Cornell Webinar Series Research on Customer Spending at NY Farmers Markets

Do you sell at a farmers market or your own farm store in New York?  Are you interested in getting assistance with using and analyzing point of sale data to boost sales and revenues?

Matt LeRoux and Todd Schmit at Cornell’s Agricultural Marketing Research Program are working with NY’s farms to collect data using POS in direct-to-consumer channels and continue to recruit more farms for the project.  The project seeks farms that sell their own fruit & vegetable crops, fresh cut flowers, mushrooms, dairy, or meat products at farmers markets and/or their own farm store/stands (eligible stores/stands are staffed, not honor-system). Farm participation requires collecting all sales transactions at markets in real time with the Point-of-Sale (POS) software Square. In return, participating farms receive personalized reports with suggested marketing techniques aimed at increasing farm revenue. Project participants also receive one-on-one consultation and technical assistance from the research team.

The Cornell team will use the data to create weekly price reports showing prices on selected fruit and vegetable crops, dairy products, and meat cuts from farmers markets around the state which will be shared with USDA AG Marketing Service for inclusion in their price reporting. For participation, farms will be paid $25 for each week of sales data that they submit on time. Full details will be discussed during the Week 1 webinar.

To orient farmers to the project, a 2-part webinar series is planned for Thursdays, October 5 & 12 from 6:30-8:00 PM. The webinars are appropriate for any farmers market or farm stand/store vendor interested in or currently using the Square POS system.

Week 1: Research on Customer Spending at NY Farmers Markets: 

Early Results and Farmer Recruitment

Grocery stores have long used scanner data to inform marketing techniques. Now farmer-friendly point-of-sale software gives farmers similar potential to collect detailed sales data. Learn how Cornell researchers are using this technology to study consumer spending and inform marketing opportunities for farms to increase daily sales. Then hear how farmer Becca Rimmel of Bottom Land Farm in Berkshire, NY uses Square to help inform market and production decisions. Leave this workshop with specific takeaways and tips for your own sales methods.

Week 2: How to Set Up and Use Square, A Practical Guide 

We’ll walk you through, click-by-click, the basic functions to set up Square so that the data it collects is useful to your farm and the Cornell research team. We’ll cover how to set up locations, product categories, items, and pricing for products sold by weight or unit. This webinar will be recorded so attendees can play it back (and pause as needed) when setting up their own Square.

Registration: Any farm is welcome to attend one, or both, of these webinars using a single registration. Farms that would like to participate in the POS research are encouraged to attend. Register for one or both of the webinars here.

Instructors: Matt LeRoux, Extension Associate, Cornell University and Becca Rimmel, farmer at Bottom Land Farm will present.

A short article about the team’s similar research with produce vendors can be found here.

Questions about the project can be directed to Matt LeRoux, Extension Associate at mnl28@cornell.edu

This material is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture under award number 2021-68006-33891 and Hatch under 2021-22-156. From the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

3 New Funding Opportunities for Farms and Farmers’ Markets

Read on for how you can apply for new funding opportunities through the USDA.

$700,000 Available to Support New York’s Farmers’ Markets

New York has more than 400 farmers’ markets, 250 farm stands, and 10 mobile markets. New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball has announced that $700,000 in funding available to New York’s markets through the Farmers’ Market Resiliency Grant Program.

Grant funding will help farmers strengthen their markets and make local food more accessible to consumers by establishing online sales, improving infrastructure, and enhancing marketing and promotion efforts. Funding for the program was included in this year’s enacted budget and is a part of Governor Hochul’s State of the State commitment to New York’s agricultural industry and increasing the resiliency of the state’s food supply chain following COVID-19.

Money is available for projects that help markets build out infrastructure, including booths and signage, and electronic infrastructure like internet platform development for online sales capabilities. Projects can also include marketing and promotion initiatives for markets across the state, expanding their reach to even more consumers.

Eligible applicants include non-profit organizations, local municipalities, business improvement districts, local chambers of commerce, and public benefit corporations that currently operate one or more farmers’ markets in New York State.

For more information on the program and how to apply, visit here. The deadline for proposals is 4:00 p.m. on December 14, 2022. Applications for funding must conform to the format provided in the Grants Gateway

$26 Million New York Food for New York Families Program

The US Department of Ag and Markets is now accepting applications for its nearly $26 million New York Food for New York Families program. The program, which is funded through the USDA, will provide a boost to New York farmers, increase communities’ access to local foods, and further enhance the resiliency of New York’s food system. 

The main goals of the program are to establish and broaden partnerships between New York farmers/producers, the food distribution community and local food networks to ensure distribution of fresh nutritious foods in rural, remote, and/or underserved areas; improve food access for underserved communities by considering regional challenges; and support local and traditionally disadvantaged farmers/producers by expanding and creating marketing and economic opportunities. Eligible applicants include not-for-profit organizations, agricultural cooperatives, tribal organizations, public educational institutions and local or municipal governments.

Applications are due January 18, 2023. Additional information is available here.

Natural Disaster Emergency Loans

This Secretarial natural disaster designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation, or the refinance of certain debts. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, these counties suffered from a drought intensity value during the growing season of 1) D2 Drought-Severe for 8 or more consecutive weeks or 2) D3 Drought-Extreme or D4 Drought-Exceptional:

• Ulster (primary county eligible)

• Columbia

• Delaware

• Dutchess

• Greene

• Orange

• Sullivan

The application deadline is June 12, 2023. On farmers.gov, the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster Assistance-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Farm Loan Discovery Tool can help you determine program or loan options. To file a Notice of Loss or to ask questions about available programs, contact your local  USDA Service Center.

Farmers Market Week Goes Global for 2022

Summer farmers market photo by Mark Dalton for Pexels.

By the Farmers Market Coalition

WASHINGTON — The national Farmers Market Coalition (FMC) is excited to announce a partnership with the World Farmers Markets Coalition (WFMC) in the celebration of Farmers Market Week on August 7th – 13th, 2022. In its 23rd year, National Farmers Market Week is led annually by FMC and is a fixture of the summer season for farmers markets across the United States. FMC is thrilled to invite WFMC to join in the celebrations this year and take National Farmers Market Week to an international scale. WFMC is a budding organization that brings together farmers market coalitions, associations and support organizations in nations around the world. FMC in the United States is one of the largest member organizations of the WFMC and, as one of the founding members, has helped shape the organization through its founding. WFMC was recently officially incorporated as a legal entity in Italy, and continues to see rapid growth in activities and membership thanks to support from the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

During the first week of August every year, farmers markets from Alaska to Florida celebrate everything that makes farmers markets important. As local food systems with short supply chains, they are resilient, dependable and provide an essential service to the communities they feed as well as the farmers and ranchers that rely on them. Not only do farmers markets increase access to fresh and nutritious produce, but they also facilitate personal connections between farmers, shoppers and community members. These important community benefits are not unique to farmers markets in the United States, and the WFMC is thrilled to invite more market organizations from around the world to join in the celebration.

This year’s Farmers Market Week slogan is farmers markets don’t just happen, highlighting the importance of farmers market operators, and everything that happens behind the scenes to make vibrant farmers markets thrive in communities across the country. This is well aligned with the mission of the WFMC that seeks to support farmers market management around the globe and promote shared learning about farmers market operations across national lines.

By inviting the WFMC to celebrate and expanding National Farmers Market Week to International Farmers Market Week, FMC believes that the celebration of farmers markets will have a much wider reach and a greater impact in highlighting the value of farmers markets. Farmers markets have massive local economic, ecological and social benefits in communities around the world that add up to huge collective global impacts.

To join in the celebration of International Farmers Market Week, farmers market organizations, organizations that work with food and agriculture, and anyone else interested in joining the festivity can use the hashtag #FarmersMarketWeek on social media and can tag the Farmers Market Coalition (@fmc.org) on all social media channels. FMC provides a toolkit on their website full of free social media templates and graphics for organizations to use. FMC will also host daily conversations with farmers market leaders on their Facebook page at 10am PT / 1pm ET during International Farmers Market Week. The celebration of National Farmers Market Week in the United States and the creation of the toolkit for farmers markets is made possible thanks to sponsorship from Mother Earth News Fair, Square, Farm Aid, Farm Credit, and American Farmland Trust.

In-person, farmers markets around the world will be celebrating on the ground at their farmers markets and inviting market visitors to celebrate with them. Farmers market customers can get out there and support by shopping at their local market!

“Farmers markets serve as the center of community connection, economic development and local food systems resilience in thousands of communities across the country,” shares Ben Feldman, Farmers Market Coalition Executive Director. “This year, we are thrilled that the WFMC will be joining us in celebration and elevating the important work of the people who make farmers markets happen.”

“The absolute best thing you can do to support farmers markets during International Farmers Market Week?” asks Richard McCarthy, President of the World Farmers Markets Coalition. “Think globally by acting locally, and get out there and make some delicious meals with food sourced from your local farmers market!”