. In this episode Anastasia gives us the lowdown on how Brooklyn Grange came to be, fills us in on the what it's like to grow food in an urban environment, and explains the importance of collecting data and understanding return on investment.

Our Tent Talk podcast guest this week is Ben Grimes from Dawnbreaker Farms in North Carolina. Dawnbreaker Farms specializes in pasture-raised, non-GMO chickens, forest raised pigs, Thanksgiving turkeys and grass-fed lamb. In our interview Ben shares his techniques for selling meat at the farmers market, tips on retaining customers and increasing sales, and his passion for informing people about the food choices they have.

On this week's episode our guest is Marcy Coburn, CEO of Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture in San Francisco. CUESA operates five weekly markets in the Bay Area which have been a proving ground for many incredible food makers. In our conversation with Marcy, we talk about diversifying farmers market communities, the importance of food education, and what it's like to be a bellwether of food culture in California.

This week our guest is Amber Holland, operations director for Portland Farmers Markets. In our interview we discuss PFM's efforts to reduce waste at farmers markets, the challenges of placing vendors when your market becomes a construction zone, and Amber's passion for creating inclusive community gathering spaces for Portland residents and visitors. Listen along for some great ideas on how to make your market more eco-friendly!

On this week's episode we interviewed two of the most devoted farmers market shoppers we know: Tiffany and Terence Cooke (AKA @cookesinthekitchen)! Listen along to hear about the perks of making friends with your local farmers market vendors, the keys to a successful weekly meal planning process, and how they capture their delicious homemade creations in photos.

Our guest this week is Ben Feldman, the Policy Director for the national Farmers Market Coalition, which is a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening farmers markets across the United States. Ben tells us about his passion for farmers markets, gives us an update on current Farmers Market Coalition projects, and clues us in on important food system issues. In this episode we get a little nerdy and dive deep into some food policy!