Good morning, Britni! 🎃 It’s fall! As we welcome in the lovely New York fall weather, this month, we are announcing (in a very spoooooky voice) đŸ‘» : Staff Update: Announcing Diane Eggert’s Retirement

Good morning, Britni!

 

🎃 It’s fall! As we welcome in the lovely New York fall weather, this month, we are announcing (in a very spoooooky voice) đŸ‘» :

  • Staff Update: Announcing Diane Eggert’s Retirement

  • Market Members & Friends Meetup: NY FarmNet

  • It’s a Date! Save the Date for the 2024 Conference!

  • CCE Profitability Quick Survey

  • Let’s highlight YOUR market at Conference!

  • It’s coupon season! Tips and tricks to get your reimbursement quicker!

Federation Staff Update: Announcing the retirement of our Executive Director, Diane Eggert

 

After more than 25 years of leading the Farmers Market Federation of NY and working with market managers, farmers, and others connected to farmers markets, I am announcing that I will be retiring by the end of 2023. It has been an exciting 25 years since the Federation was born and became a part of the growing interest in local foods and building a network of farmers markets all across the state. Trends came and went, customer shopping habits changed over time and we went through a terrible worldwide pandemic that really showcased the importance of local agriculture and the value of farmers markets in keeping our local communities nourished in both minds and bodies throughout the pandemic. I have met some really great people and am proud to think of many of these people as friends. It has really been a pleasure working alongside those who have been dedicated to growing the farmers market industry and showcasing the great foods produced by some of the greatest farmers in the country. But, it is time for me to step aside. 

It is time for new leadership that can take the organization in new directions with fresh ideas and perspectives, along with the stamina to get things done. With that in mind, I feel comfortable in turning over my position to Jack Riffle. He has worked on family farms, has a passion for local agriculture and the importance of a local food economy and runs a hyper-local online farmers market. He has worked by my side for a few months and has learned the current work of the Federation. He has traveled to and participated in markets across the state and has listened intently to the thoughts, concerns and needs of market farmers and managers. He has developed some ideas that will eventually find their way into new programs and efforts of the Federation, with a keen eye on building a strong farmers market industry that allows farms and food producers to thrive and prosper.

Please direct your emails and calls to Jack Riffle, jriffle@nyfarmersmarket.com. He is currently at 315-400-1447 until the time he takes over my office and can then be reached at 315-400-1449.

Take care,
Diane

 

Monthly Member & Friends Meetup: October 2023

 

NY FarmNet — Resource Guide for Struggling Farmers
with Adam Howell, Director of Outreach, NY FarmNet
October 24th, 2023 @ 1:00pm

Farming is hard. Personal and financial stress can sometimes seem omnipresent. Luckily, there are free resources available to farmers seeking assistance. Farmers market managers can safeguard their most valuable asset, farm vendors, by directing them to helpful resources when they need support.

NY FarmNet is a unique program in NYS that provides free, confidential support for farmers to help with any number of issues they may face. NY FarmNet approaches farm assistance and support through a “holistic” model by deploying a consultant team representing both the personal and financial aspects of every challenge. NY FarmNet is totally free, confidential, and available to any farmer, farm family, or agribusiness in NYS. Their consultants provide assistance in person, and on the farm for as long as the client requires assistance.

Adam Howell presents NY FarmNet and how it can help markets support their farmers during times of personal and financial crisis.

Join us for this free event on Tuesday, October 24, 1:00 pm here.

 

It’s a date! Save the Date for the 2024 NYS Farmers Market Manager’s Virtual Conference

 

We're excited to announce that our annual Farmers Market Managers Conference will be held virtually March 5 – 7, 2024.  The conference theme is “Getting Back to Basics” and will take place live via Zoom. This year’s conference will focus on different ways to grow your income streams, strengthen and diversify your customer base, recruit vendors, and plan for the future with the ultimate goal of enhancing the viability of your market.

Sessions are designed for both beginner and veteran market managers.  Many of the conference panelists are market operators themselves who come to our conference eager to share their valuable on-the-job experiences.  This makes for a rich perspective on the issues market managers face day to day.  In addition to the nine informative sessions offered, the conference will feature two interactive networking opportunities to allow managers to share experiences, ideas and challenges, one vendor recruitment pitch competition, and one virtual tour of the markets.

You can view the full agenda here.

Don’t forget to SAVE THE DATE and join us for this exciting conference. March 5 – 7, 2024!

For more information, contact The Farmers Market Federation of NY at jriffle@nyfarmersmarket.com or call 315-400-1447.

 

CCE Broome County & The Federation Seek to Update Profitability Benchmarks for Direct Marketing Farmers

 

The Farmers Market Federation of NY and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County are seeking farmers market vendor input!


In 2016 these organizations collaborated to create a set of profitability benchmarks for farmers market vendors across the state. It is now time to update these and better understand the current areas of risk for farmers market vendors that impact income, sales, and overall efficiencies. We are pursuing a grant application through the Extension Risk Management Education program to better understand the areas of risk impacting your farmers market experience, and create geographically, and commodity-specific benchmarks that you can use to gauge your profitability at markets moving forward. This project would also create resources enabling direct marketing producers to maintain their profitability and farming operations in NYS. But we need to hear from direct marketing farmers! A survey has been constructed to better understand the financial, production, labor, and marketing impacts vendors have seen via their participation in farmers markets over the past few seasons.

This survey should take no more than 10 minutes to answer the questions.

Farmer collaborators are also being sought for this project and embedded within the survey is the opportunity to express interest in joining this group.

Any questions can be directed to:
Diane Eggert (deggert@nyfarmersmarket.com)
Jack Riffle (jriffle@nyfarmersmarket.com)
Laura Biasillo (lw257@cornell.edu).

 

Let’s highlight YOUR market at Conference!

 

As we prepare for our 2024 Farmers Market Manager Conference, we need your help!  We'd love to highlight your proudest moments at your market during our final session of Conference, when we take a virtual tour around New York state farmers markets.

Please email Jack (jriffle@nyfarmersmarket.com) your market logo, a brief blurb about your proudest moments, and 5-9 photos of your proudest moments so we can celebrate your market to close out our 2024 conference.

It’s Coupon Season! Tips & Tricks to Get Your Reimbursement Faster!

 

It’s that time of year again! We’re getting close to the end of the year, which means coupons will be ending soon. That means the coupon processing ramps up here at the Federation! Here are some tips and tricks to help us get you your reimbursement faster:

Send your coupons in now!

Getting your coupons in early is the smart choice, as coupons will be processed in the order received.

Send smaller batches, more frequently 

Send smaller batches throughout the year to get reimbursed more frequently - making it a little easier on your budgeting for the year, and ensuring that we don’t get a massive deposit of coupons all at once.

To get payment out faster for more farmers, extra large batches will be put at the back of the line, depending on the quantity of coupons delivered. Batches of 15,000 or more coupons will be added to the back of the line, so that more farmers can receive prompt payment.

Be mindful of the deadlines!

Please remember that your coupons must be postmarked by the date on the back of the coupon.

  • Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP), the $5 coupons must be postmarked or dropped off at our office by December 15th, 2023.

  • Fresh Connect Checks as well as New York City Health Bucks, the $2 coupons — must be postmarked or dropped off at our office by January 15th, 2024.

Remember the coupon rules!

  • A redemption form must be included, with your FMNP number, who you want the check written out to, and the address where you want to receive the check. Forms are available through the link above or on our website under Resources.

  • Coupons must be stamped with your FMNP stamp, Fresh Connect Checks can be initialed if you don’t have a stamp.

  • They need to be well packaged in a secure box or envelope, we are not responsible for any coupons lost in transit. 

  • Coupons need to be orderly and easy to process - all coupons should be facing the same direction, with no staples of any kind, and the barcode should not be damaged, stamped, or written on. Coupons shouldn’t be stuck together with any sort of tape, dried ink, or staples. Please note that staples will damage our equipment.

  • They should be bundled or banded in some way to keep them orderly through the mail system.

Failure to follow these instructions takes considerable time on our end to get them ready for processing. This will cause your coupons to be delayed in processing as all others will be processed first.

Coupons can be dropped off!

We know that mailing large amounts of coupons can get quite costly, and many of our farmers have found it more cost-effective to drop off their coupons, even from as far away as New Jersey! So we’ve decided to gladly accept in-person drop-offs of coupons at our office! 

Drop-off is available Monday through Friday, 9:00 - 4:00, we just ask that you please give us a call at 315-400-1447  to let us know you’re coming, and definitely feel free to call if you have any questions or issues finding our office.

109 Twin Oaks Drive,
Syracuse, NY 13209

We are in the Upper level of the building. Parking and entrance are around the back of the building, in the glass atrium. Once inside, take a right up the ramp! Our offices are located on the left side of the hall.

Following these tips and guidelines, we can get everyone’s coupons processed and reimbursed quickly, making it easier on our end and getting you your money quicker!

 
Farmers Market Federation of New York
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109 Twin Oaks Drive, Syracuse, NY 13206, United States of America

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