Mass Farmers Markets

2024 FARMERS Market Conference

Farmers Markets Connect

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Nevins Hall Framingham MA

Mass Farmers Markets is excited to welcome you to this in-person conference. The theme for this year is “Farmers Markets Connect”. Farmers markets are built on relationships - between market organizers, vendors, shoppers, community groups, town officials, and more. We'll talk about how to build strong connections that will help your market thrive and meet its mission. Plus, we want to connect YOU! We'll have both facilitated discussions and informal networking opportunities so you can meet and trade ideas with market managers from across the state.

Schedule

Registration will open at 8:15am and the program is expected to run from 9:00am - 4:30pm. A light breakfast and a lunch featuring locally-sourced ingredients are included.

8:15am - 9:00am
Registration and Breakfast
Take advantage of this time to enjoy a light breakfast and meet your fellow conference-goers.

9:00am - 9:15am
Welcome and Opening Remarks

9:15am - 9:55am
Roundtables: Things I Wish I Knew When I Started
Get to know your fellow conference goers in a small-group format as you share the things you wish you knew when you got involved in the farmers market world. Each table will share out to the whole group.

10:00am - 11:15am
Building Stakeholder Relationships
Your farmers market is an important part of your community. How do you build relationships with others who can support and advocate for your market? We’ll discuss how to engage with government, funders, community groups, residents and others to support your market and the food system as a whole.

11:15am - 11:30am
Break

11:30am - 12:45pm
Rooting Your Market in Community
What does it mean for a market to be part of its community? We’ll hear from market managers who have built extensive programming with and for their market’s community. How do you create welcoming and inclusive markets? What is the impact your market has on its community?

12:45pm - 1:30pm
Lunch

1:30pm - 2:40pm
Working with City Hall
A market’s relationship with its town or city is fundamental. Markets must work with their local officials on issues from health to zoning to traffic and parking. Markets are also important partners in helping their community achieve goals like economic development and food access. We’ll discuss how markets can have productive relationships with their local officials to further their and their community’s missions.

2:45pm - 4:00pm
Policies and Procedures
A well-developed set of policies and procedures is essential to minimize risks and ensure your market runs smoothly. We’ll discuss what market policies should include, and how to develop them. We’ll also talk about how to uphold rules and manage conflicts in a manner that’s true to your market.

4:00pm - 4:30pm
Wrap-Up: Keep Connecting
We hope you got a lot of great ideas and inspiration about the relationships at the heart of farmers markets. We’ll talk about some of the ways you can keep connecting with each other and partner organizations. And we’ll hear from you - share in 60 seconds the best idea from your market experience, or what you’re excited to implement next season!

Full Conference Schedule

Nevins Hall is located at 150 Concord St in downtown Framingham, near both the Mass Pike (I-90) and I-495. The Framingham Commuter Rail station, on the Worcester line, is nearby.

Parking details can be found here.

We encourage our attendees to carpool! If you’re willing to drive or would like a ride, please sign up on our carpooling site.