November 13th, 9:30am to 4:30pm at the Hubbards Fire Hall

Agenda:

• 9:30-11:15 am – Business of the Cooperative
• 11:15-4:30 pm – Series of speakers presenting new ideas, opportunities and success stories for farmers’ markets and farmers’ market businesses.

Highlights include:

• the unveiling of the FMNS Insurance Program for member markets and their vendors;
• a presentation of new ideas by FMNS President Natalie Smith (and all around farmers’ market meister) inspired by her recent exploratory travel to Vermont;
• stories of passion, success & of course hard work from Ironworks Distillery and the Flying Apron Cookery;
• a sneak peak at FMNS’s newest training program (- calling all vendors!);
• a visit to the Hubbards’ Barn Farmers’ Market site.

Who can attend? All FMNS member markets are invited to attend – market managers, staff, board members and vendors. If your farmers’ market is not currently a member of FMNS and is interested in attending, please contact Keltie Butler at the FMNS office (902-425-9776; FMNS@farmersmarketsnovascotia.ca).

What does it cost to attend? There is no cost to attend our Fall Meeting and to take in the terrific afternoon lineup of speakers!

RSVP ASAP: Please email us by November 1st to let us know you will be attending. If you do not decide to attend until the last minute you are still welcome – but we may run out of coffee!

Snack Potluck: As local food lovers, growers and bakers, let’s enjoy the harvest together by sharing a potluck of morning and afternoon snacks. Please bring something to share. FMNS will provide coffee and tea. Please bring yourself a mug, dish and utensil.

Lunch is not provided so please bring a brown bag lunch or pick up something nearby during the allotted lunch break.

ACORN is looking for volunteers to help us to provide a reliable source of regional organic market prices for farmers. If you attend a market with a certified organic vendor (even if you don’t, it could be a great way to start!), and think you would like to track their prices over the season, please click here for more details.

On behalf of FMNS and the Food Alliance, I am sorry to say that we will not be hiring summer students this season.

To those who have applied for a position, thank you for your interest and best of luck with other employment.

Sincerely, Keltie Butler

• starting June 4^th or 11th
• 30 – 40hrs a week @ $12/hr
• approx. 13 weeks
• in Halifax (Quinpool Road).

As per the requirements of this program, the successful applicant must:

• are between 15 and 30 years of age;
• have been registered as a full-time student in the previous academic year and intend to return to school on a full-time basis in the next academic year;
• are Canadian citizens or permanent residents or have official refugee protection status under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (foreign students are not eligible); and
• are legally entitled to work in Canada, according to relevant provincial/territorial legislation and regulations.

The two positions are:

Local Food Event Planner, Coordinator & Promoter: Create and promote the first annual Farmers’ Market week, a province-wide (potentially country-wide) local food festival of special events. Coordinate with other local food organizations as well as media, community groups, food producers, and farmers’ markets to establish and promote Farmers’ Markets Week as well as other local food efforts across the province. Using creative and innovative means, including social media, boost exposure of local food special events trends, producers, and venues.

This position would be ideal for a student of Public Relations, Communications, Journalism, Marketing, Event Planning, Tourism, Business, Culture and Arts, Agriculture, Health Sciences, Nutrition, Food Sciences, or Sustainability.

Local Healthy Food Education Intern: Research existing healthy food promotion initiatives. Build partnerships with other healthy lifestyle and local food organizations and determine opportunities for collaboration. Perform a gap analysis to determine where new initiatives are needed. Where gaps exist, create educational materials, events and activities to promote the consumption of more local healthy foods.

This position would be ideal for a student of Nutrition, Biology, Life Science, Community Nursing, Medicine, Community Planning, Education, Agricultural Sustainability, Public/Media Relations, Marketing, Communications, Research, or Journalism.

To Apply:

Please send your resume to the email below by May 24^th providing the contact information for two references as well as a cover letter stating

• which position you are interested in
• why you are interested in that position
• what skills you will bring to the position
• how you propose to tackle the tasks that we have presented you with (remember that the position will not exist after the thirteen weeks are complete, so the goal is to produce something that will not require a large amount of maintenance after you have left).

For more information please contact Keltie at FMNS@farmersmarketsnovascotia.ca.

Interviews will take place during the week of May 28^th.

• When: May 8th, 9:30am to 4:30pm
• Where: Tatamagouche Farmers’ Market

Agenda:

• 9:00 am: Early bird arrivals and mingling
• 9:30 am: Welcome and housekeeping
• 9:35 am: AGM of FMNS
• 10:55 – 11:10 - Market Introductions and news
• 11:10 – 11:25 Break (coffee, tea, snack etc.)
• 11:25 – 11:30 Announcements (Farmers’ Market Week 2012; Oh Farming Poetry)
• 11:30 am – noon: Carole Downey and Mary-Ellen Scott will share the story of the Tatamagouche Farmers’ Market and give us a quick tour.
• Noon – 12:30 pm lunch (bring our own lunch) *Working Lunch for the Board*
• 12:30 – 1 pm: Paul Gerin (Canada Business NS) speaks to the business tools and resources available from Canada Business NS and the various levels of governments.
• 1 – 1:30 pm: “So You Want to be a Market Manager?” – Jamey Coughlin, Truro Farmers’ Market, introduces FMNS’ newest resource for farmers’ market managers.
• 1:30 – 3:30 pm: “Show me the money: The economic impact of farmers’ markets” – Dr. Andrew Knight, Department of Agriculture, prepares FMNS markets to participate in the 2012 Farmers’ Markets Economic Impact Study.
• Break (5 minutes)
• 3:30 – 4 pm: “Growing Pains: Tips & Tricks from the Argyle Farmers’ Market” – Natalie Smith, Argyle Market Committee Member (also FMNS President and much, much more), shares secrets to success!
• 4 – 4:30 pm: TBA
• Thank you & safe travel.

We are a medium sized market, well established in our community with a large attendance every Saturday. We are also visited by tourists to the region who comment on how vibrant we are and the great selection of local products. We support our vendor base well and some have expanded their businesses to beyond the farmers’ market.

Recently we approached our municipality about receiving funding support to help top up our manager’s salary as she is currently working much longer hours than we pay her for. We explained our situation, that we wanted to pay her a fair living wage and we were only asking for $5000 top-up a year. Imagine our surprise when they turned us down! Their only suggestion was to increase our table fees. We already have done so this year and at $35 per week we feel like we have reached our limit as a few of our vendors barely cover their table fee.

What can we do?

Thanks!

Cash Strapped but Awesome Market

_____________________________

Dear Cash-Strapped but Awesome Market,

This is both a complicated question to answer and the most common question we get asked. I will offer several suggestions and leave it up to you to determine which is most valid in your case.

1. If your market is as successful as you say it is, your vendors are doing well and without your efforts they would not have the opportunity to direct-market to a large number of customers each week, then a $10 increase in table fees should not affect their bottom line significantly. No-one likes to pay more, but if your vendors appreciate the good work of your manager then they should be willing to support her in the same way that she is supporting them. What goes around, comes around. Assuming you have an average of 25 vendors for 18 weeks of the year, a $10 increase in table fees would bring in $4500.

For those vendors who truly can’t afford it, you have two choices,
(a) ask those who can afford it to subsidise those who can’t in order to retain the same selection of vendors at your market;
(b) ask the struggling vendors to get business advice. We can offer training to all FMNS member market vendors in essential business skills and can even find mentors for those in the agricultural sector. Often vendors have a great product, but they aren’t very good at selling it.

2. You mentioned that you had already increased the table fees this year, so another common alternative is to apply for project funding. Please be aware that many sources of funding are drying up and that projects only create more work for your manager. Also, if you are going to apply for funding you will need to provide excellent financial records to demonstrate that you are accountable.

3. The final option requires a different take on the same activity. Instead of approaching your municipality or other potential supporter (either government or private sector) with a problem, show them an opportunity. Tell them about your successes, how many customers visit the market each week, how much they spend and the economic impact on the community as a whole. At a time of tightening belts, politicians want to hear good news stories and businesses want to have their name associated with success.

So how do you get those figures? Join us at our AGM in Tatamagouche on May 8th where Dr Andrew Knight will explain how each market can gather key data, that he will then analyse to determine the economic impact of farmers’ markets on the province.

We know it is great, let’s prove it and use it to leverage the support you deserve!

All the very best,

Rowena

Information Coordinator, Wolfville Farmers’ Market

The Wolfville Farmers’ market is  a vibrant year-round Market with over 60 farm, artisan and chef vendors. We are engaged in the farmers market movement, active supporters of our vendors, have numerous partnerships with community groups, we are progressive in our programming and passionate about creating the best experience possible to reflect and nourish our community.

The Wolfville Farmers’ Market is the recipient of a Career Focus Grant to hire an Information Coordinator who must be 30 years old or younger, and who has graduated from a post-secondary institute in the field of management (recreation, community development,  business,  food or nutrition, public relations), and can demonstrate that this position would be a good early step in their career.

Role:
The role of the Information Coordinator is to enthusiastically and professionally create, compile, and deliver useful and engaging information and content about the Market, its activities, and vendors at the Market’s Information Booth on Market days and through social media the rest of the week, as well as at trade shows and community events as opportunities arise.

Responsibilities of the  Information Coordinator include:

To Apply:
Email the Market Manager at  Manager@wolfvillefarmersmarket.ca by 5pm, April 30th.   Please include: a resume with three references and a cover letter