In Iowa, many market managers are volunteers and many have been a market vendor. The Iowa Farmers Market Manager Toolkit has been developed with the generous involvement of market managers from across the state as well as extension, non-profit, and government agency staff who participated in interviews and shared information. The Toolkit includes twelve Farmers Market Vendor Handouts, a comprehensive Iowa Farmers Market Manager Handbook, and the Lettuce Grow Online Training Series.

This Toolkit is meant to complement the existing booklet published by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and resources provided by the Iowa Farmers Market Association.

Farmers Market Vendor Handouts

Farmers Market Manager Handbook

Online Training

The Lettuce Grow Training Series took place from 2017-2019 around the State of Iowa. The series is now available online. Each training features an experienced market manager and vendor providing insight on farmers markets. Each of the trainings were offered in person and online with the recorded versions being made available on YouTube.

The online training series is a component of the Iowa Farmers Market Manager Toolkit.

Watch the online training videos below, or on the Lettuce Grow Markets Series YouTube channel.

Looking to accept nutrition coupons? Listen to Iowa farmers markets that are accepting Farmers Market Food Assistance Programs to find out what programs exist, how to accept them, how a token system operates, and the markets that operate them.

Recruiting a diversity of vendors to your farmers market can be challenging, but has a direct impact on vendor sales, customer consistency, and the market experience. But how do you find the right vendors, explain the market opportunity, and answer their questions? Gain insight into the value of different vendors, what existing customers really want, and how to draw in new customers.

Marketing your farm or farmers market means more engagement and more sales. It also empowers and educates the customers that are interested, but not yet making the market a habit. Watch for ideas on making the most out of your marketing budget—even if that budget is tiny!

Managing risk at your market goes beyond having the right insurance policy. It involves developing risk management policies, enforcing those policies on busy market days, creating a thoughtful market layout, implementing food safety standards, and considering liability with all market decisions.

Find out what metrics are collected, how to collect data, and why this data is incredibly valuable. Presentation will be made by Darlene Wolnik from the National Farmers Market Coalition, Josh Dansdill from Northeast Iowa RC&D, Becky Huang from North Iowa Berries and Charles Puffer from Puffer Roske Farm.

Developing and coordinating events for your farmers market can be challenging, but has a direct impact on vendor sales, customer consistency, and the market experience. But how do you organize an event, which events actually increase the market’s attendance, and how can events increase sales for vendors? Learn about increasing attendance and customer satisfaction at your market.

USDA Farmers Market Promotion Program grants (Award No. #16-FMPP-IA-0027) supported this work. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Toolkit is for educational purposes to assist farmers market management in improving their market operations. This material is not intended, and should not be used, as a substitute or replacement for individual legal, financial, or actuarial advice. Each market organization should consult a relevant professional advisor when making business decisions as appropriate.