Farmers Market Managers Training Manual

Recent growth in the number of farmers market startups across New York State and the rest of the country has community and economic benefit, but new markets experience only a 50 percent success rate due to management inexperience, lack of training, and inadequate support systems.

This grant project focused on training market managers and extension educators, and also included the creation of this training manual for market managers. The goal was to improve the success of new and existing farmers markets; the manual offers in-depth descriptions of a manager’s role, beginning with basic duties and expanding to address other topics like how to develop a farmers market community and how to build systems for improved sustainability.

There are also appendices that provide clear, easy-to-use, hands-on tools like checklists, sample forms, rules and guidelines, worksheets, and policies. While a few of the appendices are specific to New York, all the chapters are relevant to markets all across the country. A valuable resource for market managers, management committees, boards of directors, educators, and market sponsors, this publication is meant to increase local support and resources for farmers markets, enhance the professionalism of market management, serve as a tool for education programs and, most importantly, improve the success rate of farmers markets.

The manual has been distributed to all farmers market managers in New York State, as well as all Cornell Cooperative Extension offices in New York. If you’d like a copy of the manual on CD, which includes the content in Word and as a PDF, you can call 315/637-4690 or send e-mail to diane.eggert@verizon.net. There will be a modest shipping cost to send the manual via surface mail.

Want more information? See the related SARE grant(s) ENE06-095, Fostering sustainability for farmers' markets through professional market management training.