Our History

In 1997, a group of farmers market managers, Cornell Cooperative Extension educators and representatives from the NYS Dept of Agriculture and Markets gathered at the NYS Farmers Direct Marketing Conference to discuss the collective needs and issues of the state’s farmers markets. Liability insurance was a pressing concern as many markets were being required to purchase costly liability insurance that was not readily available from insurance carriers unfamiliar with farmers market venues. In addition, farmers market numbers were on the increase, but most farmers markets felt they were on their own to develop their market rules and policies, as well as training their managers. They wanted a means to share the information each market has learned along the way, as well as having a centralized point to request additional information or assistance.

As a result of these discussions, NYS Dept. of Ag & Markets, Cornell Cooperative Extension and a group of market managers, represented by the CNY Regional Market Authority, applied to USDA’s Federal State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP) for a grant to establish an organization dedicated to the needs of the growing farmers market industry. Once the grant was awarded a steering committee hired a program coordinator and the work of building the Farmers Market Federation of NY began. The goal of this new organization would be to work with farmers market managers, market organizers and sponsors, farmers market farmers and vendors and community consumers and organizers with interests in farmers markets.

Market managers identified key areas that were to be the initial focus of the organization: the insurance crisis facing markets, networking and communications between managers, and skills building for market managers. In 1998, the first insurance program was created providing low cost liability insurance for both markets and farmers. In addition a newsletter and list serve for market managers was established to disseminate Federation news, industry news, and educational pieces which allowed managers to communicate with one another. Regional meetings and an annual conference also gave managers networking opportunities as well as market management training.

In February 1999, the first annual meeting of the Federation was held to ratify a set of bylaws and elect a board of directors. The newly elected Board of Directors’ first order of business was to hire an Executive Director. To legalize the Federation, Articles of Incorporation were then filed with the Department of State and applications were made to the Internal Revenue Service for 501 (c) 3 status. Once granted, the New York State Taxation Department declared the Federation sales tax exempt as a legal nonprofit organization.

From this point the Federation focused on building its menu of programs and services and becoming a vital source of information and support to markets across the state.

In 2002, the Federation partnered with the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets to create the NYS Farmers Market Wireless EBT (SNAP) Program. New York State was the first in the nation to create such a statewide program and was used by third party processors to test wireless POS equipment. The program initially targeted farmers using farmers markets along the NYS Thruway corridor, as that is the only location of data towers. By 2005, the program shifted focus on farmers markets and began using a central terminal system – one terminal in a market accepting SNAP benefits on behalf of all the farmers in the market and using tokens as SNAP scrip. Equipment was upgraded several times through the years until 2013 when the program began to transition to smartphone technology.

In 2006, The Federation began to transition into a growth stage. The programs were well established, with new programs and opportunities being explored. But a grant from Project for Public Spaces helped the Federation to begin the journey into its new phase. The grant brought the board together to conduct a strategic planning session. This was a pivotal time for the Federation. For the first time, the board met face to face, rather than through conference calls. It was the first time the board set direction for the Federation, rather than taking direction from the Executive Director and offering its support. The board recognized that as a board they should take ownership in the Federation and steer its future growth. To that end, the board developed a strategic plan for the next five years, for both programs and for organizational infrastructure. A new mission and vision statement was developed that would be used to measure all future projects and opportunities. Board committees were established and given concrete roles for governance. Future board meetings now took on a different look and feel as the board president presided over meetings, board committee chairs presented their work and board members spoke up with their ideas, suggestions and direction.

That same year, the Federation moved from an independent contractor as an Executive Director and hired a full time Director. Personnel policies were developed, including job descriptions for the Executive Director and a new position of Administrative Assistant. In November, the board conducted its first evaluation of the Executive Director. This important step in hiring and maintaining staffing is a clear indication that the Federation and its board of directors were firmly steering the organization to permanency.

By 2016 the Federation has grown its staffing to include, not only a full time Executive Director, but also a part time Program Administrator and a part time Office Manager. Financial reserves have been placed with the CNY Community Foundation establishing an endowment fund to ensure the future financial stability of the Farmers Market Federation of NY. With a solid board, staffing and financial plans in place, the Federation is in a good position to continue providing innovative programs and services to markets, farmers and consumers in New York State for years to come.

By 2020, the Federation had grown its staffing once more to include the Executive Director, a full-time Office Manager, and a part-time Coupon Redemption Specialist.

In 2023, our long-time Executive Director and Co-Founder, Diane Eggert retired after many years of tireless, amazing leadership. The Federation hired a new Executive Director, Jack Riffle to step into the role and carry the Federation forward.