Index to:
On Farmers’ Markets
Raps on the nature of farmers’ markets by a long time market attendee.
Comments? Questions? Drop me a line.
The Farmers’ Market Movement —March 2017
Goals of the Farmers’ Market Movement
Give a Man a Fish —February 2017
The Social Side of Market Organization —November 2014
About Agendas —March 2016
An Approach to Promoting Your Market —February 2015
When Does Your Marketing Season Begin? —May 2013
Promoting versus Marketing —May 2013
Toward a Better Understanding of the Markets —February 2015
Orient Your New Members —March 2017
The Idiocy of Anonymity —April 2017
More articles about farmers’ markets by Tom Roberts can be found at mffm.org.
About the author: When I started attending the Brewer Farmers’ Market back in August of 1983, my sole concern was being able to sell the produce my farm was growing at a good price. After attending market for a year or two, I began to realize that how the market was organized had a great impact on my sales. And how the market was organized also influenced how it made decisions about market dues, admitting new members, what could be sold at market, and how it promoted itself—and this, too, had an impact on my sales. So I got involved in the market’s steering committee and began to understand how various market members thought the market should operate. Some wanted to have a market czar, some wanted everyone to be allowed to do their own thing. But everyone seemed to agree that if the market as a whole did well, then so did they.
In the intervening 34 years I have had numerous discussions on many facets of how a market should operate. I have been involved in the Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets (1991-1997 and 2010-2016), in the founding of the Unity (1999), Pittsfield (1997), Newport (2007), Orono (1994) and Waterville (2006) Farmers’ Markets, and I was involved in the writing and adoption of the original Maine farmers’ market law in 1992 (the first in the nation, as it turns out). Having listened to so many farmers’ market discussions over the years, I thought it only appropriate to share some of the things I have learned.
Share what you know, don’t hide it, and you’ll help everyone move along.
~Tom Roberts
