Tent Talk

By Farmers Market ProsBusiness Entrepreneurship Arts Food

Tent Talk episodes

January 27, 2025Ep 330: Better Together | How To: Nurture Community Connections
Where do you start to develop and maintain relationships with your farmers maket's neighboring residents and businesses? Start with outreach, then add big portions of listening and cooperation. Working together will make your community happier and your market more successful. Listen in for how-to tips including:

Taking your team on a local field trip

Resolving complaints to gain loyal supporters

Using surveys to prove rising tides float all boats

Sharing stories and building friendships

Use the link in our bio to register today for the 9th annual InTents, the National Farmers Market Conference, coming March 10-12, 2025 in San Diego. Hotel discounts end soon.
39 min
January 20, 2025Ep 329: Good Form | How To: Manage Market Applications
There's no one right way to manage vendor applications for your farmers market. Some managers prefer simple inquiry emails before a detailed form. Some market management platforms integrate applications with online maps and vendor profiles. We all need to know business names and exactly what will be sold. An origin story makes an application more interesting, permit and insurance information generally gets it processed more quickly. On this episode the Farmers Market Pros discuss our experiences and preferences, then we chat with Cara Mae Wooledge of Napa Farmers Market and Chloe Kuhn and SJ Osborne or the Riverside Arts Market. Listen in for a variety of opinions and tips on topics including:

Longer applications lead to good decisions

Detailed instructions save everyone's time

Should vendors visit before applying?

You don't want to miss Michael Jordan

There's still time to sign up for Farmers Market University's live online market manager certification class starting January 24th. Use code FMPROS25 to save when you register at FarmersMarketUniversity.com Use the link in our bio to register today for the 9th annual InTents, the National Farmers Market Conference, coming March 10-12, 2025 in San Diego.
1 hr 1 min
January 13, 2025Ep 328: By The Numbers | How To: Share Your Market Data
How many eggs did Apricot Lane Farms collect in 2024? Eighty three thousand five hundred ninety seven. How do we know that? Because they posted a clever graphic that said so. What does that make us think about their farm? They must be hardworking farmers and have some happy chickens. Use numbers to share your farm, business or farmers market accomplishments and impress your shoppers. Make it eye-catching and fun to be sure it's memorable. Listen in for how-to tips including:

Exact numbers are more impressive and memorable

Should you share products made or sales totals?

Creating graphics doesn't need to be complicated

So much can be counted: how many tents did you pop?

Thanks @apricotlanefarms for the graphic. We love those chickens and those farmers. There's still time to sign up for Farmers Market University's live online market manager certification class starting January 24th. Use code FMPROS25 to save when you register at FarmersMarketUniversity.com Use the link in our bio to register today for the 9th annual InTents, the National Farmers Market Conference, coming March 10-12, 2025 in San Diego.
30 min
January 06, 2025Ep 327: Log Polling | How To: Track Your Market Day
Farmers Market Day logbooks can store valuable information, customer requests and market history. Whether you use them to track attendance or sales, complaints or comedy, they can be helpful and interesting if you both maintain and read them. Listen in for tips to decide what to include and how to format your market log, based on the Farmers Market Pros' experience and other market managers' and market business owners' input. These are some of our takeaways:

A standard set of information can help predict trends

Multiple team members reporting is most accurate

Open ended questions can yield better insights

Don't spend time collecting info unless you'll use it

#farmersmarkets #recordkeeping #farmersmarketday #smallfarmers #smallbusiness #marketmanagerlife #farmersmarketsdontjusthappen
35 min
December 30, 2024 Ep 326: Start the New Year with Good InTENTions
And just like that another year of farmers markets is coming to a close. We're ringing in this new year quietly. 2024 has been full of meaningful connections, community-building and so many conferences. In the coming weeks we'll be sharing our inTENTions for 2025, tips and how-tos, and new ways to connect. We're cooking up some exciting new things, so stay tuned. Don't forget to register for InTents, the National Farmers Market Conference; we can't wait to see you there. Thanks for listening all year long, and we're wishing you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!
2 min
December 23, 2024 Ep 325: Happy Holidays
Whether you're observing a holiday this week or not, remember that you are a gift to your communities every week of the year. We hope you find time to rest and enjoy the fruits of your labors. Wishing happy holidays to all who celebrate and peace to one and all.
4 min
December 16, 2024 Ep 324: Holiday Gifting
The season for holiday gifting is here! Whether you're a market manager, farmer or vendor, we have great tips for remembering all the people who have supported you this year. It really is the thought that counts so if gifts aren't in the budget we suggest other ways to acknowledge the people you appreciate. Grab your list, check it twice and listen in to this spotlight episode from 2023 as we discuss: • Who's on our holiday list • Useful gifts for your team • Shopping local, of course! • Big impact on a low budget
33 min
December 09, 2024Ep 323: Give and Let Give
For some folks making year-end donations is a tax strategy. Others just feel generous this time of year. It's a perfect time to bolster your farmers market's fundraising efforts and finish the year with a balanced budget. Even though your core market business is hopefully self sustaining, many market organizations also provide educational programs and supplement nutrition incentive programs. Those are efforts your community can help support. Listen in as we talk about how to make that ask effective:

Be specific about why you need support

Explore the best ways to reach your fans

Give your followers the opportunity to give

Report back on results and say thank you
21 min
December 02, 2024Ep 322: The Fourth P: Be a Farmers Market Pro
We've been talking about the 4 Ps for market success since we started our Vendor-101 class almost 15 years ago. Product, packaging or presentation, personality and today's focus: Professionalism. Farmers markets are a shopping environment where one vendor's actions and attitudes can affect a lot of people's businesses. Be a most valuable farmer or vendor by remembering some of the things we're chatting about today:

Being timely during the application process

Ways to build trust with shoppers

Communicating the "why" helps

Remembering kindness counts
41 min
November 25, 2024Ep 321: James Grevious: Rebel Courses
This week we caught up with James Grevious of Rebel Marketplace in Aurora, Colorado. Since he last joined us on Tent Talk, he's been addressing challenges around establishing a consistent location and a sustainable business model. Staying rebellious, he continues to create neighborhood food security with a hyper local farmers market. Along with today's update, it's a pleasure to share our talk with James that was originally broadcast in August 2023.
Listen in For James' views and tips on:

Intentionally developing and incubating urban farmers

Increasing community capacity from the inside

Balancing market growth and operator capacity

Weighing community needs and financial security
45 min

About Tent Talk

From the publisher's feed

Tent Talk is a podcast for farmers' market managers, farmers, food makers, and anyone who counts on farmers' markets as a source of income. Please join us as we interview farmers' market experts, talk about ways to improve local food communities, and provide you with tips on building a successful farmers' market business.