Starting and Running a Farmers Market

Starting a farmers market:

Market Fundamentals: This site, created by the Farmers Market Coalition, will walk you through the basics of starting a farmers market and all of the different aspects you need to consider.

Starting a Farmers Market Feasibility Assessment Guide - This guide is designed to encourage a comprehensive assessment of your community and the likelihood that it can and will support a new farmers market - From Michigan Farmers Market Association.

Farmers’ Market Best Practices Toolkit: A Guide for Community Organizations in Newfoundland and Labrador - This toolkit outlines key steps to starting a market, and provides a range of tools and supports to help you along the way - From the Food Security Network of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Starting a new farmers market - by University of California Small Farm Center

Market Management:

Utah Market Regulations Questions and Answers

Farmers Market Coalition Resource Library

Washington State Farmers Market Association Market Manager Toolkit - Timely information, tips, and templates to build your market organization.

New Mexico Farmers’ Market Manager Resource Guide - This guide covers all the basics of manager responsibilities, vendor rules, market promotion, and other logistics for farmers markets, of particular relevance to markets in New Mexico.

Emergency Response - This is a Farmers Market Coalition resource about disaster and emergency response. In the era of wildfire and other natural disasters, here is a beginning resource to navigating the chaos.

Legal/Governance:

Utah Nonprofits Guide to Starting a Nonprofit: A free and easy-to-read guide that outlines the required steps to successfully start a nonprofit in Utah, created by Utah Nonprofits Association.

Farmers Market Legal Toolkit  - The Farmers Market Legal Toolkit includes sections on deciding on a business structure, implementing SNAP/EBT, managing risk (insurance, risk mgmt tools), and includes best practice recommendations and case studies.

Learning about your customers:

Tools for Rapid Market Assessment - Most farmers' markets lack information to make effective changes and improvements. Tools for Rapid Market Assessments created [by Oregon State University] provides three simple, low-cost methods to address the information gap.

Sample Feasibility Survey for Consumers - A sample survey used by the Farmers’ Market Federation of New York to assess the level of interest among consumers for a farmers market in the community.

Growing your market:

Recruiting Producers - This two page tip sheet from Farmers Market Coalition covers the steps you can take to recruit vendors and expand the product selection at a farmers market

Creating a Farmers Market Living Lab: Lessons Learned in Growing a Farmers Market - From Historic Lewes Farmers Market, this booklet is the result of asking the question: What can we do to increase sales and attendance at our market?

Innovation Brief: Methods for Farmers Markets to Collect Sales Data

Sample documents:

BC Farmers’ Market Sample By-Laws, Policies, and Vendor Applications - A collection of sample documents from British Columbia Association of Farmers Markets (BCAFM) member markets; helpful examples of farmers market policies, regulations, vendor handbooks and vendor applications forms.

Photo credit, Historic Downtown Brigham City Farmers Market