Growing Our Regional Farmers Markets

1. Growing Our Regional Farmers Markets Assessing Strengths and Opportunities

2. Our Goal for Today • Look for ways that we can improve: • Our farmers markets • Consumer demand for local food • Farmer revenue http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com

3. SWOT Analysis • An insightful look at our environment and within our own organizations as a means to assess our business or program • Helps with all sorts of decision-making: • Marketing • New programs and services • Expansion/growth • Mergers • New products http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com

4. We’ll look at: • Internal Strengths and Weaknesses • Financial, physical, human resources and current processes • External Threats and Opportunities • Market and economic trends, funding, demographics http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com

5. Rules of the Game • This is a team process! • All comments are welcome and valid • Everyone should feel free to comment without concern for criticism • Must be brutally honest with ourselves when looking at internal factors http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com

6. Strengths: • What do you have within your markets that will help you to build a strong market and grow customer demand for local? • Vendors cooperate with each other/comaradere • Loyal customer base • Vendor diversity • Product quality • Location, location, location (ease of access, parking, visibility) • Community support/ customer word-of-mouth • Value-added attractions (take away food, seating, entertainment) • Appeal for younger demographic • Educational opportunities/lectures/demonstrations/vendor-customer interaction/ product use demonstrations/tastings/Zumba classes • Good general market advertising • Restrooms nearby/available • Volunteers • EBT program/SNAP • Winter market • Shuttle service for seniors/coupons for products • Seneca Nation posts community market day/time on website • Seneca Nation supports market through health/diabetes initiative http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com

7. Weaknesses: • What are the challenges you face as an individual market? • Parking challenges (lacking, proximity) • How to increase customer base? • Health/benefit coupons – too confusing for vendors, customers redeem all at once, not enough vendors participate • Market sponsor lacks funds to promote, grow market • Spotty vendor commitment/pack up early • Market needs a sponsor org./independent manager • Multiple location moves at discretion of sponsor/challenge to building customer base/ lack of permanency • Sponsor not connected to market mission/needs/centralized decision making • Over regulation/top-down management/disengage vendors/management org not available when needed/ no emergency plan • Not enough marketing/advertising/need a marketing plan/ sign “blind” • Vendors are managers - managers are vendors / no independent manager/manager not available • Politics trump market mission • Align market hours to meet customer traffic/challenge to determine best time slots for farmers & customers • Market mgr. does not have impact info: economic, multiplier, vendor sales, customer traffic count, surveys • Not enough vendor/product diversity = low customer traffic • Not enough farmers to populate the market/farmers aging out • Not a “one stop” shopping experience/how to differentiate between big box retail & farmers markets and build value • Competing community activity/could not capitalize on community music night • No networking with other markets/market managers/sponsors/state-wide conference • Market not matched to community demographics • Not enough additional physical space available to grow http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com

8. Threats (challenges): • What are the challenges you face within your local community to get support for farmers markets and local food purchasing? • Beyond your local community that impact your success? • Food Safety Mod. Act – comments by 11/15 (use Federation as resource) • Lack of public/private transportation/accessibility • Customers bring animals/pets to market • Managers need to stay apprised health/safety regs and enforcement – overwhelming; state AgMarkets not available when needed/ County-level regs not same across region • Socioeconomic challenges in community/ declining population = declining customer base • Changes in municipal administration • Consumer ed on food terms: organic, cert. naturally grown, local, - what does this all mean? • Seasonality education – we are not a supermarket/how to educate and build value • Build community – market – neighbor relations • Proprietary nature among growers and markets • Value priorities – consumers and ag/food producers • Integrity issues – defining “local” and producer grown/made • Sponsor not aligned with mission/purpose of farmers/vendors • WIC/Veg Fruit Check program – difficult to participate/not farmer friendly/ not bank friendly/ not aligned with seasonal availability • EBT processing cumbersome /IRS reporting big burden • Lack of farmland/sprawl/land use regs/lack of community facilities /washrooms • Parking – lack of, not close proximity to market http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com

9. Opportunities: • What exists in the community that can help you to grow your market and build the demand for local food? • Beyond your local community? • “Grow a Farmer” program • Markets/managers are ambassadors for agriculture • Local food culture/small business supporters • EBT/WIC bring in add’l customers & serves at-risk community /breaks stigma of public benefit recipient • Health/community health sector looking to partner with farmers markets / higher-ed partnerships – interns doing studies, surveys, assessments • Grants available: USDA/NYS Dept Ag & Markets, community foundations • Social media creates new opportunities for diversifying customer base • Old school marketing still works (direct mail)/coupons / loyalty card program / customer loyalty card raffle / loyalty cards provide tracking mechanism • Municipal host makes market easy to operate (very accommodating) • Set up fees generally affordable but vary widely between markets/confusing for vendors • Cross-marketing opportunities among markets/serves customers needs • Opportunities for community building/good will/ example: gleaning program • New payment methods/”smart phone” - Federation has resources to help with this • Online ordering models / mobile market vehicle http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com

10. What would we like to accomplish for our markets? http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com

11. Using our analysis, how can we accomplish these goals? • What relationships do we need to make • What tools do we need to acquire http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com

12. Thank you! We hope you enjoyed our presentation. Farmers Market Federation 117 Highbridge St, Suite U3 Fayetteville, NY 13066 (315) 637 – 4690 http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com