Tent Talk

It's hard to believe that we've produced 300 episodes of Tent Talk, the farmers market podcast, since we started almost five years ago. You'd think we might run out of things to talk about, but nope! There are so many ideas to explore, questions to ponder, and issues to delve into. We love creating opportunities for market businesses and operations to change and grow. We appreciate the endless number of interesting people doing amazing things that generously share their stories with us and our followers. We appreciate you for listening and subscribing. Join us today as we look back and look forward and have a few laughs. Stay tuned, we're just getting started.

Call it internship, apprenticeship or learning by doing, it's all about training the next generation of farmers, foodmakers and market managers on the job. On this week's episode we talk about how interns can help your market and ways to make those programs beneficial for both sides. A true internship provides education and that takes effort. Determine the best time to establish an internship that works, by considering issues including:

• Identifying the differences between interns and volunteers
• Deciding whether an internship is paid or unpaid
• Making sure you get the work your interns produce into that binder
• Creating success stories like the one from Williamsburg Farmers Market

Thanks to Downtown SLO Farmers Market for the 📸

It's the 25th anniversary of National Farmers Market Week. Get ready to get ready with the Farmers Market Coalition Toolkit, it's available now. Get ahead of the game with early press releases and outreach to your local policy makers. Order your temporary I Love Farmers Market tattoos. Plan a celebration and don't forget to slip in a little education. This is our week to shine. Join us as we chat with Nino Budabin McQuown of FMC about all the best ways to use the week to raise your farmers markets' profile, including:

• Customize your celebration for your community
• Request a proclamation or visit from local officials now
• Suggest farmers and market vendors use NFMW to promote their businesses
• Whether you plan ahead or scramble, make it fun

FMC Toolkit: https://farmersmarketcoalition.org/national-farmers-market-week/

Juneteenth is coming up, are you ready? With the mid-week holiday coming up, we're seeing observances and events scheduled this coming weekend also the following Saturday and Sunday, June 22nd and 23rd, in addition to June 19th itself. Sagdrina Brown Jalal joined us last year to discuss how to honor that day at our markets. This year we'll be amplifying the collective Juneteenth awareness campaign that Sagdrina is leading for the Farmers Market Coalition. Listen in to our brief conversation about this year's plans, and to this spotlight episode originally broadcast in June of 2023, about:

• Simple ways to make your farmers market more inclusive
• Supporting local organizations already doing the work
• How markets are putting the Anti-Racist Toolkit to work
• Keeping the momentum going as Black Business Month and National Farmers Market Week intersect

We love a good vendor story almost as much as we love Not Your Nonna's nut-free pesto, full of locally grown basil. Adrianna Zizzo operates her pasta sauce business in six farmers markets a week. Her fledgling business weathered pandemic protocols shortly after she launched. This summer her business is celebrating its five year anniversary. Devoted to using locally grown ingredients and no preservatives, Adrianna has built a devoted customer base and an extended market family. Listen in as we talk about:

• Ways entrepreneurial parents set us up for success
• Limiting staff turnover with realistic job descriptions
• Educating shoppers about eating seasonally
• Using customer requests to grow your product line
• Her last word on the sauce versus gravy debate

Learn more about our online courses, annual gatherings and farmers market resources at https://www.farmersmarketpros.com. Copyright @ The Farmers Market Pros, 2024.

It's a celebration, it's a contest, it's two exciting things at once and it kicks off this coming weekend. American Farmland Trust has operated America's Farmers Market Celebration for 16 years now. It offers a great chance to make your market more visible and engage your shoppers. The cash prizes are an added bonus. This year's contest is shorter and maybe a little sweeter than last year's, with some new rules in place. Listen in on our conversation with AFT's David Thayer about all the ways the Celebration is designed to advance our shared mission of protecting farmers while promoting farmers markets. Learn about all this and more:

• Why the Celebration has a new, shorter timeline
• Getting your market registered before June 1st
• Creative ways market contestants get out the vote
• Remembering that we're all on the same side
• Celebrating farmers markets all year

Today's episode of Tent Talk, the Farmers Market Podcast, is supported by American Farmland Trust.

We're baaaaack! Did you miss us? After our short recording hiatus, listen in to find out where we've been and where we're growing next.🌱 It's been a busy spring, and we've got a lot cookin' over here. Follow along as we answer burning questions, including:

• How Catt and Brijet keep it real (hint: still schlepping barricades)
• The location for 2025's InTents Farmers Market Conference
• Will the Tent Talk Podcast ever be on video? 👀
• How to find grant assistance and other consulting services
• Where in the world is Catt Fields White, and how many books is she writing?

We'd love to hear what you've been up to. Drop a comment and let us know!

Today's episode of Tent Talk, the Farmers Market Podcast, is supported by Farmers Market University.

The work you do farming, or bringing small farmers and shoppers together, is vitally important. Brent Preston spoke at InTents: The Farmers Market Conference 2019 about his time as an organic farmer, the effects of farming on the environment and how farmers and consumers can change those. His book The New Farm: Our Ten Years on the Front Lines of the Good Food Revolution, shined a light on the complexity of our food systems. Brent continues to do the good work, on his farm in Southern Ontario, Canada, and as current president of Farmers for Climate Solutions.

This episode was recorded and originally broadcast in March 2019 and we think it's still relevant and important, for long time listeners to review and newer followers to discover. It's a pleasure to share it with you again now.

Today's episode of Tent Talk, the Farmers Market Podcast, is supported by the national Farmers Market Coalition.

Would you get a chiropractic adjustment or purchase a time share at the grocery store? If you answered no, then why would you expect to find those services at the farmers market? This week on Tent Talk we discuss the pros and cons of hosting service providers and informational/promotional booths at your farmers market. Knife sharpeners, food prep services, masseuses, real estate agents, home cleaning services, and bike mechanics all offer valuable services that your market community may desire. However, integrating them into your farmers market requires some strategy. Listen along for tips on how to curate your markets service providers in a way that aligns with the mission of your organization.

This episode was recorded and originally broadcast in August 2022. Enjoy this encore for long time listeners, and helpful information for our newer followers. It's a pleasure to share it with you again now.

Today's episode of Tent Talk, the Farmers Market Podcast, is supported by Project for Public Spaces

Pirate vendors, aargh! No, we're not talking about buccaneers that sail the seven seas, we're talking about sellers and solicitors that set up in or around a farmers market as unofficial vendors. Though usually well-intentioned, hawkers, buskers, petitioners, and street vendors can confuse shoppers about where and when the actual farmers market begins, encroach on sales, and could potentially be a liability for farmers market operators. Tune in for some commiseration and brainstorming about what to do and how to handle these unofficial farmers market vendors.

This episode was recorded and originally broadcast in January 2023. We thought it was worth an encore for long time listeners and a great way to provide newer followers with this valuable information.

This week's episode is made possible by support from Vendor-101.