Tent Talk, the farmers market podcast
Whether you’re a farmers market manager, a farmer or food maker selling at farmers markets, a policy maker or market supplier, Tent Talk is the podcast for you!
How to listen to Tent Talk
Stream our most recent episodes below or find Tent Talk wherever you regularly get your podcasts. With a new episode every Monday, Tent Talk brings you new farmers market knowledge on a weekly basis. There is so much that goes into farmers markets, and so many interesting people involved, we will never run out of material!
Search by keyword, topic or guest to find the episode you’re looking for!
Ep 333: Food Intentions | Recruit & Retain: Market Vendors
Every farmers market manager knows that curating a well-balanced market is both an art and a science. Whether you’re running a seasoned market or developing a brand new event, recruiting and vetting vendors that fit the needs of your individual community is key. Keeping things balanced so that everyone profits is essential.
Ep 332: Grow Time | Recruit & Retain: Market Farmers
By any reasonable definition, it's not a farmers market without farmers. Uniquely positioned to foster relationships between consumers and the people that grow their food, farmers markets help farmers thrive financially and feel encouraged and supported by their communities. Let farmers know about the advantages of selling direct, make them feel valued and help them develop sales skills and they'll stay with your market for years to come.
Ep 331: Finding Your Keepers | Recruit & Retain: Your Market Team
The team that helps you sell vegetables or granola at your farmers market booth makes all the difference in your income. The staff that sets up and manages the market makes the job productive and satisfying or just a whole lot of work. Learning to recruit the right people will make your market business more successful and just more fun. Creating systems to keep the band together are just as important.
Episode 330: Better Together | How To: Nurture Community Connections
Where do you start to develop and maintain relationships with your farmers maket's neighboring residents and businesses? Start with outreach, then add big portions of listening and cooperation. Working together will make your community happier and your market more successful.
Episode 329: Good Form | How To: Manage Market Applications
There's no one right way to manage vendor applications for your farmers market. Some managers prefer simple inquiry emails before a detailed form. Some market management platforms integrate applications with online maps and vendor profiles. We all need to know business names and exactly what will be sold. An origin story makes an application more interesting, permit and insurance information generally gets it processed more quickly.
Episode 328: By The Numbers | How To: Share Your Market Data
How many eggs did Apricot Lane Farms collect in 2024? Eighty three thousand five hundred ninety seven. How do we know that? Because they posted a clever graphic that said so. What does that make us think about their farm? They must be hardworking farmers and have some happy chickens. Use numbers to share your farm, business or farmers market accomplishments and impress your shoppers.
Episode 327: Log Polling | How To: Track Your Market Day
Farmers Market Day logbooks can store valuable information, customer requests and market history. Whether you use them to track attendance or sales, complaints or comedy, they can be helpful and interesting if you both maintain and read them. Listen in for tips to decide what to include and how to format your market log, based on the Farmers Market Pros' experience and other market managers' and market business owners' input.
Episode 326: Start the New Year with Good InTENTions
And just like that another year of farmers markets is coming to a close. We’re ringing in this new year quietly. 2024 has been full of meaningful connections, community-building and so many conferences. In the coming weeks we’ll be sharing our inTENTions for 2025, tips and how-tos, and new ways to connect. We're cooking up some exciting new things, so stay tuned. Don't forget to register for InTents, the National Farmers Market Conference; we can't wait to see you there. Thanks for listening all year long, and we're wishing you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!
Episode 325: Happy Holidays
Whether you’re observing a holiday this week or not, remember that you are a gift to your communities every week of the year. We hope you find time to rest and enjoy the fruits of your labors. Wishing a happy holiday to all who celebrate and peace to one and all.
Episode 324: Holiday Gifting
The season for holiday gifting is here! Whether you're a market manager, farmer or vendor, we have great tips for remembering all the people who have supported you this year. It really is the thought that counts so if gifts aren't in the budget we suggest other ways to acknowledge the people you appreciate.
Episode 323: Give and Let Give
For some folks making year-end donations is a tax strategy. Others just feel generous this time of year. It's a perfect time to bolster your farmers market's fundraising efforts and finish the year with a balanced budget. Even though your core market business is hopefully self sustaining, many market organizations also provide educational programs and supplement nutrition incentive programs. Those are efforts your community can help support.
Episode 322: The Fourth P: Be a Farmers Market Pro
We've been talking about the 4 Ps for market success since we started our Vendor-101 class almost 15 years ago. Product, packaging or presentation, personality and today's focus: Professionalism. Farmers markets are a shopping environment where one vendor's actions and attitudes can affect a lot of people's businesses.
Episode 321: James Grevious: Rebel Courses
This week we caught up with James Grevious of Rebel Marketplace in Aurora, Colorado. Since he last joined us on Tent Talk, he’s been addressing challenges around establishing a consistent location and a sustainable business model. Staying rebellious, he continues to create neighborhood food security with a hyper local farmers market.
Episode 320: Youth in the Booth
Inviting young people to vend at your farmers market can foster a new generation of market entrepreneurs and delight your community.
Episode 319: Staff Evaluations
Whether you're a farmer, maker or market manager, if you have a team, providing them with feedback will make their work life and yours better. It doesn't have to be awkward or uncomfortable to discuss workplace performance.
Episode 318: Kasi Haire: Making Fundraising Delicious
What could be a more fitting fundraiser for a market organization than a dinner featuring local chefs and farm fresh ingredients? Organizing a farm to table dinner or a cultural food festival is a little different than coordinating a farmers market. Kasi Haire of Nolensville Farmers Market in Tennessee assures us that much of the skill set is the same.
Episode 317: Fee Here Now: Collecting Market Rent
Bookkeeping is yet another of the many hats that farmers market managers wear. There are so many formulas for setting space rent at markets and, especially post-Covid, a whole variety of ways to manage calculating and actually collecting those fees.
Episode 316: Jessica Mullen: Learn, Teach, and Grow
How do you learn and grow in your farmers market career? Jessica shares what she finds valuable about InTents and other conferences and networking with other market professionals. She's all about learning, and also about offering educational opportunities at her market.
Episode 315: Conference Look Ahead
What's new and exciting, and what's comforting and familiar about InTents, the multinational Farmers Market Conference? Join us for a quick look ahead to what's in store in March 2025.
Episode 314: Peter Henry: Easing Farmers' Labor Pains
While working for a cheese maker at New York City farmers markets, Peter Henry started thinking about ways producers could expand their reach and increase efficiencies. Now, Ten by Ten Logistics serves more than a dozen farmers at markets throughout New York. Listen in to hear what kinds of coordination help farmers sell at more markets and still have time to farm.