By registering before December 31st, 2016, participants will save $10 on the convention registration fee. Click here to register online.
We're still finalizing scheduling details, but are excited about the mix of seasoned market farmers (including Caitlin Hunter of Appleton Creamery, Abby Sadauckas of Applecreek Farm, and Ramona Snell of Snell Family Farm) and guest speakers (including Dr. Louis Bassano of U. Maine, Dr. Alfonso Morales of the Univ. of Wisconsin, and Elizabeth Pratt from USM/SNAP-Ed). The schedule will be packed, including the following sessions:
- "Striking a Balance Between Farmers and Other Vendors"
- "Bring the Whole Family: Integrating Youth and Family Programming at the Farmers' Market"
- "Proactive Approaches to Food Safety" - Learn about new poultry exemptions and more.
- "Partnering with Municipalities: It's a Team Effort"
- "What's the Plan? How to Make and Sustain an Effective SNAP Outreach Plan"
- "Keeping the Peace: Dealing with Difficult People on Both Sides of the Tent"
- "Do I Stay or Do I go? Evaluating if a Market is Right for You"
- "Breaking Federal Grants Down to Size: Find Funding to Grow Your Market Business"
- "Collecting and Using Data to Tell Your Market's Story and Strategize for Growth"
- "Welcome Your Customers to Market and Keep Them Coming Back"
- American shopping trends and what they mean for markets
- USDA Food and Nutrition Service: SNAP Q&A and FNS farmer/market signup - Opportunity to ask questions directly from a regional USDA authority (Debbie Crosby), signup for a new account, or transfer an FNS#.
New this year:
Weights and Measures Division of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry scales testing at the convention - Drop your scales off when you arrive, and circle back later to pick them up. David Flannery from the DACF will test scales on site, and approved devices are licensed for the year. ( Read more here.)
WIC farmer authorization training - The CDC is looking for new farmers in underserved areas interested in becoming authorized to accept checks from the Women, Infants, and Children nutrition benefit program. Farmers accepted into the program can complete the required training at the convention.
Larger venue:
This year the convention will be held at the Kennebec Valley Community College Alfond Campus, which is just 6 miles up Rt. 201 off I95 in Fairfield/Hinckley. The campus is new, spacious, and high-tech, meaning we can have more sessions, activities and networking space throughout the day.
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Don't miss our annual meeting, taking place at the convention. (Not planning to attend the convention? You are still welcome to attend the annual meeting.) The annual meeting is an opportunity to review the preceding year and look ahead to 2017. It's also an opportunity to vote on the nominees for the MFFM Board of Directors. Board members play a key role in the Federation, overseeing the organization's direction, supporting the staff, assisting with fundraising, and promoting MFFM's mission "to cultivate a vibrant, sustainable farmers' market community as a vital part of Maine's local food network". Interested in getting involved? Email info@mffm.org and we'll provide more details. We are also always looking for individuals willing to serve on committees, including the membership, fundraising, and outreach committees. Most Board and committee work takes place during the fall and winter, so participation is still feasible even for active market members!
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#GivingTuesday
Thanks to everyone who helped spread the word about the Maine Local Foods Access Network's Giving Tuesday campaign, news of the Maine Harvest Bucks program was spread widely on social media. The Network gained many new friends, 16 brand-new donors, and almost $1000 in contributions to bring MHB to more Maine communities in 2017. Thank you!
Get Real, Get Maine
The Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry is again looking into using MFFM's database to provide up-to-date farmers' market information on the department's official GRGM website. This would mean a return to "one stop updating" for markets, and a better way to take advantage of the state's agricultural marketing efforts. More to come in early 2017.
See us at the Ag Trades Show, Jan 10-12
We will have a booth adjacent to the demonstration stage. Stop by to say hello and meet MFFM staff and Board members! We're offering a session for consumers Tuesday morning at 11:30 to explore options for buying food directly from farms/farmers. At 9:00 on Thursday, January 12th MFFM Board members will be leading a discussion about how to join a farmers' market. (Market managers might want to promote this session, since it will be a neutral space for market aspirants to learn some in and outs of market logistics.)
RBDG Project Update
Last August, we brought in Farmers' Market America consultant Vance Corum to spend time with 5 rural farmers' markets to develop reports offering strategies to stabilize and grow those markets (Norway, Bucksport, Belfast, Calais, and Presque Isle). Although he originally expected to have the reports complete by now, Vance has found the research more time-consuming than expected. So far he has completed one draft report, and expects to finish 2 more in January, and the final 2 by February. We look forward to sharing the final reports with each participating market, and sharing general results widely, as soon as they are available.
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Farmer Focus Groups
Farmers You Are Invited!
Participate in a 90-minute focus group designed to better understand the interpersonal skills you need to establish and maintain a successful farm business. You will be compensated $75 for your time and if there is more than one primary farmer, we invite all farmers to attend.
The focus groups will be held at the Maine Agricultural Trades Show in Augusta: Weds, Jan 11th, 4-6 p.m. or 5-7 p.m.; Thurs, Jan 12th, 1-3 p.m. To sign up/ask questions, please contact Project Manager Abby Sadauckas, absadauckas@gmail.com or UMaine Cooperative Extension Researcher Leslie Forstadt, leslie.forstadt@maine.edu or 207.581.3487.
Harvest New England Conference
The bi-annual Harvest New England Conference in Sturbridge, MA will take place March 7-9th. The Keynote Speaker will be Craig Ostbo (Koopman Ostbo, Portland, OR) - "Are you in Marketing? Isn't Everyone?" challenging the perception that just because the title on your business card doesn't say "Marketing" that doesn't mean you are not in marketing - especially in today's digital world. March 8th (8:00 am - 4:30 pm) will feature the New England Farmers Market Managers Exchange, when farmers' market managers from New England will convene for educational workshops designed specifically for them.
Census of Agriculture
The USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service is preparing for the 2017 Census of Agriculture. They need as many farmers ("an operation that sold or normally would have sold $1,000 or more of agricultural products in a year") as possible to participate. Please sign up for this confidential survey. (Wondering who uses the data? Here at MFFM, we reference the NASS data regularly. It is invaluable.)
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Maine Harvest Bucks & SNAP at the Convention
After a largely successful year for SNAP and Maine Harvest Bucks, the January convention will not only be a great chance to reflect and plan ahead for 2017 but also a fun opportunity to gather and celebrate all that was accomplished this season and chart the path for growth!
2016 program highlights:
- 34 participating farmers’ markets
- 8 markets new to SNAP access
- Over $120,000 SNAP sales
- $70,000 (and climbing) Maine Harvest Bucks redeemed!
Are you part of a Maine Harvest Bucks market that’s looking to expand the reach of its program? Join us for "What’s the plan? How to make and sustain a successful SNAP outreach plan" where you’ll hear from a panel of people involved in this very work, including SNAP-Ed, Wholesome Wave, and point people from markets with robust outreach programs.
Are you part of a market that’s new (or newer) to SNAP and Maine Harvest Bucks? Sit down with MFFM staff for a lunchtime roundtable conversation about how to launch a successful program. And visit the SNAP and Maine Harvest Bucks table in the auditorium anytime throughout the day to get program information, resources, and answers to your questions. Wholesome Wave and SNAP-Ed will be present all day as well to discuss strategies and point you toward resources, such as the Wholesome Wave online library and SNAP-Ed's new website, which we featured in this recent blog post.
Additionally, Debbie Crosby from the USDA will be on site all day, ready to answer questions about SNAP implementation, sign up new individuals/markets, or help reassign FNS numbers for markets that have experienced leadership changes.
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Find the Federation on Social Media!
Did you know MFFM is on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook? We share Federation and market scenes on Instagram @mainefarmersmarket. Our primary Facebook page is where we post market news and updates, the Shoppers' page is where we post recipes and more, and the Vendors Wanted page is where markets and vendors seek each other out. For those who use Twitter, find us @FarmersMkts4ME. |
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New SNAP markets
MFFM SNAP Program Coordinator, Emilie Knight, has been working with a handful of new markets that have great potential to add a SNAP and Maine Harvest Bucks program next summer. Coordinators at the Saco River Market, pictured above, are eager to bring the program to their market, especially now that they've settled into a lovely new location at the Pepperell Center in Biddeford, within walking distance to many residential areas.
Maine Harvest Bucks all year long
Eleven of the MHB markets continued to offer these nutrition incentives through December, and 10 will keep their programs running year-round, right up until when they move back outdoors. For the winter, all farmers' markets offer a 100% match, which means for every $1 SNAP spent, a customer receives $1 MHB for fruits and vegetables. The Bangor Daily News published a nice article about MHB at winter markets, including these 10 farmers' markets and a number of small locally-owned retail shops.
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Favorite Market Memories
In August, more than 2500 people completed shopper intercept surveys at markets around the state. One question on the survey asked the shoppers to share a favorite "farmers' market memory." Here are just a few of the hundreds of "memories" shared:
- "Bob is so sweet. He always remembers his customers. Husk tomato pie - I would say 'no thanks!', then, well, one bite, and it was so good that I ate a whole piece!"
- "All people remember my stories and care about me and my family."
- "My kids were excited to pick out veggies and then were excited to eat them later. They aren't normally thrilled with vegetables!"
- "The man on stilts offers a warranty on the balloon animals!"
- "When farmer Beth noticed our 5th baby had been born, she sweetly asked, "What kind of human did you have?"
- “Don't discount the social and educational benefits. I know most of the vendors on a first-name basis, and relish catching up and learning from them each week.”
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