Getting ready for the new market season

Now's the time when markets are getting together to go over rules and making some decisions about the upcoming season. I encourage everyone to make their rules work for you instead of the other way around.
I hope every market is putting together their promotional plan and budget for the season. Planning now means your plan will be a plan rather than a last minute thing. Events bring more customers to the market but they take time and work. Who in your community can be a partner with the market? When you approach potential partners be specific about what you want from them. That is, don't just say we want your support, tell them you want market notices in their newsletters or you want them to cost share on your bags and know what that sum is or whatever your market needs to be successful. Be that specific when asking for help and you just might get it!!
What is your market doing to prepare for the season?

Getting Ready for Spring

Let's admit it - the ice storm followed by heavy snow and very low temperatures and then a wind storm gave us a big challenge this winter. Most folks I talked to kept their greenhouses and suffered only damages to their trees. Fruit trees seemed to fair pretty well since last summer had prepared them for heavy loads with record fruit set. The next thing is whether the ice coating was enough to protect the trees from the very low temperatures. Like everything else, we'll just have to see.

Time for starting those plants and getting up the unheated high tunnels for those early tomatoes. Those with heated greenhouses have already put their plants out - hoping the cost of fuel doesn't spike back up and take all the profit.

It is also time for farmers' markets to get toether and decide on the days and times of the market. Some of you are struggling with finding new locations. Most of all each market should be putting together a strong promotional plan for the upcoming year. Promotion is not just about ads in the paper. Promotion means who will be your market's community partners and what do they bring to the table for the benefit of the market? What can the market give back to them? What events are you having this year and who will be responsibile for all the work that goes into each of these? To help you out the Ky Farmers Market Association has published a worksheet for markets to use to get this promotional plan together. You can find it on their website at http://www.kentuckyfarmersmarket.org/ and go to the "Links" page. Take a few minutes to print this out and go over it with your market folks. You'll be glad you spent time promoting your market before the weeding, picking, spraying , etc. is calling you.

Sampling and GAP

Boy, everyone is really jumping on the bandwagon about the new sampling guidance. More than 250 folks have taken the GAP class and we are issuing sampling certificates every day. More and more ag agents are getting trained to be trainers every week. I think the program is a hit!
The KFMA is trying to get USDA funding to get some research done on the economic impact of the sampling. This grant would also pay for a person to visit markets to gauge compliance and make recommendations to us on improvements to our educational program. I do think this is very important to keep the program alive. One complaint and the DPH may withdraw their approval.

SSAWG Conference Was Grand

Just got back from the Southern Sustainable Ag Working Group conference. It was packed with folks from all over. I met participatns from Hawaii, Virgin Islands, Oklahoma, Alabama, Florida and more. I ddin't get to attend many of the sessions because I was so busy at the KDA booth answering questions about Kentucky and what we do here. I gave away about 90 of the old FM manuals and I think there is a lot of interest by others in "catching up" with Kentucky.
The conference will leave Louisville next year but the great workshops and fellowship is worth following. See you there next year?

Are You Inventive?

Are you known for your liberal use of duck tape? Have you literally made a silk purse out of a cow's ear or rather designed a tool that you can't do without? This is your kind of contest!!!
At the Kentucky Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference in Lexington last week Dr. Terry Jones from UK gave a great presentation on equipment for small farms and older farmers. Everyone laughed at his tongue-in-cheek suggestions (a 3-dog security system, for example) wrapped around some really great information about making your own equipment or modifying equipment to meet your needs. He challenged us to hold a contest to award the best designs.
We have taken him up on his challenge and are sponsoring a contest with three divisions - Things you made from scratch, things you modified to do something it was not designed to do, and, my personal favorite, the Dr. Terry Jones Not a Memorial Tongue-in-Cheek Award for fun ideas like the 3-dog security system.
This contest is so serious we have the College of Agriculture's Agricultural Biosystems and Engineering program serving as judges. (You remember these guys - they were the ones with the souped-up pulling lawn tractor that made it on a national TV program.)
We will be trying to get together cash prizes, but I can assure you you will have braggin' rights anyway. Pictures of all entries will be posted on the Ky Farmers' Market Association web site. So start taking pictures of your best ideas and we get more information to you soon.

Sampling Information Available On The Web

I have published the step by step instructions on the new sampling requirements on our website. It includes the required chapter out of the Ky Farmers Market Manual and the "test." Please be assured that the "test" – referred to as the affidavit - is easy and should be completed open book. You can get someone to help you with it if you like.
The GAP class requirement covers anyone working for your farm at your stand, but each person must complete the affidavit (test). When they send their affidavits in just attach a note telling me that they work for you (how your GAP participation was registered) and I’ll issue them the right certificate.
Here is the link to the page with all the information http://www.kyagr.com/marketing/farmmarket/sampling.htm

Sampling Requirements Clarified

There seems to be a lot of confusion over the new sampling requirements. Let me see if I can clear things up.
If the producer is going to offer samples of a value-added product or something cooked they need to read the chapter in the new manual and take a simple test on the official form and return it to me. Since the test is open book, you must get 100% right to qualify. Manuals will be sent to markets when they turn back in their registration for 2008. The person cannot be "certified" until the market is registered anyway and this gives markets an added incentive to update their registration in a timely manner.
If the producer will be offering samples of RAW AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS such as tomatoes, melons, etc. the producer needs to also complete GAP training. You either got this at the last FM summit or you can get it at the Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference. Also, many local Extension agents are trainers as well.
All of the verification of trainings must come to me at KDA and all certificates will be issued at KDA.
I think we have made this as simple for producers as possible. One key to this is making sure your market returns the market registration form that you will receive in mid-January as soon as possible. This means you will have to determine your opening day, market days, hours and locations ASAP.
There will be a "class" of sorts at the KFMA annual meeting. Those folks will receive their certificates as soon as their markets register. This will also serve as a test run for the test itself so some changes may be made after this first "class." To make sure I am clear – after this initial "class" folks will be able to read the chapter and take the test at their leisure, but must receive their certificate prior to any sampling.