The New Farmers’ Market

Increasingly communities of all sizes are interested in sponsoring farmers’ markets. The steps in planning a market and ingredients for success are many and vary in each community. With over 2500 markets in the country, there is a good track record on what is required to start and sustain a farmers’ market that benefits the farmers, consumers and community.

In The New Farmers Market, the steps for establishing a farmers’ market and for successful vending are well documented. The book includes stories from vendors, managers and other experts from around the country who share their experiences on what is required to be successful.

Whether attempting to set up a new market from the ground up, or managing an existing market, the book outlines everything that a market manager or organization needs to consider from planning, promotion, and management. Many ideas are shared on how to keep a market alive and flourishing that even a seasoned manager will benefit from reading the chapters on starting and managing a market.

Farmers’, who are considering selling at markets or who already sell at markets but need to increase sales, will also find the information extremely helpful. There is tremendous detail provided on what to bring to market, how to display it and how to conduct the sale. Each of these elements is critical to making the farmers’ market selling experience worthwhile. An important aspect of selling—pricing and records—is presented in detail to enable farmers to evaluate their costs and returns associated with selling at farmers’ markets.

For the Extension Educator involved in efforts to start markets or working with farmers who are considering whether to sell at a farmers’ market, this is an invaluable resource. It is the most comprehensive publication available on starting and selling at farmers’ markets and provides a roadmap for educators working on market development or successful selling strategies. In addition to being an excellent reference, it can also be used as an outline for teaching farmers all about successful selling and for advising communities in market start-up and management.

In reviewing the publication, I could find very little detail that was omittedÉin fact, a fault of the publication is that parts become redundant but that is okay as some of the information bears repeating in different sections just to stress its importance. After 20+ years of experience working with farmers’ markets, it is great to see a detailed summary of how markets really work. Congratulations to the authors and I advise Extension Educators to get this resource.

—Reviewed by Monika Roth, Extension Educator, Ag Development & Marketing Specialist, Cornell Cooperative Extension-South Central NY Ag Program, Ithaca, NY