As a fan of farms and farmers markets, I have some good news for you! Did you know that there are now 6,132 farmers markets in America? That represents a sixteen percent increase over the number recorded in the National Farmers Market Directory in 2009. You have a new resource available this [...]]]> Happy National Farmers Market Week!

As a fan of farms and farmers markets, I have some good news for you! Did you know that there are now 6,132 farmers markets in America? That represents a sixteen percent increase over the number recorded in the National Farmers Market Directory in 2009.
You have a new resource available this week:
The Market Manager & Organizer FAQ at FMC:

http://farmersmarketcoalition.org/managerfaqs/

Remember if you have a question about starting or running a market in Ohio, we have experienced members and experts that can help. Contact us via email or phone.

Thank you,

Christie

Writer: Martha Filipic filipic.3@cfaes.osu.edu 614-292-9833

Source: Janet Buffer, Human Nutrition jbuffer@ehe.osu.edu 614-247-8388

Lydia Medeiros, Human Nutrition lmedeiros@ehe.osu.edu 614-292-2699

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohioans now can get [...]]]> Thought I would pass this link along as it can be a great resource to help with educating consumers on food safety.  Please check it out http://foodsafety.osu.edu and link to your website if you feel it would assist your consumers.

Thank you,

Christie

Writer:
Martha Filipic
filipic.3@cfaes.osu.edu
614-292-9833

Source:
Janet Buffer, Human Nutrition
jbuffer@ehe.osu.edu
614-247-8388

Lydia Medeiros, Human Nutrition
lmedeiros@ehe.osu.edu
614-292-2699

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohioans now can get the food safety information they need thanks to a new Ohio State University food safety website.

The website, http://foodsafety.osu.edu, offers consumers, health professionals and people who are at high risk of food-borne illness easy-to-understand, “plain talk” information that they can incorporate easily in their day-to-day life, said Lydia Medeiros, food safety specialist with Ohio State University Extension and one of the leaders in developing the site.

“We focused on information that helps people build skills,” said Medeiros, who is also a scientist with the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center and professor of human nutrition in the College of Education and Human Ecology. “Knowledge is good, but having the proper skills is the necessary factor that people need to implement their knowledge.”

The site contains numerous photos to illustrate food safety concepts for consumers in the “Ask Mom” area of the site, Medeiros said, including how to properly wash hands, test meat with a food thermometer, and prevent cross-contamination in the kitchen. The area for health professionals, “Ask the Doc,” provides food safety fact sheets that can be downloaded and shared with patients or clients who have been diagnosed with cancer or HIV/AIDS, who have had an organ transplant, who are pregnant or who have chronic conditions that make them more vulnerable to food-borne disease. In the “Ask the Teacher” portion of the site, educators have access to a PowerPoint presentation they can download to teach food safety concepts.

More materials will be added to the site, Medeiros said. “This is a dynamic website that will get deeper and broader as we add information to it,” she said.

In addition, the site offers users a way to ask Ohio State’s food safety professionals questions they can’t find answers to, by e-mailing foodsafety@osu.edu or calling Ohio State’s Food Safety Information Line, housed at the university’s Food Industry Center, at 800-752-2751 (toll-free in Ohio), 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The website and food safety e-mail and phone line are made possible by grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Integrated Food Safety Initiative; The Kroger Co., which also supports a broader food safety outreach program through its in-store educational campaign; and the Center for Innovative Food Technology, which helps support the Food Safety Information Line.

Christie Welch, Farmers’ Market Specialist
The Business Development Network
at The OSU South Centers
1864 Shyville Rd.
Piketon, OH 45661
welch.183@osu.edu
740-289-3727 Ext. 234
800-860-7232 (Ohio only) Ext. 234
740-289-4591 (Fax)
http://ohiofarmersmarkets.osu.edu

American Farmland Trust is holding their annual America’s Favorite Farmers Markets™ contest.

Entering your market in the contest will engage customers, generate local pride, raise the local visibility of your market, increase awareness of farmers markets, local food and farmland protection, and you will have a chance to win a prizes that will help [...]]]> America’s Favorite Farmers Markets™ Contest

American Farmland Trust is holding their annual America’s Favorite Farmers Markets™ contest.

Entering your market in the contest will engage customers, generate local pride, raise the local
visibility of your market, increase awareness of farmers markets, local food and farmland protection,
and you will have a chance to win a prizes that will help promote your market in your community.
Details at: www.farmland.org/marketmanager

Read the info packet for Market Managers
Voting starts on June 1st at noon.

The farmers market season has begun for many of us, and we’re collectively abuzz with energy, excitement, and the confidence that the work of farmers markets is meaningful and worthwhile.  National initiatives like [...]]]> The following is from the Farmers Market Coalition a national organization of which FMMN is a member:

The farmers market season has begun for many of us, and we’re collectively abuzz with energy, excitement, and the confidence that the work of farmers markets is meaningful and worthwhile.  National initiatives like Know your Farmer, Know your Food and Let’s Move! are legitimizing the daily work you do to support farm viability and help improve access to healthy foods in your communities.

Meanwhile, at the end of April, Senators McCain, Chambliss, and Roberts, sent a stern letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, expressing their disappointment in the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Initiative. They said, in addition to “subsidizing the so-called locavore niche market,” that KYF2

• ” doesn’t appear geared toward conventional farmers who produce the vast majority of our nation’s food supply, but is instead aimed at small, hobbyist and organic producers whose customers generally consist of affluent patrons at urban farmers markets.”

• “appears to be prioritizing Rural Development grant and loan programs for locavore projects in urban areas, apparently at the expense of rural communities with documented rural development needs.”

They closed by saying “American families and rural farmers are hurting in today’s economy, and it’s unclear to us how propping up the urban locavore markets addresses their needs. Given our nation’s crippling budgetary crisis, we also believe the federal government cannot afford to spend precious Rural Development funds on feel-good measures which are completely detached from the realities of production agriculture.”

If you’re looking for a good reason to roll your eyes, we encourage you to read the full letter here.  But don’t stop there!  We need your help.

FMC is presently working to update our talking points, Frequently Asked Questions, and Press Release Template to help you communicate why farmers markets matter. FMC will target National Farmers Market Week (August 1^st-7^th) for this initiative.  This is your opportunity to help respond not only to McCain, Chambliss, and Roberts but to those in communities like yours who might express skepticism that farmers markets are supporting rural farms and helping feed families.

We know that small-scale farms represent the vast majority farms in the United States, and that yes, they ARE hurting.  But not just in ‘today’s economy.” They hurt because of misguided government support of economically, physically, and environmentally  unsustainable farming practices that serve only about 5% of all farmers and produce cheap and unhealthy foods.

Here’s what you can do:  Choose at least one of the following, and tell us, specifically, how your farmers markets are:

1)  Making fresh nutritious food available to more people. Send your statistics on nutrition program participation, donations of fresh produce to social service agencies, and any other data on how your market is not just for “affluent patrons,” as McCain and his friends allege.

2) Supporting small family farms and preserving America’s rural landscapes. Send your statistics on the number of farmers at your market that are farming full-time, how many acres they have in production, and (if you know) whether any of them are getting federal government subsidies.

3) Strengthening communities and stimulating local economies.  Send us your average per farmer sales, business that you know have been incubated at your market, how sales at neighboring businesses are impacted, and how your markets may have sparked unprecedented partnerships between agencies, organizations, and businesses.

You can send your responses to submit@farmersmarketcoalition.org.  Please respond by May 21^st.

Also, please send an email to KnowYourFarmer@usda.gov, telling Secretary Vilsack, Deputy Secretary Merrigan, and their hard-working staff that you support the efforts of Know your Farmer, Know your Food and hope it can expand to help strengthen more farmers markets and the producers they serve.

And please put National Farmers Market Week on your calendar as August1st-7th.

Thanks again for your support. Together, we are building a nationwide network of farmers markets dedicated to triple bottom line benefits for farmers, consumers, and communities!

Sincerely,

The FMC Board of Directors

1. Farmers’ Markets, Cottage Foods, Home Bakeries and Exemptions for Farm Market Registration;

2. Determining [...]]]> Attached for your information and use is a joint (ODA and ODH) training announcement which has been sent to all local health departments. The training options will address three separate topics offered at different locations and dates. They include:

1. Farmers’ Markets, Cottage Foods, Home Bakeries and Exemptions for Farm Market Registration;

2. Determining Cost Methodology; (for local health departments only)

3. Labeling.

These sessions are being held to help educate local health department personnel in being more consistent and uniform in how they regulate food establishments throughout Ohio.

See Schedule Announcement for ODA Training

This year FMPP will emphasize three priorities during the 2010 grant period: (1) focus on the recruitment and retention of new farmers to participate at farmers markets and other direct-to-consumer farm marketing outlets; (2) develop professional expertise for farmers market managers, [...]]]> Agriculture Deputy Secretary Merrigan Announces Availability of

This year FMPP will emphasize three priorities during the 2010 grant period: (1) focus on the recruitment and retention of new farmers to participate at farmers markets and other direct-to-consumer farm marketing outlets; (2) develop professional expertise for farmers market managers, farmers/vendors, boards and organizations to effectively manage and/or operate farmers markets and other direct marketing enterprises; and (3) improve food access in local, rural and underserved communities to promote the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms.

Since AMS began tracking farmers markets in 1994, the number has grown by nearly 4,000 nationwide. Currently, nearly 5,274 farmers markets operate nationwide, up from 4,685 in 2008, an increase of 13 percent. AMS maintains a comprehensive list of farmers markets, posted online at www.ams.udsa.gov/farmersmarkets.

AMS also has developed two new tools for prospective grant applicants. The FMPP Pre-Application Guide for 2010 helps readers assess their readiness for the grant application and implementation process. AMS has also captured its on-site FMPP grant-writing training in a detailed PowerPoint presentation that provides step-by-step instructions on how to fill out the application forms. You can access both tools on the FMPP website at http://www.ams.usda.gov/FMPP.

More information on the “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” initiative is available at http://www.usda.gov/KnowYourFarmer.

Information on how to apply for a grant will be published in the Mar. 1, 2010, issue of the Federal Register and posted on the AMS website at http://www.ams.usda.gov/FMPP. Applications and proposals must be received by AMS no later than the close of business on April 15, 2010. Applications received after April 15, 2010, will not be considered.

For more information, contact Carmen Humphrey, Program Manager, Farmers Market Promotion Program, AMS, 1800 M Street, N.W., Room 3012-South Tower, Washington, D.C. 20036; phone (202) 694-4000; fax (202) 694-5949.

First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign to end childhood obesity within a generation was launched earlier this month. The campaign has four primary tenets: helping parents make healthy family choices, serving healthier food in schools, improving access to healthy, affordable food, and increasing physical activity of kids. Already, the administration has announced its plans to improve school meals, a financing initiative to reduce food deserts, new research tools that detail local food environments and health outcomes, including grocery store access and disease and obesity prevalence, and a broad range of public/private partnerships to solve America’s childhood obesity epidemic.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272(voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).