Growing Market Opportunities

About the event

The Farmers Market Federation of New York announces its annual Professional Farmers Market Managers Training Program Conference, “Growing Market Opportunities”, scheduled for March 4-6, 2010.  The conference will be hosted by the Seneca Falls Development Corporation and Seneca Falls Farmers Market.  It will be held at the Holiday Inn of Seneca Falls/Waterloo.

Seneca Falls will honor farmers market managers with Mayor Diana Smith welcoming conference attendees to the village at the opening of the conference. The welcome extends to a very special evening for conference goers. The village will open their museums for a local wine and cheese reception and a chance to learn the rich cultural heritage of the village of Seneca Falls. In addition, many of the local restaurants and shops will open to conference attendees to stroll the village, view the historical landmarks and enjoy the company of fellow market managers.. The Village will be providing continuous shuttle bus service between the village and the hotel for the convenience of conference attendees.

The Village of Seneca Falls, located in the heart of a bountiful agricultural region, understands the valuable role that farmers markets play in the community and the local economy and looks forward to showing its appreciation to those managers, educators, and supporters who help keep our markets across the state thriving and growing.

Building on the foundation of our previous conferences, the mission of the program is to increase the professionalism of market managers, facilitate each market’s current and long-term sustainability, and promote the growth of local markets.  Having high-quality, professional market managers in place makes all this possible.

Opening the conference with a visioning session, facilitator, Burke Keegan, will lead conference attendees through a discussion of the opportunities and challenges facing market growth. This session will be the opening volley leading into the following session, all focusing on growth potential for farmers markets – whether internal growth potential through management structure, innovative methods for increasing management structure or techniques for expanding our markets in season, location or reach.

Our featured guest speaker will be Fidel Delgado of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service.  Fidel will discuss site selection considerations and national trends for both seasonal and year-round farmers markets.  This session will also address opportunities for accessing potential funding sources and partnerships to secure market sites.  For those markets that are relocating, considering expanding the season through the winter, adding a new market to their organization, or who may just be in the start-up phase of establishing a market, this session will offer extensive valuable information.

New this year will be regional roundtables. This is an opportunity for farmers market managers to come together in regional meetings to discuss their common interests, mutual needs and ways they can work together on a regional basis. Markets are encouraged to come together and develop regional networks or use this opportunity for existing networks to come together for a brief meeting.

Conference will wrap up with a day long tour of farms of the Finger Lakes, including a local dairy, Muranda Cheese House, known for their artisanal cheeses, Red Jacket Orchards, Montezuma Wines, makers of both fruit and honey wines, and Hoover Farms, a diversified vegetable farm featuring high tunnel production.

For further information on the Professional Farmers Market Managers Training Program, call the Farmers Market Federation of NY at 315-637-4690 or log on to www.nyfarmersmarket.com/workshops.htm to view the workshop program and download the registration form.