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!
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 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.
Episode 313: Ask The Pros!
It's another Ask the Pros episode this week, with a mix of topics based on listener questions. We always find that discussing one person's question helps others that are pondering some variation of the same thing. There's nothing quite like the hive mind.
Episode 312: 4th Quarter Team Work
The fourth quarter rolls around every year, but somehow we often forget what to do to prepare for it. Listen in as we chat about moving past the September slump. We're looking forward and making plans to make the upcoming season more productive and less stressful. How are you getting ahead of things?
Episode 296: Vendor Story: Not Your Nonna's Sauce Co.
We love a good vendor story almost as much as we love Not Your Nonna's nut-free pesto, full of locally grown basil. Adrianna Zizzo operates her pasta sauce business in six farmers markets a week. Her fledgling business weathered pandemic protocols shortly after she launched. This summer her business is celebrating its five year anniversary. Devoted to using locally grown ingredients and no preservatives, Adrianna has built a devoted customer base and an extended market family.
Episode 295: David Thayer: America's Farmers Market Celebration 2024
It's a celebration, it's a contest, it's two exciting things at once and it kicks off this coming weekend. American Farmland Trust has operated America's Farmers Market Celebration for 16 years now. It offers a great chance to make your market more visible and engage your shoppers. The cash prizes are an added bonus. This year's contest is shorter and maybe a little sweeter than last year's, with some new rules in place.
Episode 294: Welcome Back to Tent Talk
We’re baaaaack! Did you miss us? After our short recording hiatus, listen in to find out where we’ve been and where we’re growing next.🌱 It’s been a busy spring, and we’ve got a lot cookin’ over here.
Episode 293: Brent Preston: Farming for Good
The work you do farming, or bringing small farmers and shoppers together, is vitally important. Brent Prestion spoke at InTents: The Farmers Market Conference 2019 about his time as an organic farmer, the effects of farming on the environment and how farmers and consumers can change those.
Episode 291: Encore Episode: Pirate Vendors
Pirate vendors, aargh! No, we’re not talking about buccaneers that sail the seven seas, we’re talking about sellers and solicitors that set up in or around a farmers market as unofficial vendors. Though usually well-intentioned, hawkers, buskers, petitioners, and street vendors can confuse shoppers about where and when the actual farmers market begins, encroach on sales, and could potentially be a liability for farmers market operators.
Episode 290: Encore Episode: Make Your Farmers Market Opening Grand
Opening a new farmers market or starting a new season at an existing one is exciting. A lot goes into getting ready to launch, and building up to a truly grand opening. Building awareness and anticipation for both the community and your family of farmers and vendors means a busy opening day. Planning for the natural cycles of a new market will keep everyone's enthusiasm and commitment strong.
Episode 289: Encore Episode: Communicate with your Market Community
Communicating with your farmers market community can take a lot of forms nowadays. Do you send emailed vendor advisories? Use a private Facebook or Instagram group? Smoke signals or carrier pigeons, maybe? One way or another it's important for farmers, vendors and managers that everyone stays in the loop. In this episode Catt and Brijet and Justine are joined by market directors Gina Johnson from Madison, Illinois, and Rebecah Boynton from Nashville, Tennessee.
Episode 288: Market That Merch
What do farmers market people bring home from vacation? Our first stop is always is the local market, and farmers market merch is our favorite souvenir. Selling shopping bags, t-shirts, water bottles and magnets can add to your income stream and also provide a valuable marketing tool. Depending on local regulations, farmers and vendors can also use swag to remind people of where they found that amazing tomato or bread.
Episode 287: Welcome to the Info Booth
Your Info or Welcome Booth is your market home away from home. It's often the place that shoppers and farmers and vendors find your team, where you sell fun merchandise, and where you process SNAP EBT transactions. All the things that apply to making farmers' and vendors' booths effective apply here too.