FARMERS' MARKET FEDERATION OF NEW YORK
VOLUME 19
WINTER 2014
NUMBER 4
Gaining a Competitive Advantage for Your Business
Debra Perosio, Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
Cornell University

What type of business do you own? Maybe a
farm market selling fresh produce? Maybe you
produce artisanal cheese on your dairy farm
that is sold wholesale. In either case what sets
your business apart from the competition?
What makes you different or unique from the
“other” farm stands and artisanal cheese
makers? Without some point of difference, or in
marketing lingo, “positioning” of your business,
you will soon become “just like everyone else”
in the mind of your wholesale and/or retail
customers. In today’s competitive marketplace
your goal should be to stand out from the
crowd! Here’s a step-by-step process to help
you create a unique competitive advantage for
your business!
Step 2: Creating your “Frame of Reference”
A frame of reference is the reference (it could
be a reference to a type of product, business or
industry) that is most like your business. For
instance, when people think Wegmans the
frame of reference is “supermarket.” When
people think about your fresh produce business
the frame of reference is “farm market.”
Positioning Your Business
Step 3: Creating your “Target Market”
It is critical to understand and clearly define
who your target customers are. Rather than
trying to cater to everyone you should focus on
a subset of customers who you feel are your
“best” customers with the greatest potential.
Step 1: Creating your “Owned Benefit”
The “owned benefit” for your business is the
one unique idea that you want your customers
to associate with your business.

Is that one thing clear, simple and
positive? So for instance when you
think about Apple Computers/iPhones,
many people think “innovation”, when
we think about Wegmans we think
about “customer service” and
“freshness”
Understanding your target market allows you to
tailor your marketing mix (product, promotion,
price and place) to the specific preferences of
that target market.
What is that one thing that sets you
apart from your competitors? It could
be attributes like customer service,
quality, growing the best sweet corn for
50 miles, or the experience you provide
customers
Once you have identified your target market
you want learn as much about them as possible.
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For example a target market for an organic farm
selling produce at a roadside stand might be:
“Gen X’ers” who are concerned with health and
wellness that live within a 30 mile radius of the
farm who have children and are looking for
excursions the family can enjoy.”
Advertising


Step 4: Creating your Positioning Statement
Putting the “owned benefit”, “frame of
reference” and “target market” together
creates a positioning statement. Typically a
positioning statement looks like this:
For ___________ (target audience)
___________ (your brand or business name) is
the ____________ (frame of reference) that
________________ (owned benefit).
Advertising can be “traditional” like TV,
print, radio ads or “alternative” like
signs on the floor of your farm market
or someone standing by the road with a
huge sign directing people in!
Advertisements should be used
consistency so that your target
audience gets accustomed to hearing
about you and know where to “find”
you when they decide that a trip to the
farm market is their destination
Sales Promotion

Thinking about the farm market, assume the
produce is organic and picked fresh daily. In
addition to produce you provide recipes and
canning/freezing information. There is always
someone at the stand to provide a high level of
customer service. So based on this, what is your
“owned benefit”, “frame of reference” and
“target audience?”


A possible positioning statement might
Sales promotions can be a sale or,
alternatively, it can be an event such as
a corn husking contest
Sales promotions are considered to be
“short-term” promotional tactics and
tend to stimulate action on the part of
your target market
Ideally advertising and sales
promotions complement each other
and should be used together
Personal Selling
be:

“For Gen Xer’s who live locally , value
organic produce and support local
businesses (target market), Smith Farms
(brand name), is the organic farm
(frame of reference) which offers fresh
picked organic produce along with
superior customer service, education
and information.” (owned benefit)

Creating your Promotional Strategy
Personal interactions with customers
create an emotional connection to you
and your business
Consider ways to directly interact with
your customers in a meaningful
way…for our farm market think about
offering samples, conducting
cooking/canning demonstrations and
hosting day-long family focused events
Public Relations
Based on this positioning statement you now
have a template from which to develop your
promotional strategy. A promotional strategy
consists of five elements: advertising, sales
promotion, personal selling, public relations and
social media.


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Create attention by sending your local
paper a press release about a new
variety you are growing
Invite your local newspaper columnist
to the farm…maybe they will write
about their experience

addresses so you can send out regular emails.
Consider one or two “events” during the season
at the farm where the entire family can enjoy
an hour or two of fun. Make sure you include
local newspaper columnists/radio
personalities/other influential people in your
emails…you never know where great PR will
come from!
Sponsorship of teams and events are
also strategies that provide positive PR
for your business
Social Media


Finally, if you haven’t already jumped
on the social media bandwagon you
need to explore how to utilize social
media in your promotional strategy
Start simply with a Facebook page but
keep it interactive and updated! You
should be posting daily during the
season
As you develop your promotional strategy make
sure it reflects and highlights the elements of
your positioning statement. This will help
sharpen and gear your messages specifically
toward your well defined target market.
By creating a distinctive position for your
business through the development of a
positioning statement you are well on your way
to an effective, successful and UNIQUE
competitive advantage!
Putting It All Together
Let’s start with your target market: Gen X. Gen
Xer’s are generally young families with children
who are very busy, very scheduled and whose
discretionary income is often directed toward
kids, homes, etc. They are on-line, may not read
a local newspaper and have satellite radio so
local radio commercials may be out of the
question. What is the best way to reach them?
What types of experiences are they in search
of? Understanding their lifestyle can give you
insights into the optimal ways to communicate
and create lasting relationships with them. If
you are on a limited promotional budget think
about using social media especially Facebook to
let your target market know what is going on at
the farm market and perhaps what is ripe day
each day. Provide a quick and easy sign-up
sheet at the farm market to collect email
“Smart Marketing” is a
marketing newsletter for
extension publication in local
newsletters and for
placement in local media. It
reviews elements critical to
successful marketing in the
food and agricultural industry. Please cite or
acknowledge when using this material. Past
articles are available at
http://agribusiness.dyson.cornell.edu/SmartMa
rketing/index.html.
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2015 Farmers Market Managers Conference
Farmers Markets: Maintaining Community Connections
Ramada Inn, Syracuse
Thursday, Feb 19, 2015
Time
10am
Noon
2:15
2:30pm
3:45pm
Session
Registration and visit with the conference vendors
Ambassador Room
Local food lunch
Food Safety: updates on the Food Safety Modernization Act and current Health
Regulations
Gretchen Wall, Produce Safety Alliance Coordinator, Cornell University
John Luker, NYS Dept of Agriculture & Markets, Food Safety and Inspection
Break in the Chancellor Room
Ambassador Room
Director’s Room
Experienced Manager Track
Beginning Manager Track
Coming Back from Disaster: the Sandy Transparency in Management
Story
Vendors can be your best ally in
How do you rebuild your market after a managing a successful market. But they
natural disaster destroys the
need to understand your decisions and
community and the local farms? What
feel they are a part of those decisions.
does it mean to the community to have They need to understand why a rule is
the market restored? Long Beach
necessary and how it will build market
experienced a disaster with
success. They also want to feel that the
SuperStorm Sandy and will tell their
fees they pay are being used to build
story.
the market. How can you include your
Bernadette Martin, Kennedy Plaza
vendors in your decision making
Farmers Market
process?
Sue Gardner Smith, Brighton Farmers
Market
Jim Farr, Rochester Public Market
Jennifer Jennings, Schenectady
Greenmarket
Community Events: Are they a drain
Key Elements of a Successful Farmers
on the market or an untapped
Market
opportunity?
The saying is “When you’ve seen one
Many communities hold events
farmers market, you’ve seen ONE
throughout the summer that impinge
farmers market.” They are all unique.
on market attendance. The panel will
But, there are commonalities with
discuss how they have partnered with
successful farmers markets.
the community to make the market a
Jim Farr, Rochester Public Market
part of the event.
Jackie Farrell, West Side Farmers
Market
Suzanne Carreker Vogt, former
manager, Saratoga Farmers Market
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Monika Kurjewski, Troy Waterfront
Farmers Market
4:45pm
6:30pm
8:30pm
Break until dinner program
Ambassador Room
Dinner Buffet and speaker:
Innovations in the local food scene
Chris Fowler, Syracuse First
Hospitality Suite opens in the Continental Room
Friday, Feb 20, 2015
Time
8am
9am
10am
10:45am
11am
Noon
1pm
1:30pm
2:30pm
2:45pm
Session
Registration and breakfast
Ambassador Room
Emerging Models of Farmers Markets
While most people think of farmers markets as multiple farmers and a sea of
white tents, recent years have seen a wide variety of innovative market models.
Each of these models plays a role in their community and fills a need. The panel
will discuss their market, how it works and why it is needed in place of the
traditional farmers market model.
Suggested speakers:
Mitch Gruber, Foodlink’s Urban Farm Stands and Curbside Market
Maureen Blanchard, Schoharie Fresh
Mike Leahy, CHOW bus, Binghamton
Role Playing for Market Managers
This hands on session will explore the issues managers face with “problem”
vendors through role playing and group discussion.
The Federation Board will play a cast of characters
Coffee break in the Chancellor’s room
Responding to a Crisis: Managing the Media Attention
Lindsay Ott Wilcox
Local lunch in the Ambassador Room
Farmers Market Federation of NY annual meeting
Healthy Tastings
Margaret O’Neill
Providing samples of delicious foods that feature fresh local produce is an
effective way to encourage customers to try new foods, to eat healthy, and to
increase market sales. Learn strategies and techniques for "market friendly"
healthy tasting experiences that are safe, effective and fun.
Coffee Break in the Chancellor’s Room
Ambassador Room
Director’s Room
Experienced Manager Track
Beginning Manager Track
Regional Networking: What we can
Social Media
accomplish together
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
Pinterest… Where should a market
be?!? This session will demystify social
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Kim Lamendola, Southern Tier West
Regional Planning and Development
Board
3:45pm
4:45pm
5:00pm
media and show you how effective it
can be in communicating with your
customers and promoting your market.
Melanie Beam, Populuxe Marketing
Technologies
Ambassador Room
Freebie Marketing
Lindsay Ott Wilcox
Effective marketing needs to break through the clutter - but it doesn't need to
break the bank. You'll acquire savvy, budget-friendly strategies for connecting
with your target audience.
Adjourn
Hospitality Suite opens in the Continental Room
Saturday, Feb 21, 2015
8:45AM: Tour of the CNY Regional Market with Geno Elemos
The CNY Regional Market is a very popular weekend spot for Syracuse eaters. The market offers a
Thursday market from May through early November, a year round market on Saturdays and a year
round Sunday flea market. Between markets they often host community events and concerts. The
venue is located on 46 acres in the city of Syracuse and boasts a retail farmers market business,
wholesale food buyers/distributers, an indoors retail “commons” and 5 retail sheds.
The Regional Market was completely renovated in the early 2000’s. It transformed the look of the
market and began an upward spiral of both consumer and farmer usage of the market. Today the
market draws upwards of 19,000 people each Saturday throughout the summer and over 6000 during
the cold winter months. Recently, the CNY Regional Market added an “F” Shed that is unique in
design and energy efficiency.
Geno will walk the group through the market grounds pointing out the highlights of the facility and
allowing managers to see what goes on at this busy facility. Be sure to ask questions, as Geno is very
knowledgeable about all aspects of the CNY Regional Market and its infrastructure and is happy to
share.
Join us after the tour for a Q & A session in the Market’s Executive Board Room where we will also
snack on foods from the Regional Market vendors. Then visit the farmers on your own before you
head out for home.
Conference Sponsors:
Premier Marketing
Lead NY
NYS Dispute Resolution
Register online at http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com/annual-conference
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GOVERNOR CUOMO ANNOUNCES HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2014 FARM TO
TABLE UPSTATE-DOWNSTATE AGRICULTURE SUMMIT
First Ever Summit, Hosted by Lieutenant Governor Duffy, Helps Strengthen the State’s
Agricultural Economy
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today highlighted results from the first-ever Farm to Table
Upstate-Downstate Agriculture Summit, which was introduced in the Governor’s 2014 State of
the State address. The purpose of the Summit was to explore ways of increasing access to fresh
food for underserved populations and growing New York City markets’ access to upstate
agricultural producers as a means of boosting in-state production and consumption. Lieutenant
Governor Robert J. Duffy presided over the first-of-its-kind summit, which took place today in
New York City.
“One of New York’s strongest economic drivers is the connection between the multi-billion
dollar upstate agricultural industry and the many world-class restaurants and marketplaces in the
New York City area. Today we laid out our plan to strengthen that relationship and take the
State’s agriculture and tourism sectors to the next level,” Governor Cuomo said. “By keeping the
revenue generated from our farms and tables right here in New York, we can create more jobs
and opportunities in communities across the State, and I am proud to be joining with our
business and community partners to grow this vital part of our State’s economy.”
“Today’s Summit produced an array of ideas to further strengthen the State’s agriculture
economy, and I was proud to preside over such a comprehensive event,” Lieutenant Governor
Robert J. Duffy said. “Governor Cuomo has been a leader and innovator in finding new ways to
leverage our agriculture industry with the downstate market. I applaud him for his efforts and
thank New York City’s leaders for hosting today’s event as we move forward to expand this
partnership.”
“From growers’ markets to rooftop farms to food manufacturing, this is a part of our economy
that’s growing by leaps and bounds. The Governor’s Farm to Table summit is good for farmers
and growers upstate, and great for New York City’s booming restaurant and culinary scene,” said
NYC Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen. “These are the kind
of partnerships that will mean more opportunity for our people and will make our city a more
dynamic place to live and visit. We look forward to working with the Governor and our partners
all over the state to continue to build a strong local food economy.”
A number of ideas and next steps were brought forth as a result of the summit, including:
• Regional Food Wholesale Farmers’ Market – The Governor is committed to
developing a Regional Food Wholesale Farmers’ Market, and state government will work
with local and private partners to identify the resources and appropriate site. This market
will enable the upstate agricultural industry to increase access to metropolitan markets for
producers, while providing an array of healthy, affordable food for communities. It will
also serve as an aggregation hub and processing facility to assist upstate producers and
processors in targeting institutional and private sector procurement.
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• Development of a Regional Food Hub Task Force and Action Plan - This new Task
Force will consist of a balanced membership of stakeholders from upstate and downstate
New York, including members of New York City government named by Mayor Bill de
Blasio, along with members of New York State government named by Governor Andrew
Cuomo. Working together, they will develop a plan to expand the distribution of regional
foods to the New York City marketplace. A report will be presented to Governor Cuomo
on how to expand regional food hubs across New York State within the next 90 days.
• Food Box Expansion Program – This Program fulfills Governor Cuomo’s
commitment to increase local food access to underserved communities by dramatically
expanding the already-successful food box model to upstate and downstate
neighborhoods. This program will enable underserved, low income communities to
purchase New York State fresh and locally sourced fruits and vegetables. Consumers can
use their SNAP benefits to pay for food boxes on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. This
program will bridge the gap between farmers and consumers; farmers will benefit by
selling more produce; and consumers will benefit by having access to fresh, healthy food.
State funding will cover administrative costs associated with qualified and competitively
chosen organizations plus procurement, transportation, distribution and nutrition
education. New York State is committing $500,000 for this initiative.
• Buy NY - Governor Cuomo announced the formation of a new initiative called “Buy
NY,” a joint effort by the State Department of Agriculture & Markets, Department of
Corrections and Community Supervision, Office of Mental Health, Department of
Health, Office of General Services and Cornell Cooperative Extension, the purpose of
which is to leverage existing centralized contracts regarding the purchase of State food
products, including produce and dairy products. One of the initiative’s goals is to help
state and local governments increase the purchase of local agriculture products in
government-run institutions such as hospitals, colleges, prisons and other facilities. A
new “Buy NY” website will be launched by the Office of General Services in January to
provide a portal for state and local governments to learn more about purchasing New
York State-produced products. It will also help educate New York agricultural producers
and distributors about the state contracting system, which is available to all 62 counties
and hundreds of municipalities across the state.
• SUNY Farmers’ Market Certification Course – The State, in cooperation with the
Farmers Market Federation of New York and six SUNY campuses, will develop a
curriculum to improve the quality and performance of farmers markets across the state.
These courses will help market managers improve their promotion of farmers markets
and any market-based incentive programs offered at the farmers markets.
• Taste NY Culinary Tour – This initiative will provide tours for downstate
restaurateurs at upstate farms to cultivate stronger business-to-business
relationships between the two entities.
• Increased Outreach by the Taste NY Office in Brooklyn – At the Governor’s
direction, the newly-formed Taste NY Office in Brooklyn will increase outreach to
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highly-trafficked tourist attractions in New York City with the goal of expanding
economic opportunities for New York State agricultural producers.
Governor Cuomo has made opening new markets and increasing opportunities for New York
State agriculture producers a priority, committing to maximize business between upstate
producers and downstate consumers through the State’s multi-billion dollar agriculture industry.
This is being achieved by creating new marketplaces for agriculture producers, increasing the
“buy local” purchasing power of State institutions and facilitating connections to spur economic
growth while keeping New York food marketplace dollars in the State.
In 2011, the Governor created the FreshConnect Farmers’ Markets to increase access to healthy,
locally-grown foods and address the issue of food deserts in the State’s urban areas. The
Administration has invested $3.6 million in food hubs in Canastota, Kingston, Groton, Canton
and Riverhead, providing a location for farmers to deliver their goods and get them processed for
distribution to restaurants, grocery stores and consumers.
The Governor also created one of the most effective marketing initiatives in New York State
history, Taste NY, the goal of which is to highlight New York’s world class agricultural products
to the masses through stores, events and special initiatives. He recently announced the next phase
of Taste NY, which will include a revamped website with online purchasing options, Taste NY
stores and vending machines at all SUNY and CUNY campuses, expanded Taste NY options at
all 27 New York State Thruway Travel Plazas, additional Taste NY products in vending
machines and a mobile phone application.
State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “As farmers, we live and work just a few
hours away from the largest appetite in the world in the New York City metropolitan area. The
potential for upstate farmers to harness this marketplace is limitless and we just need to connect
the dots better. I’d like to thank Governor Cuomo and Lt. Governor Duffy for convening this
important summit, which will help expand new markets for our producers and grow our state’s
agricultural economy.”
Office of General Services Commissioner RoAnn Destito said, “Governor Cuomo has made
expanding the volume of New York State food products purchased by state and local
governments a priority. Working with Ag and Markets, DOCCS, and OMH as well as our
partners at Cornell Cooperative Extension, we have already increased the purchase of New York
State grown and produced items including apples, potatoes, onions, cabbage, and yogurt. And we
plan to continue working with agencies, institutions, and schools to help them add even more
locally sourced food items to their menus.”
Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Kenneth Adams said, “The
progress made at the first ever Farm to Table Summit will help strengthen the connection
between Upstate farmers and the downstate market and promote New York’s agriculture
products. I commend Governor Cuomo and Lieutenant Governor Duffy on their continued
efforts to boost our state’s agricultural economy through initiatives like Taste NY, the New
Farmers Grant Fund, and the Dairy Summits which help our farmers and create jobs.”
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Board of Directors
2015 Producer Expo
Syracuse, NY
January 20 – 22
Metro Region:
John Ameroso
Cornell Cooperative Extension, NYC
jma20@cornell.edu
Tupacamaru Tiwoni
125 St. Fresh Connect Market
ttiwoni@earthlink.net
Northern Region:
Jo Ellen Saumier, Vice President
kirbsidegardens@twcny.rr.com
Join us at the Empire State Producers Expo in Syracuse,
NY this January. The Expo features a huge trade show
as well as 3 days of workshops for farmers of all sizes
and experience levels. Below are the tracks that will be
hosted by the Farmers Market Federation of NY:
Suzanne Carreker-Voigt
voigtny@gmail.com
Central Region:
Beth Irons
Oneida county Public Market
info@oneidacountymarket.com
Chuck McFadden
Downtown Syracuse Farmers Market
cmcfadden@downtownsyracuse.com
Eastern Region:
Sally Baker
Philmont Farmers Market
info@pbinc.org
Steve Hadcock
Cornell Cooperative Extension
Seh11@cornell.edu
Western Region:
Phyllis Couture, Secretary
Belmont Farmers Market
cpcouture@hotmail.com
James Farr
Rochester Public Market
farrj@cityofrochester.com
At Large
Laura Biasillo, Co-President
Cornell Cooperative Extension
LW257@cornell.edu
At Large
Margaret O’Neill. Vice President
Friends of the Rochester Public Market
mao6@cornell.edu
At-Large
Steve Feeney, Treasurer
Schenectady Farmers Market
Steve.feeney@schenectadycounty.com
Executive Director
Diane Eggert
315-637-4690
deggert@nyfarmersmarket.com
Wednesday, January 21
Building your customer base at farmers markets
9:00 – 9:45 am
A virtual walk through a small farm with an eye for
food safety
Betsy Bihn, Director, Produce Safety Alliance
1:00 – 2:30pm
CSAs and Farmers Markets: competition or
compatibility?
Laura Biasillo, CCE Broome County
3:30 – 5:00pm
Making the Chef Connection
Eamon Lee, Corporate Chef, Maines
Thursday, January 22
Technical Skills for Farmers
9:00 – 11:00am
Websites: making a website work for your business
Galena Ojiem, Farmers Market Federation of NY
1:00 – 3:00pm
Tracking Your Finances with Quickbooks
Bonnie Collins and Steve Hadcock, CCE
For more information, visit
http://nysvga.org/expo/information/
Farmers Market Federation of NY
www.nyfarmersmarket.com
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Federation Project Updates
Farmers Market Benchmarking Project:
Websites as a Tool to Develop New Marketing
Opportunities for Farmers:
This project is funded by the New York Farm
Viability Institute and has three goals:
This project, funded by USDA’ s Farmers Market
Promotion Program, will create a template for
both farmers market and farm sites that will
include ALL the necessary elements of a market
and farm site. The farmers market website will
offer key information that will encourage
farmers to participate in your market. The
farmer website will be customer focused and
help to build and maintain a customer base for
the farm. The templates are currently under
construction, with written instructions for using
the website, customizing it to your own
specifications and then maintaining the site.
The first training will be held at the Empire
Producers Expo in Syracuse, Feb. 22. Look for
additional webinar trainings to be announced.
1) Identify industry benchmarks that
will help farmers weigh their farm's
marketing success against industry
standards to help farmers make
critical business decisions.
2) Create an online tool that helps
farmers to identify the farmers
market(s) that most closely match
their farm and personal goals.
3) Demonstrate the value that farmers
market participation brings to
farmers.
Located at
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FMFNYBenc
hmarks, the survey is gathering farm data. The
survey will be active until sometime in January.
If you are a farmer or vendor at a New York
farmers market, we ask that you participate in
this survey. If you are a market manager or
otherwise work with farmers, we ask that you
encourage those you work with to participate in
the survey. The larger the database of
responses, the more accurate the farmers
market benchmarks will be.
Market Managers Certification Program:
In collaboration with Cornell Cooperative
Extension of Broome County and SUNY
Cobleskill, the Federation will be developing an
online market manager training program.
Completion of the program will provide the
participant with a certificate of completion,
signed by the Federation and SUNY Cobleskill.
This certificate, showing the quality and
professionalism of the market’s management,
can be used to leverage further support for the
market. In addition, the course will be utilized
by SUNY Cobleskill in their food sustainability
curriculum, providing a pool of trained market
managers for markets across the state. Special
thanks to Linda LaViolette, Farmers Market
Director, Empire State Development Agency
and the Governor’s office for supporting and
funding the program. Watch for details to come
on this exciting program.
In early January a request will go out to all
farmers markets in New York State. An online
form is being developed that will allow markets
to enter key characteristics about their market.
This will be used to develop a searchable
database that farmers can use to identify
appropriate farmers markets for participation
by searching by those characteristics that are
important to their farm business. This will also
create a new, updated market locator for the
Federation website,
www.nyfarmersmarket.com.
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MarketLink:
with MarketLink, aiding participants through
the applications, providing signage, tokens and
marketing materials, and fee support.
The Federation continues to partner with
MarketLink, bringing new markets and farmers
into the SNAP program through smartphone
technology. MarketLink provides easy access to
applications, coordinates with Novo Dia for
Mobile Market +; the application allowing
SNAP to be accepted through smartphones; and
WorldPay as a third party processor offering
nationally negotiated rates for SNAP, debit and
credit. The New York EBT program partners
If you would like to accept SNAP, debit or credit
at your market, farm stand, PYO, mobile market
or CSA, call the Federation at 315-637-4690.
We will also be holding training webinars
throughout the winter and Spring. Watch your
emails and the Federation website ,
www.nyfarmersmarket.com for
announcements of the webinar schedule.
Welcome to the Farmers Market Federation of NY’s
first official Chapter: The Mohawk Valley Farmers
Market Managers Alliance.
The Alliance covers Oneida, Herkimer and Madison counties. The chapter is beginning to develop
programs and workshops to help bring success to ALL the markets in their three county region.
Their first workshop will be held February 3 at the Oneida County Cornell Cooperative Extension office in
Oriskany. The day-long workshop is focuses on the issues of the region, but is open to any farmers
market manager, organizer, or farmer. Watch the Federation website for more about an agenda and
registration, www.nyfarmersmarket.com.
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