Description
This project would not have been possible without the strong participation, guidance and collaboration provided by the Washington State Farmers Market Action Team, the Washington State Farmers Market Association, Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance, Washington State Department of Agriculture's Small Farm and Direct Marketing Program and, of course, farmers market managers throughout Washington.
F101
W a s h i n g t o n S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y S m a l l F a r m s P r o g r a m
This research is part of the “Engines of the New Farm Economy: Assessing and Enhancing the Benefits
of Farmers Markets” project led by Marcia Ostrom, Colleen Donovan, José García?Pabón, Jessica
Goldberger and Vicki McCracken of Washington State University and the Washington State Farmers
Market Action Team. The Agricultural Food Research Initiative of the National Institute of Food and
Agriculture, USDA, Grant #2009?55618?05172, supported this project. For more information, please
email [email protected] or [email protected] or visit http://smallfarms.wsu.edu/marketing/.
2013
Summary Report: Farmers Markets
and the Experiences of Market
Managers in Washington State
Marcia Ostrom and Colleen Donovan
ASSESSING AND ENHANCING THE BENEFITS OF FARMERS MARKETS
FOR SMALL AND MID?SIZED FARMS AND COMMUNITIES
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
i
Acknowledgements
This project would not have been possible without the strong participation, guidance and
collaboration provided by the Washington State Farmers Market Action Team, the Washington
State Farmers Market Association, Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance, Washington State
Department of Agriculture’s Small Farm and Direct Marketing Program and, of course, farmers
market managers throughout Washington. We are especially grateful to Karen Kinney, Jennifer
Ringwood, Rose Krebill?Prather and colleagues at the WSU Social and Economic Sciences
Research Center for the significant time they put into this research effort. We also owe a special
thank you to Jessica Goldberger for sharing her survey expertise throughout the project as well
as her careful review of this report. Thank you for making this research possible.
Contents
? Survey Overview ...................................................................................................................................... 1
? General Farmers Market Characteristics ................................................................................................. 2
? Farmers Market Vendors and Products .................................................................................................. 8
? Farmers Market Sales, Customers and Business Development ............................................................ 13
? Organizational Structure of Farmers Markets ....................................................................................... 19
? Community and Environmental Dynamics ............................................................................................ 32
? Farmers Market Personnel .................................................................................................................... 39
? Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 47
References .................................................................................................................................................. 49
Figures and Tables
Figure 1. Annual Growth in Washington State Farmers Markets, 1991 to 2012 .......................................... 1
Figure 2. Farmers Markets by Size Category ................................................................................................. 5
Figure 3. Farmers Markets by Decade Opened ............................................................................................ 6
Figure 4. Days of the Week Farmers Markets Operate ................................................................................ 7
Figure 5. Month Farmers Markets Open and Close* .................................................................................... 7
Figure 6. Vendor Definitions from the WSFMA “Roots Guidelines for Member Markets” .......................... 8
Figure 7. Percentage of Farmer Vendors per Market ................................................................................... 9
Figure 8. Farmers Markets’ Geographic Preferences for Farmer Vendors ................................................. 10
Figure 9. Products Offered at Farmers Markets ......................................................................................... 12
Figure 10. Distribution of Farmers Market Sales by Market ....................................................................... 14
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
ii
Figure 11. Farmers Markets by Total Annual Sales ..................................................................................... 15
Figure 12. Typical Farmers Market Revenue and Expenses........................................................................ 21
Figure 13. Farmers Market Revenue relative to Total Vendor Sales .......................................................... 26
Figure 14. Owners of Farmers Market Sites ............................................................................................... 27
Figure 15. Farmers Market Employees by Type.......................................................................................... 41
Figure 16. Term of Payment for Market Managers .................................................................................... 44
Table 1. Number of Farmers Markets Responding by County ...................................................................... 3
Table 2. Location of Responding Farmers Markets by Region ...................................................................... 3
Table 3. Location of Responding Farmers Markets by Urban?Rural Continuum .......................................... 4
Table 4. Farmers Markets Categorized by Size* ........................................................................................... 5
Table 5. Age of Farmers Markets .................................................................................................................. 6
Table 6. Number of Days per Week Farmers Markets Operate ................................................................... 7
Table 7. Aggregated Vendor Mix at Farmers Markets .................................................................................. 9
Table 8. Immigrant or Minority Farmers at Farmers Markets .................................................................... 11
Table 9. Total Annual Market Sales per Farmers Market ........................................................................... 14
Table 10. Farmers Markets by Total Annual Market Sales* ....................................................................... 15
Table 11. Total Annual Sales per Farmers Market by Market Size ............................................................. 15
Table 12. Average Farmer Vendor Sales Compared to Past Five Years ...................................................... 16
Table 13. Impact of Accepting Credit and/or Debit Cards on Farmers Market Sales ................................. 16
Table 14. Shoppers on Typical Market Day in Summer Season .................................................................. 17
Table 15. Total Shoppers Visits for the 2009 Season .................................................................................. 17
Table 16. Perceived Impact of Other Retail Outlets on Farmers Market Sales .......................................... 18
Table 17. Organizational Incorporation of Farmers Markets ..................................................................... 19
Table 18. Types of Non?Profit Incorporation among Farmers Markets ...................................................... 20
Table 19. Types of Business Incorporation among Farmers Markets ......................................................... 20
Table 20. Organizational Tools Used by Farmers Markets ......................................................................... 20
Table 21. Organizational Revenue per Farmers Market Location .............................................................. 21
Table 22. Sources of Farmers Market Revenue by Highest Dollar Value ................................................... 22
Table 23. Additional Sources of Support for Farmers Markets .................................................................. 22
Table 24. Vendor Stall, Application/Membership Fees as Percentage of Farmers Market Revenue ......... 22
Table 25. Methods Farmers Markets Use to Charge Vendors for Stall Space ............................................ 23
Table 26. Combinations of Vendor Charges at Farmers Markets ............................................................... 23
Table 27. Organizational Expenses per Farmers Market Location ............................................................. 24
Table 28. Farmers Market Expenses by Highest Dollar Value .................................................................... 24
Table 29. Personnel/Staff Expenses as Percentage of Total Expenses ....................................................... 24
Table 30. Marketing, Promotion and Special Event Expenses Per Market ................................................. 25
Table 31. Difference between Reported Farmers Market Revenue and Expenses .................................... 25
Table 32. Future Economic Outlook for Farmers Markets ......................................................................... 25
Table 33. Types of Farmers Market Sites .................................................................................................... 26
Table 34. Rent Paid for Farmers Market Site .............................................................................................. 27
Table 35. Terms, Conditions or Permits Required to Use Farmers Market Site ......................................... 28
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
iii
Table 36. Long?Term Availability of Farmers Market Site ........................................................................... 28
Table 37. Number of Times Farmers Markets 10 years or Older Changed Location .................................. 28
Table 38. Long?Term Goals of Farmers Markets ......................................................................................... 29
Table 39. Farmers Markets Facing Regulatory Barriers .............................................................................. 31
Table 40. Regulatory Barriers Described by Farmers Markets ................................................................... 31
Table 41. Challenges Facing Farmers Markets ............................................................................................ 31
Table 42. Primary Motivation for Starting Farmers Market ....................................................................... 33
Table 43. Importance of Serving Low?Income Community Members ........................................................ 33
Table 44. Strategies for Serving Low?Income Community Members ......................................................... 34
Table 45. Impact of Accepting EBT on Farmers Market Sales .................................................................... 34
Table 46. Estimated Pounds of Produce Donated Annually to Food Banks, Soup Kitchens and Shelters by
Farmers Markets ......................................................................................................................................... 34
Table 47. Perceived Economic Mix of Shoppers ......................................................................................... 35
Table 48. Perceived Racial/Ethnic Mix of Shoppers .................................................................................... 35
Table 49. Volunteer Service at Farmers Markets ....................................................................................... 35
Table 50. How Farmers Markets Benefit Their Communities ..................................................................... 36
Table 51. Environmentally?friendly Means of Getting to Farmers Markets ............................................... 38
Table 52. Recycling and Composting at Farmers Markets .......................................................................... 38
Table 53. Farmers Markets’ Impacts on the Environment ......................................................................... 38
Table 54. Total Number of Farmers Market Employees by Status ............................................................. 40
Table 55. Average Year?Round and Seasonal Employees at Farmers Markets .......................................... 41
Table 56. All Employees by Farmers Market Size ....................................................................................... 41
Table 57. Types of Farmers Market Manager Positions ............................................................................. 42
Table 58. Unpaid and Paid Market Managers by Farmers Market Size ...................................................... 42
Table 59. Unpaid and Paid Market Managers by Farmers Market Sales Category .................................... 43
Table 60. Unpaid and Paid Managers by Type of Organization .................................................................. 43
Table 61. Unpaid and Paid Market Managers by Region of Washington ................................................... 43
Table 62. Average Wages by Farmers Market Position and Term of Payment .......................................... 44
Table 63. Number of Farmers Market Managers between 1999 and 2009 ............................................... 44
Table 64. Gender of Farmers Market Managers ......................................................................................... 46
Table 65. Age of Farmers Market Managers .............................................................................................. 46
Table 66. Formal Education of Farmers Market Managers ........................................................................ 46
Table 67. Farmers Market Manager Experience ......................................................................................... 47
WSU Extension programs and policies are consistent with federal and state laws and regulations on
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noncompliance may be reported through your local WSU Extension office. Published November 2013.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
1
? Survey Overview
Farmers markets are one of the most visible cornerstones of farm?direct marketing today.
Throughout the United States, the total number of farmers markets has increased dramatically.
The USDA’s directory now includes 8,144 farmers markets, growing 3.6% between 2012 and
2013 alone (USDA AMS Marketing Services Division 2013). Washington State has a rich variety
of farmers markets, from the world?famous Pike Place Market founded in 1907 to new markets
opening each year. As with national trends, our historical research found that the number of
markets in Washington has grown significantly, quintupling in the last two decades (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Annual Growth in Washington State Farmers Markets, 1991 to 2012
Despite the consistent growth of direct sales nationally and in Washington State, very little has
been documented about the extent or characteristics of direct marketing as a long?term
strategy for farm viability. And while there is a growing literature emphasizing the role of
farmers markets in community and local food systems along with a proliferation of “how to”
guides, very little data is available about farmers markets’ performance and organizational
characteristics. The purpose of our research, therefore, is to address this need by documenting
the current capacity of Washington State farmers markets to generate income for farmers,
improve the environment, and provide assets to communities; as well as to assess their long?
term sustainability. Identifying and sharing the organizational and management strategies of
successful market organizations is another key goal. In addition to the Farmers Market Manager
Survey described in this report, our research project includes a survey of all farmer vendors, 14
Rapid Market Assessments, and several focus groups with farmers.
1
1
This research is part of the project “Engines of the New Farm Economy: Assessing and Enhancing the Benefits of
Farmers Markets” led by M. Ostrom, C. Donovan, J. García?Pabón, J. Goldberger and V. McCracken of Washington
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
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Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
2
In 2010, a “Survey of Market Managers” was sent to a list of 169 unique farmers market
locations in Washington State.
2
Farmers markets were identified through multiple means
including the “2010 Washington State Farmers Market Guide” published by the Washington
State Farmers Market Association (WSFMA), the list of markets authorized to participate in the
Farmers Market Nutrition Program, statewide networking with other market managers, the
Washington State University (WSU) Small Farms Team, and WSU Extension, as well as local food
directories and Web searches. Follow?up phone interviews were conducted in 2011 to
supplement results and collect additional information.
In keeping with the WSFMA’s “Roots Guidelines for Member Markets,” we defined a “farmers
market” as a place where at least five farmers per market day (on average) assemble on a
recurring schedule to sell their farm products directly to consumers.
3
For the purposes of this
research, each unique market location was treated as one farmers market. Therefore, if a
market was open on multiple days in the same location, it was treated as one farmers market.
And if a market organization managed multiple markets in different locations, then each market
location was treaded as one market.
In all, 127 unique farmers market locations are represented in the survey results. After
removing the ineligibles and invalid addresses from the original list of farmers markets, we have
an adjusted response rate of 78.5%. All data represents the 2009 market season. With such a
high response rate, we believe that our survey is very representative of the diversity of farmers
markets in Washington State. We did not find a response bias in terms of market size or
geographic distribution; however, as anticipated, respondents were slightly more likely to be
members of the WSFMA than non?respondents. Among respondents, 76% were member
markets of the statewide farmers market association.
? General Farmers Market Characteristics
Given the need to better understand the diversity of farmers markets in Washington State, our
survey collected information on general characteristics such as where markets are located,
their size, and how long the markets had been in operation. We also documented “the market
season,” including when markets open and close and the days of the week markets are in
operation.
State University and the Washington State Farmers Market Action Team; USDA National Institute of Food and
Agriculture, Agricultural Food Research Initiative, Grant #2009?55618?05172.
2
The survey was administered by the WSU Social and Economic Sciences Research Center and consisted of two
parts. The first part was a 70?question survey that was first mailed out on August 13, 2010. Recipients had an
option to complete a hard copy or an online version. The second part of this survey was a phone interview. In
partnership with the Washington State Farmers Market Association and Washington State Farmers Market Action
Team, both parts of this survey were promoted heavily to managers.
3
The complete “Roots Guidelines for Member Markets” established by the Washington State Farmers Market
Association (WSFMA) is available at www.wafarmersmarkets.com. It is also reprinted in the “Washington State
Farmers Market Manual” (Appendix A) which is available athttp://smallfarms.wsu.edu.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
3
LOCATION OF FARMERS MARKETS THAT RESPONDED TO THE SURVEY
Farmers markets from 32 out of Washington’s 39 counties were represented in the survey
responses. Over a quarter (27%) of the market locations were in King County (Table 1). Over
half (52%) of the markets were located in the northwestern region of Washington, which
roughly corresponds with the Puget Sound and includes major metropolitan areas such as
Seattle, Bellevue and Everett (Table 2). Only 27% of markets were located in non?metropolitan
counties and nearly half (48%) of all markets were in counties in metropolitan areas with
populations over 250,000 (Table 3).
Table 1. Number of Farmers Markets Responding by County
County
Number of
Markets
Percentage County
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Adams 1 1 Klickitat 1 1
Asotin 1 1 Lewis 2 2
Benton 4 3 Okanogan 6 5
Chelan 4 3 Pend Oreille 1 1
Clallam 1 1 Pierce 9 7
Clark 2 2 San Juan 1 1
Columbia 1 1 Skagit 4 3
Cowlitz 3 2 Skamania 1 1
Douglas 1 1 Snohomish 9 7
Franklin 1 1 Spokane 6 5
Grant 3 2 Stevens 4 3
Island 5 4 Thurston 3 2
Jefferson 2 2 Wahkiakum 1 1
King 34 27 Whatcom 3 2
Kitsap 7 6 Whitman 1 1
Kittitas 2 2 Yakima 3 2
Total 127 100
Table 2. Location of Responding Farmers Markets by Region
Region Counties
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Northwest
Clallam, Grays Harbor, Island, J efferson, King,
Kitsap, San J uan, Skagit, Snohomish, Whatcom
66 52
Southwest
Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Pierce,
Skamania, Thurston, Wahkiakum
21 17
Central
Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Kittitas, Klickitat,
Okanogan, Yakima
21 17
Eastern
Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Ferry, Franklin,
Garfield, Grant, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane,
Walla Walla, Whitman
19 15
Total 127 100
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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Table 3. Location of Responding Farmers Markets by Urban?Rural Continuum
4
Rural-Urban Continuum Code
Number of
Markets
Percentage
County in
metro
area
with population of 1 million or more 55 43
with population of 250,000 to 1 million 6 5
with a population of fewer than 250,000 33 26
Non-metro
county
with urban population of 20,000 or more, adjacent to a
metro area
11 9
with urban population of 20,000 or more, not adjacent to a
metro area
1 1
with urban population of 2,500-19,999, adjacent to a metro
area
18 14
completely rural or less than 2,500 urban population,
adjacent to metro area
2 2
completely rural or less than 2,500 urban population, not
adjacent to metro area
1 1
Total 127 100
SIZE OF FARMERS MARKETS IN WASHINGTON STATE
While there is no standardized way to categorize the size of a farmers market, the most
common approach is to create size categories based on the number of vendors (Stephenson
2008, USDA AMS 2009). This raises the question of which vendors to count? In addition to
farmer vendors, markets typically also have food processors, prepared food, and artisan or craft
vendors (WSFMA 2010). There is also the question of when to count the vendors? Not all
vendors who are part of a farmers market come to every market day, especially if they have
products with a limited season (e.g., blueberries or cherries).
For this research, we chose to count all vendor types to be consistent with other research and
because it captures the full footprint of a market’s space needs, management demands, and
potential sales. We chose to focus on the total number of vendors on a “typical market day”
during the summer season as this is more likely to represent the market when it is at full
capacity. Given the differences between regions in Washington, we assumed the markets were
in a better position to determine what was “typical” and when it was “summer” in their
communities.
We realize that the size of a farmers market is dynamic. These size categories are not meant to
be definitive or deterministic, but rather provide a useful way to analyze and contrast the needs
and capacities of markets.
4
For more information about Rural Urban Continuum Codes, please seehttp://www.ers.usda.gov/data?
products/rural?urban?continuum?codes.aspx#.UnqPEeIlhAg.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
5
Table 4. Farmers Markets Categorized by Size*
Market Size Category
Number of Vendors on a
Typical Market Day during
the summer season
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Very small 10 or less 23 19
Small 11 to 30 54 44
Medium 31 to 50 29 24
Large 51 to 100 11 9
Very large 101 and over 6 5
Total 123 100
* If the market operated on more than one day in the same location, the vendor data represents the busier/larger
market day.
Figure 2. Farmers Markets by Size Category
By the categories we defined, 63% of farmers markets were “small” or “very small,” 24% were
“medium,” and 14% were “large” or “very large” (Table 4 and Figure 2). On average, farmers
markets in Washington had 32 vendors (which would be a medium?sized market), with the
number of vendors at each market on a typical day ranging from 3 to 200. If aggregated, the
markets responding to our survey provided approximately 4,000 vendor opportunities on a
typical market day during the summer season in 2009.
AGE OF FARMERS MARKETS IN WASHINGTON STATE
Over a third (39%) of the markets in our study were less than 5 years old and 38% were over 10
years old (Table 5). The age of a market, in combination with the manager’s experience, can be
an important factor in a market’s success (Stephenson 2008). Most (61%) of the farmers
markets in our study were started between 2001 and 2009 (Figure 3). This pattern is consistent
19%
44%
24%
9%
5%
0
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40
50
60
Very Small Small Medium Large Very Large
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Farmers Market Size N = 123
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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with the history of farmers markets and national trends (USDA AMS Marketing Services Division
2013, Brown 2001). Our study does not document the full history of farmers markets in
Washington State because we did not collect data on the markets that closed prior to 2009.
5
Table 5. Age of Farmers Markets
Age of Market
6
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Under 5 years 34 39
5 to 9 years 20 23
10 to 19 years 18 20
20 years and over 16 18
Total 88 100
Figure 3. Farmers Markets by Decade Opened
MARKET DAYS
Over a third (37%) of all farmers markets were held on Saturday, making it the most common
day for markets (Figure 4). The second most common day is Wednesday (17%) followed by
Sunday (15%). Pike Place Market was the only farmers market open on Monday and it is also
the only farmers market open seven days a week. The vast majority of markets (91%) are open
one day per week in the same location (Table 6).
5
For a historical analysis (1994 to 2005) of farmers markets in Oregon, see Stephenson 2008.
6
These are the market age categories used by USDA’s “National Farmers Market Manager Survey 2006” (May
2009):http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5077203.
1 % 1 %
10 %
6 %
20 %
61 %
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10
20
30
40
50
60
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N = 88
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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Figure 4. Days of the Week Farmers Markets Operate
Table 6. Number of Days per Week Farmers Markets Operate
Days per Week
Number of
Markets
Percentage
1 day per week 116 91
2 days per week 8 6
More than 2 days per week 3 2
Total 127 100
SEASONALITY
Seasonal farmers markets in Washington were open for an average of 21 weeks in 2009. Most
markets (82%) open in either May or June and close in September or October (91%), meaning
that the primary market season is from May to October (Figure 5). However, a small percentage
of markets remained open into the winter months of November and December. In addition, our
survey found five markets that operated year?round. These findings are in keeping with our
observations of increasing experimentation with adding holiday and winter market days. These
trends and other strategies to extend the market season will be important to track over time.
Figure 5. Month Farmers Markets Open and Close*
* Figure 5 includes data for Market day 1 and Market day 2; it excludes year-round markets.
1%
8%
17%
15%
7%
37%
15%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
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2%
11%
44%
38%
5%
1%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
March April May June July August
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Month Market Opens
N = 130
2%
36%
55%
4% 3%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
August Sept. October Nov. December
Month Market Closes
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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In terms of the general characteristics of farmers markets in Washington, we found significant
numbers of markets across all regions of the state. Market respondents represented 32 of 39
Washington counties. As might be expected, markets were concentrated in King County and
other metropolitan counties. The majority of the markets in the survey were small or very small
(63%), with 30 or fewer vendors on a typical market day. Most markets were also relatively
new, with over 60% having started up in the decade prior to the survey. Around 40% were in
their first five years of operation. We found only three markets that were open three days a
week or more in the same location, with over 90% open one day per week (most frequently a
Saturday or Wednesday). Most markets operated seasonally for an average of 21 weeks. Most
commonly, the market season started in May and ended in October; however, we found five
markets that operated year?round and a range of opening and closing dates.
? Farmers Market Vendors and Products
This section examines survey results from questions about the types of vendors at farmers
markets and the products they sell. For the purposes of this survey, we used the vendor
categories defined in the Washington State Farmers Market Association’s “Roots Guidelines for
Member Markets” (Figure 6). For easier reference we will refer to both the categories of
“farmer” and “farmer?processor” in Figure 6 as “farmer vendors.” Farmers markets usually have
policies about what kinds of vendors they allow into their market. Some markets do not allow
resellers. Some choose to limit the number of prepared food and craft vendors. Each market
creates its own, often dynamic, “vendor mix” depending on its mission, management, shopper
base, and the availability of vendors.
Figure 6. Vendor Definitions from the WSFMA “Roots Guidelines for Member Markets”
Farmers and Farmer-Processors: Someone who raises what they sell on their own land (may be
rented) in WA; including farmers who process what they raise or have their products processed; also
includes seafood, wine from Washington AVA [American Viticultural Area], flowers and ornamentals.
Food Processors: Someone who sells what they have personally prepared or processed, but did not
raise ingredients themselves.
Resellers: Someone who buys produce from other farmers and brings to sell at farmers market.
Prepared Food Vendors: Someone who sells freshly made foods ready for immediate consumption.
Artisans/Crafters: Someone who creates with their own hands the products they offer for sale.
(WSFMA 2010)
VENDOR MIX
Collectively, 118 farmers markets reported a total of 6,328 vendor stalls in Washington State
(Table 7). And while this does not represent the total number of unique vendors, it does
suggest the scale of sales, marketing and other entrepreneurial opportunities that farmers
markets create every year. In the aggregate, farmer vendors represent 43% of the vendor stalls
in the state. By market, the proportion of the total vendor mix represented by farmer vendors
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
9
varied from under 25% to 100% (Figure 7). Most farmers markets (48%) had between 26 to 50%
farmer vendors and a small number (4%) of markets had exclusively farmer vendors (Figure 7).
Table 7. Aggregated Vendor Mix at Farmers Markets
7
Types of Vendors
Total
Number of
Vendors
(all markets)
Percentage
Farmers 2,699 43
Artisans/crafters 2,003 32
Food processors 691 11
Prepared food vendors 498 8
Resellers 52 1
Other vendors (e.g., non-profit organizations) 385 6
All Vendors 6,328 101*
N =118
* Does not total 100 due to rounding errors.
Figure 7. Percentage of Farmer Vendors per Market
RESELLING PRODUCTS PRODUCED BY OTHER FARMERS
Resellers are the smallest percentage of vendors at farmers markets in Washington (Table 7).
“Reselling” products grown by other farmers is allowed within the WSFMA Roots Guidelines as
long as certain criteria are met (e.g., not buying from wholesalers, product must be grown in
Washington State, there is lack of availability from farmers, pre?approval, labeling and signage)
7
This data represents the aggregation of all vendor slots at responding markets. It does not represent the unique
number of individual vendors participating in markets as many vendors sell at multiple markets.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Under 25 % 26 to 50 % 51 to 75 % 76 to 99 % 100%
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Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
10
(WSFMA 2010). Of course, markets that do not belong to the WSFMA may follow entirely
different sets of guidelines and practices.
Survey results suggest that nearly half (48%) of farmers markets allow farmer vendors to sell
other farmers’ products (N = 89). For those markets that allow reselling, the reasons or
conditions reported for allowing reselling were (in order of frequency):
? There is a need for product in market;
? There is an agreement between farmers;
? Manager makes an exception on a case by case basis;
? There is proper signage; and/or
? Resellers’ product is grown locally or in Washington State.
GEOGRAPHIC PREFERENCE POLICIES
Fifty?eight percent of farmers markets reported prioritizing farmer vendors from a certain
geographic region. Figure 8 shows the specific responses that were provided when this subset
of respondents was questioned more specifically about their geographical preferences using an
open?ended question.
Figure 8. Farmers Markets’ Geographic Preferences for Farmer Vendors
“Washington State” was the most common (37%) geographic preference named and only 2% of
respondents named a broader scale beyond the state boundaries (i.e., the Northwest). This is
consistent with the WSFMA’s Roots Guidelines that require all farm products to be grown and
produced in Washington State or bordering counties (WSFMA 2010). However, most markets
(61%) prioritized farmer vendors from a scale smaller than the state: 37% of markets named the
county and/or neighboring counties as their geographic preference for accepting farmer
vendors. Just over 11% named specific regions that were defined by the physical geography
(e.g., a peninsula, island) or sub?regions such as “the south sound” or “western Washington.” In
one case, an actual road was named as the boundary. Thirteen percent named their specific
city, town, or county or made more qualitative statements such as “as local as possible.”
4 %
9 %
17 %
20 %
11 %
37 %
2 %
0
5
10
15
20
25
"As local as
possible"
City, town or
county first
County only County &
neighboring
county
Specific
region
Washington
State
Northwest
N
u
m
b
e
r
o
f
M
a
r
k
e
t
s
N =54
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
11
IMMIGRANT AND MINORITY FARMERS
We were interested in learning more about the different types of farmers who sell at farmers
markets. As such, we asked survey participants to describe the diversity of their vendors. We
also asked if their markets had specific strategies for supporting and communicating with
vendors with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
Most farmers markets (82%) reported having vendors who were either immigrants or
minorities (N = 91). Among those markets with immigrant or minority vendors, Latino/Hispanic
farmers and Hmong farmers were the most common (Table 8). However, there was also a wide
range of “other” immigrant and minority farmers, including vendors described as: African,
African American, Chinese, East Indian, Eastern European, Filipino, German, Indian, Japanese,
Korean, Native American, Pacific Islander, Polish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese.
Table 8. Immigrant or Minority Farmers at Farmers Markets
Farmer Ethnicity
Total number
of vendors
(not unique)
Average
number per
market
Latino or Hispanic 212 3
Hmong 270 4
Other 93 1
Total Markets 72
Of those markets with immigrant or minority vendors, 82% reported having vendors who were
not fluent in English. When asked how market managers communicated with non?English
speakers, the most common responses were:
? The vendor’s children or another relative translates (59%);
? By simplifying communication and using sign language (34%); and
? Relying on other vendors to translate (20%).
Only 13% of these markets had bilingual staff or volunteers available to interpret. Several
managers noted that communication with non?English speaking vendors could be challenging
and stressed the need for patience. Approximately 45% of these respondents said their markets
offered specific types of support to immigrant or minority farmers such as training, information,
interpretation and/or translation. One group of markets held a separate vendor meeting with
interpreters for their Hmong farmers.
PRODUCTS AVAILABLE AT FARMERS MARKETS
A wide range of products was commonly available at most markets, with over half offering
baked goods, cut flowers, nursery plants, processed foods, eggs, meats, dairy and seafood in
addition to fruits and vegetables (Figure 9). Most respondents also listed additional products
that were desired or products that were in short supply at their market, including fruit, meat,
dairy and seafood. When questioned specifically about organic products, 13% of respondents
said their markets prioritized farmer vendors who sold certified or exempted organic products.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
12
Figure 9. Products Offered at Farmers Markets
* Honey was the most frequently cited “other” product.
We asked respondents to identify specific fruits and vegetables that they would like to offer at
their market in the future or would like to have in greater supply. The top three products listed
were all fruit:
? Berries, including strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, marionberries,
goji berry, and huckleberries;
? Stone fruit, including peaches, cherries, nectarines, plums and apricots; and
? Apples and pears.
These products were followed (in order of frequency) by melons, tomatoes and peppers, figs
and kiwi, mushrooms and broccoli. In addition, ten respondents expressed a desire for more
produce in the market earlier and/or later in the season.
Respondents were also asked to list other products (besides fruits and vegetables) that they
would like to offer or increase the amount offered at their market. The top three other types of
products were:
? Meat, including beef, grass?fed beef, poultry (chicken, turkey, duck), rabbit and
charcuterie;
? Dairy, including cheese, milk, cream, butter, and ice cream; and
? Seafood, including fresh fish and shellfish.
These products were followed (in order of frequency) by value?added products (e.g., canned
goods, pickles, jams and jellies), eggs, grains (especially local grains), prepared foods, and wine,
beer and hard cider.
18
21
26
39
51
53
66
68
83
87
92
93
93
100
100
0 20 40 60 80 100
Grains/flours
Other*
Wine/hard cider
Coffee
Fish and/or seafood
Cheese, milk, or other dairy products
Meat
Eggs
Prepared foods
Processed food products
Plants, plant starts, nursery
Cut flowers
Baked goods
Fruit
Vegetables
Percentage of Farmers Markets that Offered Product
N ranges from 86 to 90
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
13
Overall, Washington markets were found to be quite diverse in terms of their vendor
characteristics, their vendor mix, and the types of products sold. However, some common
themes emerged: most markets had a mix of farmer vendors and other types of vendors, under
half of markets allowed reselling, and 82% of markets had vendors who were either immigrants
or minorities. When all markets were combined, farmer vendors were the most common type
of vendor, although this was not necessarily true for individual markets. More than half (58%)
of the markets prioritized vendors with products from within a specific geographic area. Only a
minority of respondents said their markets prioritized vendors with organic products. Lastly,
fruits and vegetables were present at all markets, followed closely by cut flowers and baked
goods. Other items, such as eggs, meats, dairy products, and grains, were not available at all
markets.
? Farmers Market Sales, Customers and Business
Development
This section examines the total, annual farmers market sales, market shoppers, market
competition, and the role of farmers markets in incubating new businesses. We also explore the
impact of the recent economic downturn on farmers markets and use of new point of sale
(POS) technologies to accept credit and/or debit cards at farmers markets.
FARMERS MARKET SALES
Farmers market sales are the total of all purchases that shoppers make from vendors. Farmers
market organizers often collect sales data from vendors and use them as a measure of the
market’s economic impact and overall performance. However, there is no standardized method
for collecting or tracking vendor sales. Independent farmers market organizations have a range
of philosophies and practices regarding the collection of sales data. Likewise, vendors have
varying opinions and practices regarding sharing sales data. And, as vendors are independent
businesses, their revenue amounts are proprietary information. As a result market sales data
are based on figures informally reported by vendors to managers or estimated by managers.
Further, because vendors have many disincentives to sharing the full value of their sales, the
figures reported may not reflect the actual extent of a farmers market’s sales. This is an
important consideration when doing research on farmers markets.
Just over 70% of the market representatives who responded to our survey were able or willing
to provide their market’s vendor sales data.
8
Among the 88 unique farmers market locations
that reported their total sales for the 2009 season in our survey, the average was $347,941
(Table 9). The median was $137,773. The total sales reported per market ranged widely from
$1,000 to $5,000,000. The combined farmers market sales for the 88 responding markets were
$30,618,836 (Table 9). The sales of the top ten markets alone account for 58% of this total;
these top ten markets were located in five different counties.
8
A recent USDA Food and Nutrition Services study found that nationally only 20% of farmers markets require
producers to report sales (Dixit?Joshi, et al. 2013, 29). The fact that so many Washington State farmers markets
collect sales data is a significant asset to research on direct marketing.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
14
Figure 10 further shows the unbalanced distribution of sales by market. Table 10 and Figure 11
show the distribution of markets by grouping sales into categories. Table 11 includes the
average, median and range of sales relative to market size. Despite the economic downturn in
2009, over half (52%) of farmers markets reported that their total market sales were higher in
comparison with the past five years (Table 12).
Vendor sales data for Pike Place Market’s daystalls is not included in Table 9, Table 10 and Table
11, Figure 10, and Figure 11. In accordance with the Licata?Hildt Agreement, sales data cannot
be collected from farmer or crafter daystalls.
Table 9. Total Annual Market Sales per Farmers Market
Sales per Market Amount ($)
Average 347,941
Median 137,773
Mode 25,000
Minimum 1,000
Maximum 5,000,000
Total for all Farmers Markets that
responded to survey (N =88)
30,618,836
Figure 10. Distribution of Farmers Market Sales by Market
$0
$500,000
$1,000,000
$1,500,000
$2,000,000
$2,500,000
$3,000,000
$3,500,000
$4,000,000
$4,500,000
$5,000,000
M
a
r
k
e
t
S
a
l
e
s
Farmers Markets
N = 88
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
15
Table 10. Farmers Markets by Total Annual Market Sales*
Sales Category
Number of
Markets
Percentage
$5,000 or less 3 3
$5,001 to $25,000 13 15
$25,001 to $100,000 23 26
$100,001 to $250,000 18 20
$250,001 to $500,000 17 19
Over $500,000 14 16
Total 88 100
*Data includes all market days per unique farmers market location.
Figure 11. Farmers Markets by Total Annual Sales
Table 11. Total Annual Sales per Farmers Market by Market Size
Market Size,
by number of vendors
on a typical day
Average Total
Sales ($)
Median Total;
Sales ($)
Range of Sales ($) N
Very small (10 or less) 14,911 9,750 1,000 to 41,831 10
Small (11 - 30) 93,335 61,126 11,966 to 313,960 42
Medium (31 - 50) 390,397 328,379 109,649 to 1,319,090 25
Large (51 - 100) 1,233,304 612,686 295,000 to 3,028,249 7
Very large (Over 100) 2,039,158 1,224,788 707,057 to 5,000,000 4
3%
15%
26%
20%
19%
16%
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
$5,000 or less $5,001 to
25,000
$25,001 to
100,000
$100,001 to
250,000
$250,001 to
500,000
Over $500,000
N
u
m
b
e
r
o
f
M
a
r
k
e
t
s
Market Sales
N = 88
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
16
Table 12. Average Farmer Vendor Sales Compared to Past Five Years
Compared with the past five years, would
you say your average farmer vendor sales
in 2009 were lower, the same, or higher?
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Lower sales 18 15
Same sales 18 15
Higher sales 62 52
Don’t know or not applicable 22 18
Total 99 100
CREDIT AND DEBIT CARD SALES
In the 2009 market season, farmers markets were experimenting with offering credit and debit
card purchasing options as a way to increase their sales. At that time, we found that thirty?one
percent of farmers markets reported that they were equipped to accept credit and/or debit
cards. For these markets, as shown in Table 13, the reported impact on market sales ranged
from small increases in sales (42%) to large increases in sales (35%).
Since the survey period, there has been significant growth in this arena. Wireless Point?of?Sales
technology and smartphone apps offer new ways for farmers markets (and vendors) to accept
credit and debit cards. According to the latest information available from the WSFMA, 53% of
its member markets accepted credit and/or debit cards in 2012 (Donovan 2013).
Table 13. Impact of Accepting Credit and/or Debit Cards on Farmers Market Sales
How has accepting credit/debit affected market sales?
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Decrease in sales 0 0
No increase in sales 1 4
Small increase in sales 11 42
Moderate increase in sales 5 19
Large increase in sales 9 35
Total 26 100
MARKET SHOPPERS
Promoting the market and attracting shoppers is a core function of farmers market
organizations. Without shoppers, it is difficult to recruit vendors. (And, likewise, without
vendors it is difficult to attract shoppers.) We asked respondents to estimate the number of
shoppers at their market on a typical market day during the summer season (Table 14) and for
the full season (Table 15). Some markets had systematic ways of estimating shoppers through
periodic counts, while other market estimates were more informal. Note that in all cases the
number of shoppers refers to “shopper visits” and not unique, individual shoppers.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
17
Table 14. Shoppers on Typical Market Day in Summer Season
Shoppers Visits per Market
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Under 1,000 64 59
1,001 to 2,500 29 27
2,501 to 5,000 10 9
Over 5,000 5 5
Total 108 100
Table 15. Total Shoppers Visits for the 2009 Season
Shopper Visits per Market
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Under 2,500 19 20
2,501 to 5,000 10 11
5,001 to 10,000 11 12
10,001 to 25,000 22 23
25,001 to 50,000 16 17
50,001 to 100,000 7 7
Over 100,000 10 11
Total 95 100
The total number of reported shopper visits at farmers markets for the 2009 season is
7,953,852 ?? more than the population of the entire state. This number excludes Pike Place
Market, a unique kind of market,
9
which estimated 2.5 million shopper visits to their farmers
and crafters for the year. If Pike Place Market is included, then the total number of shopper
visits to farmers markets in 2009 rises to 10,453,852.
PERCEIVED COMPETITION FROM OTHER OUTLETS
To try to understand the nature of competition faced by farmers markets, our survey asked
respondents to consider the impact of other types of retail outlets on their farmers market
sales (Table 16). Perceptions about the sources of competition were mixed. In general, the
most significant competition for sales was viewed as coming from other farmers markets and
supermarkets or supercenters. In contrast, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA),
community or home gardens, and food co?ops/natural food stores were seen as enhancing
more than hurting farmers market sales.
9
Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle is the oldest farmers market in Washington and one of the largest tourist
attractions in the Pacific Northwest. This is a permanent, indoor market that is open 7 days a week, 362 days a
year, as part of a larger historic Public Market Center that includes restaurant, retail and service businesses. Within
Pike Place Market, they operate a distinct, seasonal “farmer?only” street market on the cobblestones that we
treated as a separate market.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
18
Table 16. Perceived Impact of Other Retail Outlets on Farmers Market Sales
Retail Outlet
Hurts sales
(%)
No impact
on sales (%)
Helps sales
(%)
N
Other farmers markets 28 46 20 96
Supermarkets or supercenters 23 70 6 94
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) 19 45 36 94
Farm stands or U-pick operations 18 69 13 94
Food co-ops or natural food stores 14 58 28 96
Community or home gardens 13 56 31 93
VENDOR BUSINESS INCUBATION
Beyond the direct impacts of vendor sales, another potential economic impact of farmers
markets is their role in incubating new businesses (Gillespie, et al. 2007). Eighty?two percent of
survey respondents affirmed that their market vendors had developed or expanded their food,
farm, craft product, or business beyond the farmers market within the past three years.
When asked to specify the ways their markets had helped to expand or incubate vendor
businesses, the most common responses provided were: opening a “brick and mortar”
storefront, opening a restaurant, or starting a farm stand. These were followed in frequency by
selling online; selling to grocery stores, co?ops, restaurants, or wholesale distributors; and
starting a CSA.
Excerpts from the comments provided by respondents are illustrative of the specific kinds of
business development trajectories that have been catalyzed from selling at farmers markets:
I have an orchardist who ... expanded his number of varieties of tree fruit. Some food processors
opened their own restaurants after they had set up for several years at the farmers market ... I had a
pasta maker who … converted his garage into a commercial kitchen and just last year bought a
restaurant … There was a potter … who started with us less than a year ago in the winter. He was so
well received that he started his own business on eBay.
[A soup vendor] uses local ingredients and now they have two storefronts … [A] restaurant opened a
second location based on popularity from the … market. Two farmers have expanded into a processing
kitchen on their farm to sell longer into the season after the main growing season … A goat cheese
vendor has outgrown our markets except for occasional visits. They boosted their retail sales so much
they don't have enough product for the market. [One farmer] doubled their CSA business based on
contacts made at the market.
Mostly farmers have started CSA boxes and started delivering directly to their customers. Also local
restaurants are buying some of their vegetables, not just at the farmers market, but during the rest of
the year. And there are some Internet businesses that have happened, and some of the craft people
have been able to commission some of their crafts into the gift stores, etc. Some of the craft people
and also some farmers have started some Internet sites and businesses.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
19
In summarizing the findings, total market sales for 2009 varied dramatically among farmers
markets. At the extremes, there were 14 farmers markets reporting annual sales over $500,000
and nearly 20 with annual sales under $25,000. Average annual sales among farmers markets
surveyed were $347,941 and the median was $137,773. Washington State farmers markets
were a huge draw for shoppers with several markets drawing over 5,000 shoppers on a typical
market day. Most farmers markets that had developed the capacity to accept credit and/or
debit cards saw at least some increase in sales. When asked about their sources of competition,
respondents most readily identified other farmers markets and supermarkets, while CSAs and
food co?ops/natural food stores enhanced sales. Finally, farmers markets were reported to be
valuable incubators of vendors’ businesses.
? Organizational Structure of Farmers Markets
This section examines the ways farmers market organizations are incorporated, their
organizational management tools and strategies, organizational revenue and expenses, and
issues associated with market siting or location. These questions are particularly of interest in
terms of determining what program and policy support is needed to sustain farmers markets
(Stephenson 2008) and what models seem to work best in particular communities and contexts.
ORGANIZATIONAL INCORPORATION OF FARMERS MARKETS
Tables 17?19 document the various ways that farmers markets are incorporated. Most markets
(74%) were formally organized as a non?profit or as a project of another non?profit. Among
non?profits, 44% were incorporated with the State of Washington and 50% had a federally tax?
exempt 501c status (primarily 501c3). Fourteen percent of markets were incorporated as a
business or operated as a project of another business. Among the markets that were
incorporated as businesses, most (40%) were sole proprietorships. Lastly, 9% of markets were
operated as a project or department of a government entity. The later may include being run by
a City, a department such as Parks and Recreation, or having the market incorporated as a
Public Development Authority.
Table 17. Organizational Incorporation of Farmers Markets
Organizational Incorporation
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Non-profit 69 57
Project of a non-profit 20 17
Business 15 12
Project of a business 2 2
Project of government department or agency 11 9
Other 4 3
Total
121 100
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
20
Table 18. Types of Non?Profit Incorporation among Farmers Markets
Types of Non-Profit Organizations
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Incorporated in the State of Washington only
31 44
Federal 501(c)3
24 34
Federal with another 501(c) tax status (e.g., 501c4 or 501c6)
11 16
Other non-profit
4 6
Total
70 100
Table 19. Types of Business Incorporation among Farmers Markets
Types of Businesses
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Sole proprietorship 6 40
S-corporation 3 20
LLC 3 20
Other 3 20
Total 15 100
ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT TOOLS
A market’s organizational structure and use of management tools vary in accordance with the
markets’ needs and size (Stephenson 2008). In our survey results, over 95% of markets said
they had vendor rules and guidelines and 75% had market by?laws (Table 20). Almost two?
thirds of farmers markets had a board of directors. The vast majority (72%) of farmers markets
with a board of directors were non?profit organizations or projects of non?profit organizations.
However, over a quarter (26%) of markets that were incorporated as businesses or projects of
businesses or run by a government entity also had boards of directors.
Table 20. Organizational Tools Used by Farmers Markets
Organizational Tool
Percentage of
Markets that are
Using Tool
N
Vendor rules/guidelines/policies or a vendor handbook 95 92
Vendor application form 93 92
Vendor sales report form 76 92
Market by-laws 75 91
Board of Directors 64 92
Professional accountant/bookkeeper 58 89
Market vendor memberships 47 89
Business plan 35 83
Strategic plan 30 82
Community memberships 27 86
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
21
SINGLE-MARKET AND MULTI-MARKET ORGANIZATIONS
Nearly two?thirds (65%) of farmers markets in Washington are managed by “single?market”
entities, meaning that the organizing non?profit, business or government?affiliated program
manages just that one market. Over one?third (35%) of farmers markets are managed by one of
fourteen “multi?market organizations.” These organizations managed from two to seven unique
farmers market locations.
FARMERS MARKETS’ ORGANIZATIONAL REVENUE
In contrast to the market or vendor sales, “organizational revenue” refers to the operating
funds that the market organizers raise for its management, administrative functions, and any
additional programming it might provide to vendors or the community. Markets raise operating
revenue through a variety of means, usually including sources listed in Figure 12. The amount of
organizational revenue reported by farmers markets in this study ranged widely, from under
$1,000 (4%) to over $100,000 (9%) (Table 21). Just under a third (31%) were in the $5,001 to
$25,000 category and just over a third were in the $25,001 to $100,000 range. The average
reported revenue per market was $48,342 and the median was $15,255. Table 22 breaks the
market revenue down by the most important sources. Fees from vendors, such as stall,
application, and membership fees, were by far the most common means of raising market
revenue. Markets also successfully secured a variety of grants, donations, sponsorships, and in?
kind support. Table 23 shows that 75% of markets were supported by volunteers.
Figure 12. Typical Farmers Market Revenue and Expenses
Table 21. Organizational Revenue per Farmers Market Location
Revenue category
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Under $1,000 3 4
$1,000 to $5,000 16 22
$5,001 to $25,000 23 31
$25,001 to $100,000 25 34
Over $100,000 7 9
Total 74 100
Revenue
Stall, membership and service fees from
vendors
Sponsorships
Fundraising events and other donations
Grants
Expenses
Staffing and professional services
Market promotions
Rents, utilities and equipment
Permits, licensing
Insurance
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
22
Table 22. Sources of Farmers Market Revenue by Highest Dollar Value
Source of Revenue
First
Highest
Second
Highest
Third
Highest
Vendor stall fees, market application or
membership fees
59 6 0
Grants 2 18 6
Donations 2 4 12
Sponsorships 1 11 4
Other* 2 7 5
N =66
* “Other” included market merchandising, fundraising events, additional vendors services and equipment rental.
Table 23. Additional Sources of Support for Farmers Markets
Source of Support Received
Percentage of Markets
that Received Support
Volunteer labor 75
Reduced or free rent 63
Other grants 41
Reduced or free advertising 37
Reduced permit cost from local government 22
Hotel/motel tax grants 10
Other 5
N ranges from 81 to 85
VENDOR FEES
As the farmers markets’ primary “customer,” vendors pay for booth space and other services
(e.g. market promotion, token programs, security). We investigated the different ways that
markets collected fees from vendors and to what degree this revenue was sufficient to cover all
of the costs of doing business for the farmers market. We also looked at the ways market
organizations were garnering the additional financial and in?kind resources needed to operate.
Table 24. Vendor Stall, Application/Membership Fees as Percentage of Farmers Market
Revenue
Percentage of Market Revenue from Vendor Stall
Fees, Market Application or Membership Fee
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Under 25% 4 6
26 to 50% 8 12
51 to 75% 15 22
76 to 99% 24 35
100% 18 25
Total 69 100
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
23
Table 25. Methods Farmers Markets Use to Charge Vendors for Stall Space
Methods of Charging*
Percentage of
Markets Using
Method
Flat rate fee 87
Membership or application fee 40
Percent of sales 38
Did not charge vendors 3
Other 3
N’s range from 119 to 123
* Respondents could check more than one method.
Table 26. Combinations of Vendor Charges at Farmers Markets
Vendor Fee
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Flat fee 30 27
Flat fee (variable) 14 13
Flat fee and percentage of sales 4 4
Flat fee or percentage of sales 10 9
Flat or flat variable fee plus application, membership,
registration, or other one-time market fee
27 24
Percentage of sales plus application or membership fee 8 7
Combination of flat fee and/or percentage of sales and/or
membership fee
19 17
Total 112 100
Approximately 42% of markets charged vendors an annual membership, application,
registration, permit or other one?time market fee. These fees ranged from $10 to $100 and the
average amount charged was $32.00.
FARMERS MARKETS’ ORGANIZATIONAL EXPENSES
The variety and amount of expenses incurred by organizations operating a farmers market in
Washington State are often difficult to recognize and quantify (Figure 12). The total expenses
reported on our survey for each market were highly varied, from under $1,000 (11%) to over
$100,000 (9%)(Table 27). On average, Washington markets had operating expenses of $44,837
and the median was $10,812.
The most significant operating expense for most markets was personnel, followed by marketing
and promotion (Table 28). Table 29 examines personnel and staff expenses as a proportion of
each market’s total expenses. We found that a quarter of the markets’ personnel was zero
percent of their budget, implying that they had no paid staff. For another 37% of markets, these
costs only constituted 50% or less of their operating expenses. For the remaining 37% of
markets, personnel and staff costs were more than 50% of their expense budget. The variation
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
24
in funding spent on marketing, promotion and special events was striking, with 32% spending
less than $1,000 a year, while 13% spent $10,000 or more annually (Table 30). Four percent of
markets had annual marketing budgets over $25,000.
Table 27. Organizational Expenses per Farmers Market Location
Revenue category
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Under $1,000 9 11
$1,000 to $5,000 19 24
$5,001 to $25,000 27 34
$25,001 to $100,000 17 22
Over $100,000 7 9
Total 79 100
Table 28. Farmers Market Expenses by Highest Dollar Value
Expenses
First
Highest
Second
Highest
Third
Highest
Personnel/staff
38 11 2
Marketing, promotion, special events
17 33 10
Rent, permits/licensing, insurance
8 12 12
Equipment
2 4 6
Office, software, postage
2 1 13
Fee to fiscal sponsor
0 0 3
Other*
4 3 13
Total
71 64 59
* The most common “other” expenses were music at the market and professional services.
Table 29. Personnel/Staff Expenses as Percentage of Total Expenses
Amount
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Zero*
19 25
1 to 25%
7 9
26 to 50%
21 28
51 to 75%
24 32
76 to 99%
4 5
Total
75 100
* Zero implies that there were no paid staff.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
25
Table 30. Marketing, Promotion and Special Event Expenses Per Market
Amount
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Zero 4 5
$1 to $1,000 20 27
$1,001 to $5,000 32 43
$5,001 to $10,000 9 12
$10,001 to $25,000 7 9
Over $25,000 3 4
Total 75 100
BALANCE OF FARMERS MARKET REVENUE AND EXPENSES
This section examines the balance of operating revenues and expenses among Washington
farmers markets, an important aspect of long?term financial stability. Table 31 shows that,
according to the numbers reported on the survey, the majority (79%) of markets were breaking
even or coming out ahead with their revenue generated relative to their costs. However, fifteen
markets (21%) appeared to have insufficient revenue to cover their expenses. When asked
about the long?term economic sustainability of their markets in a different question, 86% of
respondents were positive, 3% answered negatively and 11% were uncertain (Table 32).
Table 31. Difference between Reported Farmers Market Revenue and Expenses
Balance
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Negative number (in the red) 15 21
Even (break-even) 3 4
Positive (in the black) 53 75
Total 71 100
Table 32. Future Economic Outlook for Farmers Markets
Do you think your market will be able to
economically sustain itself over the next 5 years?
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Yes 84 86
No 3 3
Don't know 11 11
Total 98 100
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FARMERS MARKET SALES AND REVENUE
There is often an assumption that farmers markets with greater vendor sales will also have
greater revenue for their operational budget. Given the variety of ways that markets charge
vendors for stall space, membership and other services, it is important to look more closely at
this assumption. For the 63 markets that reported both revenue and total sales on our survey,
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
26
their total market revenue, on average, was 14% of their reported sales. Figure 13 shows a
linear relationship between increasing sales and the organizational revenue generated for the
market. However, for each individual market, there is a great deal of variation in the proportion
of revenue generated relative to sales. Markets with similar amounts of sales may differ
substantially in the amount of revenue available to meet operating expenses.
Figure 13. Farmers Market Revenue relative to Total Vendor Sales
FARMERS MARKET SITES
Information was gathered on the kinds of sites used by farmers markets, ranging from parking
lots and streets to public parks, churches, and other privately owned properties. We also asked
about who owned the site, the costs to use the site, the permitting and regulations
encountered, and the long?term security or permanence of the site. Table 33 shows that the
most common types of locations were parking lots (39%), streets (22%), and parks (16%).
Correspondingly, two?thirds of sites were owned by government entities (Figure 14).
Table 33. Types of Farmers Market Sites
Type of Market Site
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Parking lot 36 39
Street 20 22
Park 15 16
Plaza 7 8
Other* 15 16
Total 93 100
* “Other” included farms, permanent structures, schools and vacant lots.
$0
$50,000
$100,000
$150,000
$200,000
$250,000
$300,000
$0 $500,000 $1,000,000 $1,500,000 $2,000,000 $2,500,000 $3,000,000 $3,500,000
M
a
r
k
e
t
R
e
v
e
n
u
e
Vendor Sales
N = 63
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
27
Figure 14. Owners of Farmers Market Sites
Perhaps indicative of the frequent reliance on publicly owned sites, 71% of markets reported
that they paid no rent.
10
Of the markets that did pay rent, 48% paid by year with rents ranging
from $50 to $100,000 (Table 34). While many markets were not charged rent, 60% of markets
were required to get a combination of permits, fees and licenses (Table 35), including a right of
way permit, farmers market right of way use permit, event permit, street closure permit, parks
department permit, fire department permit, general business license and city?specific business
license. In addition, markets described needing to secure approval or a written agreement from
a range of agencies including the board of a Park District, City Council/Town Council for either
the market site and/or use of a parking lot.
The long?term availability of the market site was reported as poor by only 13% of respondents
(Table 36). However, over two?thirds (68%) of farmers markets that were 10 or more years old
have had to move at least once. On average, markets 10 years or older had moved 2.2 times.
This includes one market that moved nine times (Table 37). The farmers market location was
also mentioned in market goals (Table 38) and challenges (Table 41).
Table 34. Rent Paid for Farmers Market Site
Payment term Average ($) Minimum ($) Maximum ($)
Week 138 15 350
Month 500 500 500
Season 582 25 2,000
Year 10,080 50 100,000
N =25
10
This includes one market that reported paying $1.00 per year for rent.
13%
66%
18%
3%
Church, school, or community organization
City, County or other government
Private enterprise
Individual
N = 93
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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Table 35. Terms, Conditions or Permits Required to Use Farmers Market Site
What were the terms/conditions or permits required to use your market
site in 2009?
Key Themes
Percentage
of Markets
Permits, fees and licenses required by the County, Health Department and/or City 60
The market had to provide proof of liability insurance 18
Markets were required to pick up litter, garbage 10
N =78
Some respondents described multiple terms/conditions or required permits.
Table 36. Long?Term Availability of Farmers Market Site
Site Characteristic
Poor
1 2 3 4
Excellent
5
Long-term availability of
farmers market site
9% 4% 12% 19% 55%
N =89
Table 37. Number of Times Farmers Markets 10 years or Older Changed Location
Number of times farmers market changed location
(for markets 10 years or older)
Number of
Markets
Percentage
0 10 32
1 5 16
2 to 4 10 32
5 or more 6 19
Total 31 100
LONG-TERM GOALS AND CHALLENGES FACING THE MARKET ORGANIZATION
This section examines the responses of the market representatives to a set of questions that
asked about their market’s long?term goals and their most significant challenges. When asked
about their long?term aspirations in an open?ended question, market representatives expressed
a wide variety of goals and a strong sense of service.
The most frequent themes, as listed in Table 38 below, included organizational development
goals that would enhance financial and personnel management; improve vendor recruitment,
quality, and sales; and increase community engagement with the market. Other goals centered
on improving sales through attracting and educating customers. Goals to improve the market
location were also significant for some respondents. Only three respondents said they did not
have any long?term goals.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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Table 38. Long?Term Goals of Farmers Markets
What is your long-term goal for your market?
Key Themes
Percentage
of Markets
Market stability and growth Goals included making the market self-
sustaining financially, paying the manager more, growing the market, and
keeping the market going.
53
Community. Goals included increasing community participation in the market
and reaching out to non-profits, schools, local businesses, and city officials.
Other goals focused on educating the community to eat locally, shop locally,
and increase their knowledge of food and farming. Being a “community hub”
and contributing economically were also noted.
42
Vendors and products. Goals included increasing sales, especially for
farmers, expanding the market’s vendor base, and improving the product mix
and quality.
41
Customers. The predominant goal was to increase the number of market
customers, and to get more of the community to shop at the market.
32
Market location. The predominant goals were to get a permanent location or
larger space for the market.
17
N =98
Some respondents described multiple goals.
The following quotes taken from the open?ended responses to the above question about long?
term market goals offer additional insights and details. On the theme of market stability and
growth, financial sustainability was mentioned repeatedly. For example, one respondent
explained that the goal for their market was to “increase market size to the point where there
is a full?time person that runs it with a professionalism that really keeps it going” and another
hoped their market would “stay a viable business within the area.” One respondent linked
market sustainability to policy:
I want to see markets be sustainable on their own. Now the big markets are subsidizing the small ones.
I want public policy to truly, truly provide support. Nationwide, it's only a small percentage (of
markets) that are self?sustaining. Most rely on grants, funding, volunteer hours. It's a house of cards.
Other stability and growth?related goals focused on larger food security needs with dreams
such as to “keep building until we get a supermarket out here.”
On the theme of community goals, many respondents expressed a strong commitment to
improving life in their community through the market stating that they wanted to “continue
serving our neighbors and community with healthy food” or “provide fresh produce to the
public and make it more accessible.” Others also noted goals to maintain a “relationship with
the city and downtown core businesses” and make connections with the schools:
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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My long?term goal is to build the connections and market partnerships with schools and other
community groups … to partner with many different schools, not just high schools but middle schools
and elementary schools to provide or assist in developing interconnections with the farmers market
and our vendors.
In terms of vendor?related goals, some respondents stated simply that they wanted “continued
success for farmers” or for “sales to farmers to go up.” Another respondent wanted to “support
farmers anyway that I can” and saw “having space for them as a way to help them
economically.” Other comments were centered on attracting more farmer vendors with high
quality products to their market. Examples of such goals were:
To increase the quality … keep searching for quality vendors. I want more farm products, cheese, wine.
I want it to be real. I want to keep it true and authentic. If there is bread, I want the wheat from WA. I
want WA products to be sold and represented at our market.
To keep operating and to encourage farms to participate. Our local farmers are attracted to the Seattle
markets where they make more money rather than support their local rural market.
Goals related to attracting more customers recognized that farmers market shoppers currently
constitute only a very small fraction of overall food consumers. As one market representative
stated, “there are a whole lot—90% or more—of eaters to get to.” Respondents had goals for
consumer education in order to expand their base of informed and regular shoppers. Some saw
the growing awareness of farmers markets as an opportunity:
I want people to see farmers markets as the best possible option for shopping for fresh and local food.
People don't know the difference between green beans, purple beans, wax beans. One woman came
up to me and asked for bananas. People need to know what is able to be grown here and what is not.
So basically—know food, know environment, maintain numbers and community. Food 101.
Good nutrition, information about farms and farming. Education about what it is. To get food out and
get people to understand the benefits of local food products.
My gut feeling is that we've got a strong farmers market movement in the country. There's a high
consciousness around it. I just read in Parade (weekly news) about some celebrities—"What do you do
on a Saturday morning? Well, the whole family goes down to the farmers market."
When survey participants were asked about the challenges facing their markets, several issues
rose to the top, ranging from regulatory barriers to the difficulties of attracting sufficient
numbers of shoppers and the desired types of vendors. Over half (54%) of market
representatives indicated that they faced regulatory barriers (Table 39). Most (70%) of these
respondents described challenges with their county health department and 39% listed
regulatory challenges with specific products sold at their market. The lack of commercial
kitchens and processing infrastructure were also identified as regulatory barriers (Table 40).
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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Table 39. Farmers Markets Facing Regulatory Barriers
Are you facing any regulatory barriers (such as health
regulations, permits, etc.) related to products sold (or
products you would like to sell) at your market?
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Yes 46 54
No 35 41
Not applicable 4 5
Total 85 100
Table 40. Regulatory Barriers Described by Farmers Markets
Description of Regulatory Barriers
Key Themes
Percentage
Local health department policies, inspection practices and permit fees. 70
Regulations around specific products being sold at farmers markets. 39
Lack of available commercial kitchens or other food processing infrastructure. 11
N =46
Some respondents described regulatory barriers.
When asked about challenges more broadly, most market representatives commented on the
challenges associated with attracting more shoppers and the right quality and mix of vendors
(Table 41). The market location was the third most common challenge described by
respondents (Table 41). Other challenges described by managers included challenges with
being able to effectively advertise with limited budgets, overall funding constraints, working
with the city government, staffing, managing a new market, managing market growth,
competition from other markets, market location, and the weather.
Table 41. Challenges Facing Farmers Markets
What has been the most significant challenge for your market?
Key Themes
Percentage
of Markets
Shoppers. Attracting more market customers and getting them to buy more
from vendors
30
Vendors. Recruiting or attracting vendors to the market, especially farmers,
and getting the right mix of vendors.
27
Location. Having to move the market and other location challenges such as
construction, parking, and finding a permanent site.
21
N =89
Some respondents described multiple challenges.
In reviewing the top market goals and challenges provided by survey respondents, several
recurrent themes were interrelated. Most notable were the goals and challenges associated
with attracting more shoppers and the right kinds of vendors, as well as the related
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
32
management goals of strong vendor sales and financial sustainability for the market. Other
significant challenges were regulatory and permitting requirements and location or site issues.
To summarize, three?fourths of all markets were formally organized as non?profits or under
non?profits, while the rest were organized as private businesses or under government entities.
Local sources such as fees from vendors were the most common source of market revenue,
with additional support provided by volunteerism, reduced or free rent, and grants. The
revenue generated per market varied widely, from under $1,000 to over $100,000. While
average market revenue was $48,342, the median was only $15,255, indicating that many
markets were subsisting on extremely low budgets. Revenue generally increased in relationship
to market sales, however, markets with similar sales sometimes captured vastly differing
amounts of revenue. This was especially evident among markets with lower sales. Staffing and
marketing were the largest expenses reported. Over 86% of markets were positive about their
market’s five?year economic outlook, while 14% were uncertain. Long?term goals and
challenges included organizational development, attracting vendors and shoppers, and
addressing regulatory and siting issues.
? Community and Environmental Dynamics
The business model of a farmers market is without an easy analogy. On the one hand they are
centered around commerce on behalf of a collection of vendors. This sometimes leads farmers
markets to be compared to “shopping malls”; as both farmers markets and shopping malls
aggregate independent businesses in one physical location. However, this analogy does not
account for market seasonality and the variability of vendors. Likewise, and perhaps more
crucially, the shopping mall analogy fails to account for critical dynamics such as the social
mission, volunteer commitment, and community and environmental goals of many market
organizations.
Our study looked broadly at the nature of the interactions between farmers markets and their
surrounding communities. We also wanted to examine the extent to which market
organizations had developed specific goals or missions related to community development,
community food access, social justice and environmental sustainability.
FARMERS MARKET MISSION
We asked respondents about the primary motivation for starting their farmers market. Thirty?
six percent selected “to support farmers” (Table 42). The next most frequently selected
motivations were “to improve community access to fresh farm produce” (24%) and “to improve
community access to healthy foods” (9%). Taken together, improving community access to
fresh and healthy foods constituted a third of the responses.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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Table 42. Primary Motivation for Starting Farmers Market
Primary Motivation
Number of
Markets
Percentage
To support farmers 32 36
To improve community access to fresh farm produce 22 24
To improve community access to healthy foods 8 9
To create a fun community event 7 8
To promote economic development 5 4
To help local business district 2 2
To support/incubate small businesses 1 1
Other* 14 15
Total 90 100
* The most frequent “other” was a combination of motivations.
SERVING LOW-INCOME SHOPPERS
The importance of serving low?income community members emerged as a strong value of many
market organizations. Nearly one?half (48%) of respondents believed “serving low?income
community members” was “very important” to their market mission, while only 2% believed
this was “not important” (Table 43). Up to 88% of farmers markets developed strategies for
serving low?income community members, with common practices such as working with the
Federal Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) to accept checks from the “Women, Infant,
and Children” (WIC FMNP) and low?income Senior FMNP programs, arranging transportation,
and donating produce (Table 44).
Forty?five percent of markets said they had Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card readers to
accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits (formerly food stamps). Of
these markets, 81% said that having the EBT card readers had increased their sales by a small
amount (Table 45). Of the 46 markets that provided an estimate, an average of just over 4,000
pounds of produce per market was donated to food banks and other assistance programs
(Table 46). This data does not account for other food products that may be donated such as
bread, dairy and eggs.
Table 43. Importance of Serving Low?Income Community Members
N = 87
Not
Important
1 2 3 4
Very
Important
5
How important was serving low-income
community members to your market
mission in 2009?
2% 7% 18% 24% 48%
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
34
Table 44. Strategies for Serving Low?Income Community Members
Market Strategy Percentage
Market vendors participate in WIC FMNP 88
Market vendors participate in Senior FMNP 88
The market or vendors within the market donate produce to a
food bank, pantry, soup kitchen or shelter
86
Market actively promotes WIC and/or EBT to service providers
and potential customers
78
Market offers EBT card reader for food stamp participants 45
Farmers market is located in or near a low-income neighborhood 32
Market helps arranges transportation to/from the market for
seniors and others
19
N ranges from 95 to 98
Table 45. Impact of Accepting EBT on Farmers Market Sales
No Increase
(%)
Small
Increase (%)
Large
Increase (%)
How has accepting EBT affected market sales? 6 81 14
N =36
Table 46. Estimated Pounds of Produce Donated Annually to Food Banks, Soup Kitchens and
Shelters by Farmers Markets
Pounds of
Produce
Average per farmers market 4,055
Total from all markets 186,548
N =46
The range of annual produce donations per market was from under 100 pounds to over 35,000
pounds. Other strategies used by markets to serve low?income shoppers include cooking and
chef demonstrations emphasizing affordability, providing booth space to service organizations,
providing discounts for seniors and military, providing market bucks or free tokens to increase
purchasing power at the market, cash donations for the food bank, and education around food
production and gardening.
PERCEIVED SHOPPER CHARACTERISTICS
Our survey asked respondents to estimate the percentage of shoppers at their markets that fit
into different income and racial/ethnic categories. Note that these are only estimates based on
the personal observations and perceptions of the survey respondents. While the responses to
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
35
our questions suggest certain patterns, we cannot reach definitive conclusions without further
empirical research that directly and systematically investigates shopper demographics. Based
on the limited information that could be gathered from our survey, it appears that the shoppers
at most Washington farmers markets are perceived to be fairly diverse in terms of
socioeconomic status and less diverse in terms of their racial/ethnic background (Table 47 and
48).
Table 47. Perceived Economic Mix of Shoppers
Markets with at least 25% of shoppers
described economically as:
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Low income 30 39
Upper income 28 37
N =76
Table 48. Perceived Racial/Ethnic Mix of Shoppers
Markets with at least 25% of shoppers
described racially/ethnically as:
Number of
Markets
Percentage
White (not Latino/Hispanic) 76 99
Latino/Hispanic 15 19
Asian or Asian American 2 3
Black or African American 0 0
Native American 0 0
N =77
VOLUNTEERS
Another measure of a farmers market’s connection with their community is the degree of
volunteer support it receives. Nearly three?fourths (73%) of the respondents reported that their
markets had volunteers (Table 49). Among the markets that used volunteers, the average
number of volunteer hours donated annually per market was 338 (Table 49).
Table 49. Volunteer Service at Farmers Markets
Volunteers Hours
Hours
(annual)
Number of
Markets
Average volunteer hours per market 338 56
Total volunteer hours from all farmers
markets that responded to survey
18,947 56
COMMUNITY IMPACTS
When asked an open?ended question about the specific ways in which their farmers markets
impacted their communities, all survey respondents answered in a positive way.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
36
Table 50. How Farmers Markets Benefit Their Communities
In what ways does your farmers market benefit the community?
Key Themes
Percentage
of Markets
Farmers markets bring fresh, healthy, local, organic, quality food/produce (that
is often otherwise unavailable) into the community.
64
Farmers markets create a community gathering place and enhance a sense of
community.
53
Farmers markets support farmers. They provide direct sales to farmers and
other vendors who don’t have brick and mortar storefronts.
45
N =99
Some respondents described multiple benefits.
Other significant themes focused on how farmers markets
? support local or small businesses;
? draw in tourists;
? enable people to buy direct from farmers, connect directly with growers, ask questions,
and build trust and transparency, especially around food safety;
? educate people about local foods and agriculture;
? provide space for non?profit groups; and
? serve low?income people by providing affordable food and access to the FMNP or EBT
programs.
The excerpts below offer a flavor of the extensive responses provided to the question of how
farmers markets impact communities. Although not included in their entirety here, some of the
responses were quite lengthy and many of the respondents reported multiple ways their
markets benefited community members.
It unites communities. We have entertainment for multi?ethnic groups to draw a very diverse crowd
… We create a very convenient access point for local citizens to get fresh, local food. We try to focus
on giving priority to [our] county’s farmers. We incubate new farms and small businesses.
It helps maintain small, self?sufficient farmers in the nearby county and region, food stability, and
helping people earn living wages for their work. That's number 1. Number 2 would be that we are
actively, subtly, and consistently educating urban residents who have been over the years removed
from their connection to their food source … Along with that we provide a delightful, beautiful, and
stimulating family?friendly atmosphere and space to gather, meet friends and enjoy other people in
the community, known and unknown … Number 4—we bring anywhere from ... 8 to 1,000 pairs of
feet into a community area or business area that would not necessarily be coming there regularly
and introduce them to surrounding businesses.
Now we set?up cooking classes on Tuesdays at the high school. People collect food from the market
on Sunday, keep it in the refrigerator Monday, then cook on Tuesday. We've had 20 students, and
chefs coming in, and overall health and education. It's a real kick to connect with schools. I really,
really feel that is our future.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
37
We strive to bring fresh fruits and veggies to the people in the community so they don't have to go
outside the community to get them. Also they are local and better for people because they are fresh.
It has given us a chance to revitalize our city’s identity as a farming community.
Community has really come out to support our market. I've heard from the city council and from
people all over town that this has been the best community project that's happened … in a long, long
time. In 2009 we were invited to the city council and I and three other women were recognized; they
made us citizens of the year. So it's been extraordinarily well received ... Community groups I didn't
know existed came to be a part of it … We get 2,000 shoppers per day and people stay for quite a
while. We have all sorts of activities for all sorts of people groups. Local businesses are supported.
Everywhere I go people are saying "When's the market going to open?"
Last year we had over 35 unique vendors and out of them there are 10–12 where that's all they do,
so there's the economic impact, which is about half a million dollars. Also we put our producers in
direct contact with consumers, which in my opinion is the best technique to insure the ethical nature
of the farming practices.
[This] is the 4th oldest market in state, it has continuity. [This] is a more ag?based community so it
provides an outlet for established farmers—we have some 300?year old farms that sell—and new
farmers. It's the hub of the community every Saturday. It's located on a public green by the post
office, so people come downtown.
We do a lot of surveys and we've learned the farmers market shopper base is made of people who
want diversity and quality products. They also want to buy directly from a farmer. They also support
the local economy—they've made a conscious decision to do this. They love the sense of community
at farmers markets. They also care about the safety of the food and have made a conscious choice to
come to the farmers market because they trust farmers; there is a level of transparency … we have
worked with our farmers for so many years—I've seen the number increase 5 or 6 fold. Farmers are
making maximum profit by selling directly to customers.
We give small farms access to shoppers. We give shoppers access to local food. It's a community
gathering place and a tourist activity. It's another reason to shop downtown. The shops downtown
enjoy having us.
We are a community gathering place, a free weekly community event, centered around healthy food
and making connections.
Well, the customers get local food. Then local people get jobs. We have farmers and crafters. The
whole thing is geared toward regular people. There aren't any chains or corporate presence.
As evidenced by these quotes, the farmers market representatives who answered the survey
saw their markets as both an integral part of the fabric of their communities and a tool that
could be used to make those communities stronger.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
38
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
Respondents were questioned about their market’s environmental practices and impacts. Table
51 illustrates that most market organizations have selected locations that are highly accessible
to alternative forms of transportation. Markets did not receive as many high marks for their
waste management programs, with just over half the markets implementing recycling and only
19% practicing composting (Table 52). When we asked an open?ended question about the ways
in which farmers markets help the environment, many of the responses were quite detailed,
indicating that the respondents had given this issue significant prior consideration. The top
three themes that emerged were the environmental benefits of reduced transportation
distances, incentives for good environmental farming practices, and public education about
good environmental practices, including modeling sustainable waste management at the
market (Table 53).
Table 51. Environmentally?friendly Means of Getting to Farmers Markets
Means
Number of Markets
with Good or
Excellent Access
Percentage
with Good or
Excellent Access
Walking 74 82
Bike 83 92
Public Transportation 56 65
N ranges from 86 to 90
Table 52. Recycling and Composting at Farmers Markets
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Recycling 48 53
Composting 17 19
N =90
Table 53. Farmers Markets’ Impacts on the Environment
In what ways does your farmers market help the environment?
Key Themes
Percentage
of Markets
Reducing food miles, shopper miles, fuel consumption and pollution 60
Encouraging environmentally sound and organic farming practices among
farmers
51
Educating the public and modeling sustainable practices, especially around
waste reduction and recycling
40
N =98
Some respondents described multiple ways their market helped the environment.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
39
Other significant themes included the role that farmers markets play in providing markets for
environmentally minded local farmers and shoppers, consumer education about eating
seasonally and locally, reducing the amount of packaging that is used, being located in a site
that is within walking distance, protecting farmland, inspiring gardening, and offering
environmental non?profits space at the market. The following quotes elaborate on these
themes:
We create a lot of environmental awareness, a lot of education and outreach within the market and
portable learning sessions which we take out into the community to schools and civic groups about the
importance of organic and natural farming so they understand how it relates to clean air, clean soil,
clean water. We talk at length about the carbon footprint and about buying local. We encourage local
shopping and our location helps reduce the distance that vendors and shoppers need to travel.
Fifty percent or more are sustainable farmers. All are very conscious of what we can do to help the
environment and educate young people about maintaining the land, farmland in particular, and the
impacts of herbicides and pesticides.
Biggest impact would be our market has implemented a zero waste market. Generated zero garbage.
Educated our community about how easy it is to do this. We have recycling and composting available
at the market. To be accepted vendors must agree any trash they generate must be compostable or
recyclable.
Analysis of respondents’ comments shows that community and environmental goals constitute
strong components of many markets’ organizational missions. Moreover, these goals influence
their practical management practices. The commitment of so many markets to serving low?
income community members was particularly striking, with 88% of markets participating in
federal nutrition assistance programs and 86% making produce donations. The majority of
survey respondents could point to a variety of ways that their markets were making significant
community and environmental contributions.
? Farmers Market Personnel
Farmers market organizations juggle a diverse mix of responsibilities. In addition to the core
functions of providing stall space for vendors and actively promoting the market to attract
shoppers, most farmers market organizations are also responsible for:
• assessing shopper demand for farmers market vendors;
• envisioning and establishing an ideal vendor mix to draw in shoppers, recruit vendors and
guiding vendor policies (application process, rules, etc.);
• determining the market’s niche in terms of seasonality, day of the week, and hours;
• securing a location (and permitting) with adequate parking, public safety, and shopper
accessibility;
• recruiting and supervising a market manager and volunteer labor;
• understanding and meeting all local, state, and federal regulations related to health and
safety, direct sales, and arranging police and fire protection and waste management;
• developing appropriate organizational policies and practices;
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
40
• managing the market’s finances, raising sufficient revenue, securing insurance, and paying
taxes;
• providing public amenities, such as access to bathrooms and seating; and
• creating a festive atmosphere on market day (typically including music and signage) and
organizing events to draw in customers (Stephenson 2008, Ostrom and Lyons 2012).
If a farmers market chooses to participate in food assistance programs such as the Farmers
Market Nutrition Program or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps) then
the market is required to obtain additional permitting, staffing, accounting, program
management, reporting and outreach.
This work is typically accomplished by a combination of paid staff, the market’s owner?
operators, vendors, board members and volunteers. It is usually the farmers market manager
who represents and coordinates everyone at the market. The actual scope of duties, time
demands, and job positions vary greatly among market managers. In our survey, we wanted to
understand the current norms of these positions and the larger picture of farmers market
personnel. The wide diversity of personnel policies among markets, seasonality of markets, and
the tendency to subsidize formal paid manager duties with volunteer duties make this a
challenging and complex task. In addition, high market manager turnover has been associated
with greater risk of farmers market failure (Stephenson 2008).
FARMERS MARKET STAFFING
We asked how many employees a market had based on the four employment categories listed
in Table 54 below. The survey did not define “employee” and the implication is that an
employee is a paid position. We did not specify whether or not to count contract positions.
Also, volunteer positions or owners who function as a manager may or may not have been
counted. Given the wide range of farmers market seasons, we did not define “seasonal.” For
our immediate purposes, “seasonal” is assumed to mean anything less than year?round.
Likewise, “full?time” and “part?time” were not defined in the survey and left to interpretation
by the respondent. The results show that markets employ relatively few full?time, year?round
employees and, instead, rely heavily on part?time and seasonal employees.
Table 54. Total Number of Farmers Market Employees by Status
Employment Status
11
Total
Number of
Employees
Full?time, year?round 29
Part?time, year?round 31
Full?time, seasonal 10
Part?time, seasonal 79
Total (N = 80) 150
11
If the number of employees for a multi?market organization were reported in the aggregate, then an average
was calculated for each market.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
41
Figure 15. Farmers Market Employees by Type
Table 55. Average Year?Round and Seasonal Employees at Farmers Markets
Year?Round
(full?time and
part?time)
Seasonal
(full?time and
part?time)
Average 0.8 1.1
Median 1.0 0.9
N = 80
Table 56. All Employees by Farmers Market Size
Market Size
(number of vendors
on a typical day)
Average Minimum Maximum
Number of
Markets
Very small (10 or less) 0.8 0.0 3.0
12
Small (11 to 30) 1.4 0.0 6.0 36
Medium (31 to 50) 2.5 0.0 9.0 21
Large (51 to 100) 3.3 1.0 7.0 7
Very large (Over 100) 3.3 1.3 5.0 4
FARMERS MARKET MANAGER COMPENSATION
Over three?quarters (78%) of the farmers markets in our survey had one market manager
position filled by one person (Table 57Error! Reference source not found.). However, one in
five markets (22%) had either more than one manager position or had one position shared by
two people, suggesting some flexibility in staffing.
Full?time, year
round
19%
Part?time,
year?round
21%
Full?time,
seasonal
7%
Part?time,
seasonal
53%
N = 80
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
42
Table 57. Types of Farmers Market Manager Positions
Number of
Markets
Percentage
One manager position (filled by one person) 70 78
One shared manager position (filled by two people) 12 13
More than one manager position 8 9
Total 90 100
Overall 65% of all farmers market manager positions were paid. If analyzed by market size, the
percent of paid managers increased with market size (Table 58). Of the unpaid managers, over
90% were at small or very small markets.
If analyzed in relation to the total annual market sales categories, the percent of paid managers
increased with market sales (Table 59). There was also a distinct increase in paid managers at
markets with sales over $100,000 (Table 59); over 91% of unpaid managers were at markets
with sales of $100,000 or less.
If analyzed by how the market was incorporated organizationally, distinct patterns emerge
again. Non?profit farmers markets were more likely to have paid managers; however, if the
market was a project of a non?profit, then managers were less likely to be paid (Table 60). If the
market was incorporated as a business, there was an even split between paid and unpaid
managers. And, finally, if the market was a project of a government agency, 100% of managers
were paid (Table 60).
If analyzed by geographic region, a notably higher percentage of managers in Northwest and
Southwest Washington were paid (Table 61). In the North Central and South Central regions,
well over half of the managers were unpaid (Table 61).
Table 58. Unpaid and Paid Market Managers by Farmers Market Size
Market Size
(number of vendors
on a typical day)
Unpaid
(percentage)
Paid
(percentage)
Number of
Markets
Very small (10 or less) 77 23
22
Small (11 to 30) 41 59
54
Medium (31 to 50) 11 89
28
Large (51 to 100) 9 91
11
Very large (Over 100) 0 100
6
Total 35 65 112
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
43
Table 59. Unpaid and Paid Market Managers by Farmers Market Sales Category
Market Sales Category
Unpaid
(percentage)
Paid
(percentage)
Number of
Markets
$5,000 or less 100 0 4
$5,001 to $25,000 57 43 14
$25,001 to $100,000 39 61 23
$100,001 to $250,000 6 94 18
$250,001 to $500,000 6 94 17
Over $500,000 0 100 14
Total 26 74 90
Table 60. Unpaid and Paid Managers by Type of Organization
Organizational
Incorporation
Unpaid
(percentage)
Paid
(percentage)
Number of
Markets
Non-profit 24 76 68
Project of a non-profit 60 40 20
Business 53 47 15
Project of a business 50 50 2
Project of government
department or agency
0 100 11
Other 100 0 4
Total 35 65 120
Table 61. Unpaid and Paid Market Managers by Region of Washington
Region of Washington
Unpaid
(percentage)
Paid
(percentage)
Number of
Markets
Northwest 18 82 66
Southwest 35 65 17
North Central 64 36 11
South Central 80 20 10
Eastern 56 44 18
Total 35 65 112
The precise amount paid to managers was difficult to ascertain. A complicating factor was that
managers (as well as co?managers and assistant managers) were paid by various terms: by
hour, by week, by month, by season, or by the year. The most common method (41%) was to
pay a manager per hour (Figure 16). The average hourly rate for managers was $16.00 (Table
62).
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
44
Figure 16. Term of Payment for Market Managers
Table 62. Average Wages by Farmers Market Position and Term of Payment
Market Position Hour Week Month Season Year N
Market Manager $ 16 $ 104 $ 775 $ 5,171 $ 19,510 64
Co?manager $ 70 $ 1,250 4
Market Manager, assistant $ 13 $ 500 $ 2,487 $ 2,220 7
Total 78
MARKET MANAGER TURNOVER
Given the demanding roles and responsibilities of farmers market managers in conjunction with
the inconsistent compensation patterns, market manager turnover is a serious concern and risk
factor for market success (Stephenson 2008). Our survey results show that markets reported
having from one to eight managers in a ten year period (1999 to 2009). The overall average for
77 farmers markets was 2.3 managers. There was a dramatic variation in the amount of
manager turnover across markets of the same age, with a significant percentage in each age
category that had the same manager during the same ten year period (Table 63). In contrast, at
the upper end of the spectrum, some of the younger markets have had a new manager every 1?
2 years (Table 63).
Table 63. Number of Farmers Market Managers between 1999 and 2009
Age of Farmers Market Average Minimum Maximum
Percentage
with 1
manager
Number of
Markets
Under 4 years 1.4 1 3 69 26
5 to 9 years 1.9 1 5 47 19
10 to 19 years 3.1 1 7 7 15
20 to 29 years 3.2 1 5 20 5
30 to 39 years 3.6 1 8 25 8
Over 50 years 2 1 3 50 2
Hour
41%
Week
14%
Month
10%
Season
10%
Year
25%
N = 78
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
45
MANAGER REFLECTIONS ON FARMERS MARKETS AND THE ROLE OF A MANAGER
In an open?ended question, we asked managers who responded to the survey to reflect on the
farmers market manager position, staff, and volunteers. The following are examples of
respondents’ comments. Being a farmers market manager appears to be a very demanding
position associated with a range of challenges from juggling multiple competing demands to
low pay to feeling underappreciated by vendors and market organizations.
It is the most stressful and difficult job I have ever had. There are so many organizations, community
members, customers, vendors, etc. to maintain and keep happy. It is a very involved process to
manage a farmers market.
In need of financial support. I really thought, as the market grew in popularity we would receive
financial assistance from our local government.
I believe the amount of work required of market managers is sometimes underestimated and
undervalued and as a result the positions are more often than not underpaid which I think accounts
for high turnover in some areas.
Market managers need to be valued more by their organizations. Living wages need to be paid.
Benefits need to be provided for by the organization.
It's an exciting time to be working in this field.
While market managers were clear about the challenging aspects of this demanding position, it
was also obvious that many had a passionate commitment to the larger ideals of farmers
markets. They talked about how opportunities such as supporting farmers, creating a
community gathering place, working collaboratively, and bringing healthy foods to their
communities brought meaning to their work and were a great source of personal reward.
I love our farmers market; the experience and being a part of the growth, what our market offers our
customers, the integrity of the vendors, the [city’s] support, what our market can do for the local
businesses, everything you can think of involving the market makes me think of how lucky I am to be
involved and it makes me a better person.
The success of this market is based on the fact that we embraced the many talents of the community
and welcomed a larger variety of vendors. We wanted a European styled open air market to meet the
many needs and interests of the public.
I've enjoyed the role in the community that this position has created, and the impact the market has
in the community.
It is always rewarding to be at the farmers market. People who really enjoy fresh food types as well as
offering excellent fruits/veggies to people who cannot normally afford them. This market is extremely
friendly, vendors enjoy being friends with each other and the clients. Everyone looks forward to the
next Saturday.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
46
Thus the roles played by market managers and, consequently, their experiences are multi?
faceted and complex, eliciting both positive and negative reflections and comments.
CHARACTERISTICS OF MARKET MANAGERS
Among the farmers markets that participated in the survey, 92% of respondents were “market
managers” including current market managers, a past manager, directors of farmers market
associations, market staff, or some combination of roles. The remaining respondents were
primarily market board members.
Among these market managers, almost three?quarters (73%) were female (Table 64). Ages
ranged from 22 to 74 years old, with an average age just over 50 (Table 65). Managers had a
wide range of formal education, from high school (2%) to graduate or other professional
degrees (11%). Almost half (49%) had at least a two? or four?year college degree (Table 66). On
average, respondents had 5.6 years of experience managing farmers markets and 35% had 6 or
more years of experience (Table 67).
Table 64. Gender of Farmers Market Managers
Gender Number Percentage
Male 22 27
Female 59 73
Total 81 100
Table 65. Age of Farmers Market Managers
Age of Managers Years
Average 50.6
Youngest 22
Oldest 74
Total 80
Table 66. Formal Education of Farmers Market Managers
Highest level of formal education
Number of
Managers
Percentage
High school diploma or equivalent 2 2
Some college, but no degree 21 26
2-year college degree 10 12
4-year college degree 36 44
Some graduate school 3 4
Graduate degree or professional degree 9 11
Total 81 100
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
47
Table 67. Farmers Market Manager Experience
Year managing farmers market
Number of
Managers
Percentage
Up to 5 years 48 65
6 to 10 years 15 20
11 to 20 years 11 15
Total 74 100
In summary, beyond the fundamentals of providing vendor stalls and promoting the market,
market organizations also have myriad responsibilities related to developing market bylaws and
policies, staffing, siting, product mix, scheduling operating hours, budgeting, regulations and
permitting, holding events, providing public amenities, etc. Our survey results showed that this
work was primarily being carried out by a combination of part?time, seasonal, and volunteer
labor. Despite the wide extent of farmers market activities and commerce in Washington, our
survey only identified 29 full?time market employees in the state. Manager turnover rates
varied significantly across markets from very low to very high, indicating a need for further
research on the organizational characteristics that lead to higher retention rates. When asked
to provide comments on their roles, many market managers expressed a deep commitment to
the ideals of improving their communities through farmers markets, yet also acknowledged the
challenging nature of the work.
? Summary
The 127 farmers markets that participated in our survey constituted the majority of farmers
markets in Washington at that time. They appeared to be representative of the rich diversity of
geographical locations, ages, sizes, climate zones, and unique community character of the
markets found in the state. Because it required such a significant time investment and
cooperation from so many market organizations to be successful, a research project of this
caliber could not have been possible without the strong leadership and commitment of
Washington market managers and their supporting organizations. Largely as a result of the
early creation of the Washington State Farmers Market Association (WSFMA) in 1979, many
markets in Washington developed an early emphasis on tracking sales data and collaborating
with other markets, making for a particularly rich participatory research environment.
Nevertheless, this is the first statewide survey of all Washington State farmers markets that we
know of and we hope it contributes to the overall understanding of the diversity of farmers
markets, a holistic view of their benefits, the complexity of their challenges, and how to
enhance their capacity.
The results of this survey indicate that Washington farmers market organizations have grown
rapidly in number and accomplished a great deal over the past decade, yet still have keen
ambitions and room for future growth and improvement. Over a third of the markets in the
study could be considered well?established, having operated for a decade or more. The rest
were relatively new, with almost 40% having started up in the past five years. The average
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
48
number of vendors selling at Washington farmers markets on a typical market day was 32;
however markets reported a broad range from 3 to 200 vendors. The majority of markets (63%)
were small or very small, with less than 30 vendors per market.
Markets reflected the unique character of their community and their region and each had a
distinctive vendor mix. Most regions of the state have a rich farming heritage to draw upon and
many have a growing base of direct market and immigrant farmers. The vast majority of
markets (82%) had immigrant or minority farmer vendors participating in their markets. All the
markets in the study combined provided a total of 6,328 vendor opportunities in the year of the
study. The statewide mix of market vendors was proportionately 43% farmers, 32%
artisans/crafters, 11% value?added processors, 8% prepared food vendors, and 1% resellers.
Nearly half the markets allowed some form of reselling, however most had placed significant
conditions on this activity.
Nearly all markets gave a preference to products coming from within Washington State, and
many expected their farm products to come from an even closer distance, such as from within
their county, their island, a nearby county, or a particular region of the state. Depending on
management approaches, shopper numbers, and local availability, market managers had
varying degrees of success in attracting their desired mix of vendors. Most managers were able
to offer a fair amount of product diversity, yet many expressed a desire to obtain a greater
supply of berries, fruits, meats, dairy products, specific vegetables, and/or extended seasons for
popular items.
Every market is at the same time its own dynamic business and a collection of unique vendor
businesses. As such, they contribute to regional economic development in multiple ways. Most
obviously, they ideally provide a marketplace that connects vendors with a shopper
demographic interested in obtaining distinctive local products and supporting local farms and
businesses. Markets in the study reported nearly 10.5 million annual shopper visits (including
Pike Place Market). Among the 88 markets in the study that reported sales data, annual total
market sales ranged from $1,000 to $5,000,000, with an average of $347,941 per market. All of
the markets in the study combined reported a total of $30.62 million in sales for vendors. More
than half of respondents said that their average farmer vendors’ sales had increased in recent
years despite the economic downturn. Further, 82% of survey respondents reported that their
vendors had developed or expanded their business beyond the market within the last three
years, demonstrating the key role of markets in business incubation. Besides creating economic
opportunities for thousands of vendors, when combined, the farmers markets in the study
employed 150 full and part?time workers.
Finally, less tangible community and environmental assets were widely reported on the survey,
such as making fresh foods accessible to consumers from a variety of economic backgrounds,
creating a focal community gathering point and building a “local culture” around food, farming,
and support for independent, locally?owned businesses. For example, 90% of respondents said
their markets worked with the federal Farmers Market Nutrition Program to provide shopping
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
49
opportunities for low?income community members. Over 93% provided examples of how their
markets helped the environment.
Significant challenges to overcome were perceived competition from other markets and
supermarkets, regulatory barriers, issues with location, generating sufficient organizational
revenues, and attracting the right vendors and customers. When asked about future goals for
their markets, most respondents aspired to improve their market organization’s long?term
stability through increasing community engagement, attracting key vendors, and expanding
their shopper base. Some respondents observed that improving their administrative budgets
would allow them to improve manager compensation, reduce manager turnover, and enhance
overall market management thereby helping ensure the long?term success and sustainability of
their markets.
References
Brown, Allison (2001). "Counting Farmers Markets." American Geographical Society 91, no. 4 (October
2001): 655?674.
Dixit?Joshi, Sujata, John Burke, Barnali Das, and Michael Steketee (2013). Nutrition Assistance in Farmers
Markets: Understanding Current Operations. Final Report, Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Research and Analysis, 2013.
Donovan, Colleen. 2012 WSFMA Member Market Report. Unpublished., WSFMA.
Gillespie, Gilbert, Duncan L. Hilchey, C. Clare Hinrichs, and Gail Feenstra (2007). "Farmers' Markets as
Keystones in Rebuilding Local and Regional Food Systems." In Remaking the North American
Food System: Strategies for Sustainability, edited by C. Clare Hinrichs and Thomas A. Lyson, 65?
83. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.
Ostrom, Marcia, and Zachary D. Lyons (2012). Washington State Farmers Market Manual. Second. WSU
and WSDA.
Stephenson, Garry (2008). Farmers' Markets: Success, Failure, and Management Ecology. Amherst, New
York: Cambria Press.
USDA AMS Marketing Services Division (2013). National Count of Farmers Market Directory Listing
Graph: 1994?2013. http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fetchTemplateData.do?template=TemplateS&leftNav=
WholesaleandFarmersMarkets&page=WFMFarmersMarketGrowth&description=Farmers%20M
arket%20Growth (accessed August 2013).
USDA AMS (2009). "National Farmers Market Manager Survey 2006."
WSFMA (2010). "Roots Guidelines for Member Markets." www.wafarmersmarkets.com (accessed
January 15, 2010).
doc_831499154.pdf
This project would not have been possible without the strong participation, guidance and collaboration provided by the Washington State Farmers Market Action Team, the Washington State Farmers Market Association, Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance, Washington State Department of Agriculture's Small Farm and Direct Marketing Program and, of course, farmers market managers throughout Washington.
F101
W a s h i n g t o n S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y S m a l l F a r m s P r o g r a m
This research is part of the “Engines of the New Farm Economy: Assessing and Enhancing the Benefits
of Farmers Markets” project led by Marcia Ostrom, Colleen Donovan, José García?Pabón, Jessica
Goldberger and Vicki McCracken of Washington State University and the Washington State Farmers
Market Action Team. The Agricultural Food Research Initiative of the National Institute of Food and
Agriculture, USDA, Grant #2009?55618?05172, supported this project. For more information, please
email [email protected] or [email protected] or visit http://smallfarms.wsu.edu/marketing/.
2013
Summary Report: Farmers Markets
and the Experiences of Market
Managers in Washington State
Marcia Ostrom and Colleen Donovan
ASSESSING AND ENHANCING THE BENEFITS OF FARMERS MARKETS
FOR SMALL AND MID?SIZED FARMS AND COMMUNITIES
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
i
Acknowledgements
This project would not have been possible without the strong participation, guidance and
collaboration provided by the Washington State Farmers Market Action Team, the Washington
State Farmers Market Association, Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance, Washington State
Department of Agriculture’s Small Farm and Direct Marketing Program and, of course, farmers
market managers throughout Washington. We are especially grateful to Karen Kinney, Jennifer
Ringwood, Rose Krebill?Prather and colleagues at the WSU Social and Economic Sciences
Research Center for the significant time they put into this research effort. We also owe a special
thank you to Jessica Goldberger for sharing her survey expertise throughout the project as well
as her careful review of this report. Thank you for making this research possible.
Contents
? Survey Overview ...................................................................................................................................... 1
? General Farmers Market Characteristics ................................................................................................. 2
? Farmers Market Vendors and Products .................................................................................................. 8
? Farmers Market Sales, Customers and Business Development ............................................................ 13
? Organizational Structure of Farmers Markets ....................................................................................... 19
? Community and Environmental Dynamics ............................................................................................ 32
? Farmers Market Personnel .................................................................................................................... 39
? Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 47
References .................................................................................................................................................. 49
Figures and Tables
Figure 1. Annual Growth in Washington State Farmers Markets, 1991 to 2012 .......................................... 1
Figure 2. Farmers Markets by Size Category ................................................................................................. 5
Figure 3. Farmers Markets by Decade Opened ............................................................................................ 6
Figure 4. Days of the Week Farmers Markets Operate ................................................................................ 7
Figure 5. Month Farmers Markets Open and Close* .................................................................................... 7
Figure 6. Vendor Definitions from the WSFMA “Roots Guidelines for Member Markets” .......................... 8
Figure 7. Percentage of Farmer Vendors per Market ................................................................................... 9
Figure 8. Farmers Markets’ Geographic Preferences for Farmer Vendors ................................................. 10
Figure 9. Products Offered at Farmers Markets ......................................................................................... 12
Figure 10. Distribution of Farmers Market Sales by Market ....................................................................... 14
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
ii
Figure 11. Farmers Markets by Total Annual Sales ..................................................................................... 15
Figure 12. Typical Farmers Market Revenue and Expenses........................................................................ 21
Figure 13. Farmers Market Revenue relative to Total Vendor Sales .......................................................... 26
Figure 14. Owners of Farmers Market Sites ............................................................................................... 27
Figure 15. Farmers Market Employees by Type.......................................................................................... 41
Figure 16. Term of Payment for Market Managers .................................................................................... 44
Table 1. Number of Farmers Markets Responding by County ...................................................................... 3
Table 2. Location of Responding Farmers Markets by Region ...................................................................... 3
Table 3. Location of Responding Farmers Markets by Urban?Rural Continuum .......................................... 4
Table 4. Farmers Markets Categorized by Size* ........................................................................................... 5
Table 5. Age of Farmers Markets .................................................................................................................. 6
Table 6. Number of Days per Week Farmers Markets Operate ................................................................... 7
Table 7. Aggregated Vendor Mix at Farmers Markets .................................................................................. 9
Table 8. Immigrant or Minority Farmers at Farmers Markets .................................................................... 11
Table 9. Total Annual Market Sales per Farmers Market ........................................................................... 14
Table 10. Farmers Markets by Total Annual Market Sales* ....................................................................... 15
Table 11. Total Annual Sales per Farmers Market by Market Size ............................................................. 15
Table 12. Average Farmer Vendor Sales Compared to Past Five Years ...................................................... 16
Table 13. Impact of Accepting Credit and/or Debit Cards on Farmers Market Sales ................................. 16
Table 14. Shoppers on Typical Market Day in Summer Season .................................................................. 17
Table 15. Total Shoppers Visits for the 2009 Season .................................................................................. 17
Table 16. Perceived Impact of Other Retail Outlets on Farmers Market Sales .......................................... 18
Table 17. Organizational Incorporation of Farmers Markets ..................................................................... 19
Table 18. Types of Non?Profit Incorporation among Farmers Markets ...................................................... 20
Table 19. Types of Business Incorporation among Farmers Markets ......................................................... 20
Table 20. Organizational Tools Used by Farmers Markets ......................................................................... 20
Table 21. Organizational Revenue per Farmers Market Location .............................................................. 21
Table 22. Sources of Farmers Market Revenue by Highest Dollar Value ................................................... 22
Table 23. Additional Sources of Support for Farmers Markets .................................................................. 22
Table 24. Vendor Stall, Application/Membership Fees as Percentage of Farmers Market Revenue ......... 22
Table 25. Methods Farmers Markets Use to Charge Vendors for Stall Space ............................................ 23
Table 26. Combinations of Vendor Charges at Farmers Markets ............................................................... 23
Table 27. Organizational Expenses per Farmers Market Location ............................................................. 24
Table 28. Farmers Market Expenses by Highest Dollar Value .................................................................... 24
Table 29. Personnel/Staff Expenses as Percentage of Total Expenses ....................................................... 24
Table 30. Marketing, Promotion and Special Event Expenses Per Market ................................................. 25
Table 31. Difference between Reported Farmers Market Revenue and Expenses .................................... 25
Table 32. Future Economic Outlook for Farmers Markets ......................................................................... 25
Table 33. Types of Farmers Market Sites .................................................................................................... 26
Table 34. Rent Paid for Farmers Market Site .............................................................................................. 27
Table 35. Terms, Conditions or Permits Required to Use Farmers Market Site ......................................... 28
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
iii
Table 36. Long?Term Availability of Farmers Market Site ........................................................................... 28
Table 37. Number of Times Farmers Markets 10 years or Older Changed Location .................................. 28
Table 38. Long?Term Goals of Farmers Markets ......................................................................................... 29
Table 39. Farmers Markets Facing Regulatory Barriers .............................................................................. 31
Table 40. Regulatory Barriers Described by Farmers Markets ................................................................... 31
Table 41. Challenges Facing Farmers Markets ............................................................................................ 31
Table 42. Primary Motivation for Starting Farmers Market ....................................................................... 33
Table 43. Importance of Serving Low?Income Community Members ........................................................ 33
Table 44. Strategies for Serving Low?Income Community Members ......................................................... 34
Table 45. Impact of Accepting EBT on Farmers Market Sales .................................................................... 34
Table 46. Estimated Pounds of Produce Donated Annually to Food Banks, Soup Kitchens and Shelters by
Farmers Markets ......................................................................................................................................... 34
Table 47. Perceived Economic Mix of Shoppers ......................................................................................... 35
Table 48. Perceived Racial/Ethnic Mix of Shoppers .................................................................................... 35
Table 49. Volunteer Service at Farmers Markets ....................................................................................... 35
Table 50. How Farmers Markets Benefit Their Communities ..................................................................... 36
Table 51. Environmentally?friendly Means of Getting to Farmers Markets ............................................... 38
Table 52. Recycling and Composting at Farmers Markets .......................................................................... 38
Table 53. Farmers Markets’ Impacts on the Environment ......................................................................... 38
Table 54. Total Number of Farmers Market Employees by Status ............................................................. 40
Table 55. Average Year?Round and Seasonal Employees at Farmers Markets .......................................... 41
Table 56. All Employees by Farmers Market Size ....................................................................................... 41
Table 57. Types of Farmers Market Manager Positions ............................................................................. 42
Table 58. Unpaid and Paid Market Managers by Farmers Market Size ...................................................... 42
Table 59. Unpaid and Paid Market Managers by Farmers Market Sales Category .................................... 43
Table 60. Unpaid and Paid Managers by Type of Organization .................................................................. 43
Table 61. Unpaid and Paid Market Managers by Region of Washington ................................................... 43
Table 62. Average Wages by Farmers Market Position and Term of Payment .......................................... 44
Table 63. Number of Farmers Market Managers between 1999 and 2009 ............................................... 44
Table 64. Gender of Farmers Market Managers ......................................................................................... 46
Table 65. Age of Farmers Market Managers .............................................................................................. 46
Table 66. Formal Education of Farmers Market Managers ........................................................................ 46
Table 67. Farmers Market Manager Experience ......................................................................................... 47
WSU Extension programs and policies are consistent with federal and state laws and regulations on
nondiscrimination regarding race, sex, religion, age, color, creed, and national or ethnic origin; physical, mental, or
sensory disability; marital status or sexual orientation; and status as a Vietnam?era or disabled veteran. Evidence of
noncompliance may be reported through your local WSU Extension office. Published November 2013.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
1
? Survey Overview
Farmers markets are one of the most visible cornerstones of farm?direct marketing today.
Throughout the United States, the total number of farmers markets has increased dramatically.
The USDA’s directory now includes 8,144 farmers markets, growing 3.6% between 2012 and
2013 alone (USDA AMS Marketing Services Division 2013). Washington State has a rich variety
of farmers markets, from the world?famous Pike Place Market founded in 1907 to new markets
opening each year. As with national trends, our historical research found that the number of
markets in Washington has grown significantly, quintupling in the last two decades (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Annual Growth in Washington State Farmers Markets, 1991 to 2012
Despite the consistent growth of direct sales nationally and in Washington State, very little has
been documented about the extent or characteristics of direct marketing as a long?term
strategy for farm viability. And while there is a growing literature emphasizing the role of
farmers markets in community and local food systems along with a proliferation of “how to”
guides, very little data is available about farmers markets’ performance and organizational
characteristics. The purpose of our research, therefore, is to address this need by documenting
the current capacity of Washington State farmers markets to generate income for farmers,
improve the environment, and provide assets to communities; as well as to assess their long?
term sustainability. Identifying and sharing the organizational and management strategies of
successful market organizations is another key goal. In addition to the Farmers Market Manager
Survey described in this report, our research project includes a survey of all farmer vendors, 14
Rapid Market Assessments, and several focus groups with farmers.
1
1
This research is part of the project “Engines of the New Farm Economy: Assessing and Enhancing the Benefits of
Farmers Markets” led by M. Ostrom, C. Donovan, J. García?Pabón, J. Goldberger and V. McCracken of Washington
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Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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In 2010, a “Survey of Market Managers” was sent to a list of 169 unique farmers market
locations in Washington State.
2
Farmers markets were identified through multiple means
including the “2010 Washington State Farmers Market Guide” published by the Washington
State Farmers Market Association (WSFMA), the list of markets authorized to participate in the
Farmers Market Nutrition Program, statewide networking with other market managers, the
Washington State University (WSU) Small Farms Team, and WSU Extension, as well as local food
directories and Web searches. Follow?up phone interviews were conducted in 2011 to
supplement results and collect additional information.
In keeping with the WSFMA’s “Roots Guidelines for Member Markets,” we defined a “farmers
market” as a place where at least five farmers per market day (on average) assemble on a
recurring schedule to sell their farm products directly to consumers.
3
For the purposes of this
research, each unique market location was treated as one farmers market. Therefore, if a
market was open on multiple days in the same location, it was treated as one farmers market.
And if a market organization managed multiple markets in different locations, then each market
location was treaded as one market.
In all, 127 unique farmers market locations are represented in the survey results. After
removing the ineligibles and invalid addresses from the original list of farmers markets, we have
an adjusted response rate of 78.5%. All data represents the 2009 market season. With such a
high response rate, we believe that our survey is very representative of the diversity of farmers
markets in Washington State. We did not find a response bias in terms of market size or
geographic distribution; however, as anticipated, respondents were slightly more likely to be
members of the WSFMA than non?respondents. Among respondents, 76% were member
markets of the statewide farmers market association.
? General Farmers Market Characteristics
Given the need to better understand the diversity of farmers markets in Washington State, our
survey collected information on general characteristics such as where markets are located,
their size, and how long the markets had been in operation. We also documented “the market
season,” including when markets open and close and the days of the week markets are in
operation.
State University and the Washington State Farmers Market Action Team; USDA National Institute of Food and
Agriculture, Agricultural Food Research Initiative, Grant #2009?55618?05172.
2
The survey was administered by the WSU Social and Economic Sciences Research Center and consisted of two
parts. The first part was a 70?question survey that was first mailed out on August 13, 2010. Recipients had an
option to complete a hard copy or an online version. The second part of this survey was a phone interview. In
partnership with the Washington State Farmers Market Association and Washington State Farmers Market Action
Team, both parts of this survey were promoted heavily to managers.
3
The complete “Roots Guidelines for Member Markets” established by the Washington State Farmers Market
Association (WSFMA) is available at www.wafarmersmarkets.com. It is also reprinted in the “Washington State
Farmers Market Manual” (Appendix A) which is available athttp://smallfarms.wsu.edu.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
3
LOCATION OF FARMERS MARKETS THAT RESPONDED TO THE SURVEY
Farmers markets from 32 out of Washington’s 39 counties were represented in the survey
responses. Over a quarter (27%) of the market locations were in King County (Table 1). Over
half (52%) of the markets were located in the northwestern region of Washington, which
roughly corresponds with the Puget Sound and includes major metropolitan areas such as
Seattle, Bellevue and Everett (Table 2). Only 27% of markets were located in non?metropolitan
counties and nearly half (48%) of all markets were in counties in metropolitan areas with
populations over 250,000 (Table 3).
Table 1. Number of Farmers Markets Responding by County
County
Number of
Markets
Percentage County
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Adams 1 1 Klickitat 1 1
Asotin 1 1 Lewis 2 2
Benton 4 3 Okanogan 6 5
Chelan 4 3 Pend Oreille 1 1
Clallam 1 1 Pierce 9 7
Clark 2 2 San Juan 1 1
Columbia 1 1 Skagit 4 3
Cowlitz 3 2 Skamania 1 1
Douglas 1 1 Snohomish 9 7
Franklin 1 1 Spokane 6 5
Grant 3 2 Stevens 4 3
Island 5 4 Thurston 3 2
Jefferson 2 2 Wahkiakum 1 1
King 34 27 Whatcom 3 2
Kitsap 7 6 Whitman 1 1
Kittitas 2 2 Yakima 3 2
Total 127 100
Table 2. Location of Responding Farmers Markets by Region
Region Counties
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Northwest
Clallam, Grays Harbor, Island, J efferson, King,
Kitsap, San J uan, Skagit, Snohomish, Whatcom
66 52
Southwest
Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Pierce,
Skamania, Thurston, Wahkiakum
21 17
Central
Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Kittitas, Klickitat,
Okanogan, Yakima
21 17
Eastern
Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Ferry, Franklin,
Garfield, Grant, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane,
Walla Walla, Whitman
19 15
Total 127 100
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
4
Table 3. Location of Responding Farmers Markets by Urban?Rural Continuum
4
Rural-Urban Continuum Code
Number of
Markets
Percentage
County in
metro
area
with population of 1 million or more 55 43
with population of 250,000 to 1 million 6 5
with a population of fewer than 250,000 33 26
Non-metro
county
with urban population of 20,000 or more, adjacent to a
metro area
11 9
with urban population of 20,000 or more, not adjacent to a
metro area
1 1
with urban population of 2,500-19,999, adjacent to a metro
area
18 14
completely rural or less than 2,500 urban population,
adjacent to metro area
2 2
completely rural or less than 2,500 urban population, not
adjacent to metro area
1 1
Total 127 100
SIZE OF FARMERS MARKETS IN WASHINGTON STATE
While there is no standardized way to categorize the size of a farmers market, the most
common approach is to create size categories based on the number of vendors (Stephenson
2008, USDA AMS 2009). This raises the question of which vendors to count? In addition to
farmer vendors, markets typically also have food processors, prepared food, and artisan or craft
vendors (WSFMA 2010). There is also the question of when to count the vendors? Not all
vendors who are part of a farmers market come to every market day, especially if they have
products with a limited season (e.g., blueberries or cherries).
For this research, we chose to count all vendor types to be consistent with other research and
because it captures the full footprint of a market’s space needs, management demands, and
potential sales. We chose to focus on the total number of vendors on a “typical market day”
during the summer season as this is more likely to represent the market when it is at full
capacity. Given the differences between regions in Washington, we assumed the markets were
in a better position to determine what was “typical” and when it was “summer” in their
communities.
We realize that the size of a farmers market is dynamic. These size categories are not meant to
be definitive or deterministic, but rather provide a useful way to analyze and contrast the needs
and capacities of markets.
4
For more information about Rural Urban Continuum Codes, please seehttp://www.ers.usda.gov/data?
products/rural?urban?continuum?codes.aspx#.UnqPEeIlhAg.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
5
Table 4. Farmers Markets Categorized by Size*
Market Size Category
Number of Vendors on a
Typical Market Day during
the summer season
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Very small 10 or less 23 19
Small 11 to 30 54 44
Medium 31 to 50 29 24
Large 51 to 100 11 9
Very large 101 and over 6 5
Total 123 100
* If the market operated on more than one day in the same location, the vendor data represents the busier/larger
market day.
Figure 2. Farmers Markets by Size Category
By the categories we defined, 63% of farmers markets were “small” or “very small,” 24% were
“medium,” and 14% were “large” or “very large” (Table 4 and Figure 2). On average, farmers
markets in Washington had 32 vendors (which would be a medium?sized market), with the
number of vendors at each market on a typical day ranging from 3 to 200. If aggregated, the
markets responding to our survey provided approximately 4,000 vendor opportunities on a
typical market day during the summer season in 2009.
AGE OF FARMERS MARKETS IN WASHINGTON STATE
Over a third (39%) of the markets in our study were less than 5 years old and 38% were over 10
years old (Table 5). The age of a market, in combination with the manager’s experience, can be
an important factor in a market’s success (Stephenson 2008). Most (61%) of the farmers
markets in our study were started between 2001 and 2009 (Figure 3). This pattern is consistent
19%
44%
24%
9%
5%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Very Small Small Medium Large Very Large
N
u
m
b
e
r
o
f
M
a
r
k
e
t
s
Farmers Market Size N = 123
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
6
with the history of farmers markets and national trends (USDA AMS Marketing Services Division
2013, Brown 2001). Our study does not document the full history of farmers markets in
Washington State because we did not collect data on the markets that closed prior to 2009.
5
Table 5. Age of Farmers Markets
Age of Market
6
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Under 5 years 34 39
5 to 9 years 20 23
10 to 19 years 18 20
20 years and over 16 18
Total 88 100
Figure 3. Farmers Markets by Decade Opened
MARKET DAYS
Over a third (37%) of all farmers markets were held on Saturday, making it the most common
day for markets (Figure 4). The second most common day is Wednesday (17%) followed by
Sunday (15%). Pike Place Market was the only farmers market open on Monday and it is also
the only farmers market open seven days a week. The vast majority of markets (91%) are open
one day per week in the same location (Table 6).
5
For a historical analysis (1994 to 2005) of farmers markets in Oregon, see Stephenson 2008.
6
These are the market age categories used by USDA’s “National Farmers Market Manager Survey 2006” (May
2009):http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5077203.
1 % 1 %
10 %
6 %
20 %
61 %
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
N
u
m
b
e
r
o
f
M
a
r
k
e
t
s
N = 88
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
7
Figure 4. Days of the Week Farmers Markets Operate
Table 6. Number of Days per Week Farmers Markets Operate
Days per Week
Number of
Markets
Percentage
1 day per week 116 91
2 days per week 8 6
More than 2 days per week 3 2
Total 127 100
SEASONALITY
Seasonal farmers markets in Washington were open for an average of 21 weeks in 2009. Most
markets (82%) open in either May or June and close in September or October (91%), meaning
that the primary market season is from May to October (Figure 5). However, a small percentage
of markets remained open into the winter months of November and December. In addition, our
survey found five markets that operated year?round. These findings are in keeping with our
observations of increasing experimentation with adding holiday and winter market days. These
trends and other strategies to extend the market season will be important to track over time.
Figure 5. Month Farmers Markets Open and Close*
* Figure 5 includes data for Market day 1 and Market day 2; it excludes year-round markets.
1%
8%
17%
15%
7%
37%
15%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
N
u
m
b
e
r
o
f
M
a
r
k
e
t
s
N = 143
2%
11%
44%
38%
5%
1%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
March April May June July August
N
u
m
b
e
r
o
f
M
a
r
k
e
t
s
Month Market Opens
N = 130
2%
36%
55%
4% 3%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
August Sept. October Nov. December
Month Market Closes
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
8
In terms of the general characteristics of farmers markets in Washington, we found significant
numbers of markets across all regions of the state. Market respondents represented 32 of 39
Washington counties. As might be expected, markets were concentrated in King County and
other metropolitan counties. The majority of the markets in the survey were small or very small
(63%), with 30 or fewer vendors on a typical market day. Most markets were also relatively
new, with over 60% having started up in the decade prior to the survey. Around 40% were in
their first five years of operation. We found only three markets that were open three days a
week or more in the same location, with over 90% open one day per week (most frequently a
Saturday or Wednesday). Most markets operated seasonally for an average of 21 weeks. Most
commonly, the market season started in May and ended in October; however, we found five
markets that operated year?round and a range of opening and closing dates.
? Farmers Market Vendors and Products
This section examines survey results from questions about the types of vendors at farmers
markets and the products they sell. For the purposes of this survey, we used the vendor
categories defined in the Washington State Farmers Market Association’s “Roots Guidelines for
Member Markets” (Figure 6). For easier reference we will refer to both the categories of
“farmer” and “farmer?processor” in Figure 6 as “farmer vendors.” Farmers markets usually have
policies about what kinds of vendors they allow into their market. Some markets do not allow
resellers. Some choose to limit the number of prepared food and craft vendors. Each market
creates its own, often dynamic, “vendor mix” depending on its mission, management, shopper
base, and the availability of vendors.
Figure 6. Vendor Definitions from the WSFMA “Roots Guidelines for Member Markets”
Farmers and Farmer-Processors: Someone who raises what they sell on their own land (may be
rented) in WA; including farmers who process what they raise or have their products processed; also
includes seafood, wine from Washington AVA [American Viticultural Area], flowers and ornamentals.
Food Processors: Someone who sells what they have personally prepared or processed, but did not
raise ingredients themselves.
Resellers: Someone who buys produce from other farmers and brings to sell at farmers market.
Prepared Food Vendors: Someone who sells freshly made foods ready for immediate consumption.
Artisans/Crafters: Someone who creates with their own hands the products they offer for sale.
(WSFMA 2010)
VENDOR MIX
Collectively, 118 farmers markets reported a total of 6,328 vendor stalls in Washington State
(Table 7). And while this does not represent the total number of unique vendors, it does
suggest the scale of sales, marketing and other entrepreneurial opportunities that farmers
markets create every year. In the aggregate, farmer vendors represent 43% of the vendor stalls
in the state. By market, the proportion of the total vendor mix represented by farmer vendors
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
9
varied from under 25% to 100% (Figure 7). Most farmers markets (48%) had between 26 to 50%
farmer vendors and a small number (4%) of markets had exclusively farmer vendors (Figure 7).
Table 7. Aggregated Vendor Mix at Farmers Markets
7
Types of Vendors
Total
Number of
Vendors
(all markets)
Percentage
Farmers 2,699 43
Artisans/crafters 2,003 32
Food processors 691 11
Prepared food vendors 498 8
Resellers 52 1
Other vendors (e.g., non-profit organizations) 385 6
All Vendors 6,328 101*
N =118
* Does not total 100 due to rounding errors.
Figure 7. Percentage of Farmer Vendors per Market
RESELLING PRODUCTS PRODUCED BY OTHER FARMERS
Resellers are the smallest percentage of vendors at farmers markets in Washington (Table 7).
“Reselling” products grown by other farmers is allowed within the WSFMA Roots Guidelines as
long as certain criteria are met (e.g., not buying from wholesalers, product must be grown in
Washington State, there is lack of availability from farmers, pre?approval, labeling and signage)
7
This data represents the aggregation of all vendor slots at responding markets. It does not represent the unique
number of individual vendors participating in markets as many vendors sell at multiple markets.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Under 25 % 26 to 50 % 51 to 75 % 76 to 99 % 100%
N
u
m
b
e
r
o
f
M
a
r
k
e
t
s
N = 118
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
10
(WSFMA 2010). Of course, markets that do not belong to the WSFMA may follow entirely
different sets of guidelines and practices.
Survey results suggest that nearly half (48%) of farmers markets allow farmer vendors to sell
other farmers’ products (N = 89). For those markets that allow reselling, the reasons or
conditions reported for allowing reselling were (in order of frequency):
? There is a need for product in market;
? There is an agreement between farmers;
? Manager makes an exception on a case by case basis;
? There is proper signage; and/or
? Resellers’ product is grown locally or in Washington State.
GEOGRAPHIC PREFERENCE POLICIES
Fifty?eight percent of farmers markets reported prioritizing farmer vendors from a certain
geographic region. Figure 8 shows the specific responses that were provided when this subset
of respondents was questioned more specifically about their geographical preferences using an
open?ended question.
Figure 8. Farmers Markets’ Geographic Preferences for Farmer Vendors
“Washington State” was the most common (37%) geographic preference named and only 2% of
respondents named a broader scale beyond the state boundaries (i.e., the Northwest). This is
consistent with the WSFMA’s Roots Guidelines that require all farm products to be grown and
produced in Washington State or bordering counties (WSFMA 2010). However, most markets
(61%) prioritized farmer vendors from a scale smaller than the state: 37% of markets named the
county and/or neighboring counties as their geographic preference for accepting farmer
vendors. Just over 11% named specific regions that were defined by the physical geography
(e.g., a peninsula, island) or sub?regions such as “the south sound” or “western Washington.” In
one case, an actual road was named as the boundary. Thirteen percent named their specific
city, town, or county or made more qualitative statements such as “as local as possible.”
4 %
9 %
17 %
20 %
11 %
37 %
2 %
0
5
10
15
20
25
"As local as
possible"
City, town or
county first
County only County &
neighboring
county
Specific
region
Washington
State
Northwest
N
u
m
b
e
r
o
f
M
a
r
k
e
t
s
N =54
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
11
IMMIGRANT AND MINORITY FARMERS
We were interested in learning more about the different types of farmers who sell at farmers
markets. As such, we asked survey participants to describe the diversity of their vendors. We
also asked if their markets had specific strategies for supporting and communicating with
vendors with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
Most farmers markets (82%) reported having vendors who were either immigrants or
minorities (N = 91). Among those markets with immigrant or minority vendors, Latino/Hispanic
farmers and Hmong farmers were the most common (Table 8). However, there was also a wide
range of “other” immigrant and minority farmers, including vendors described as: African,
African American, Chinese, East Indian, Eastern European, Filipino, German, Indian, Japanese,
Korean, Native American, Pacific Islander, Polish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese.
Table 8. Immigrant or Minority Farmers at Farmers Markets
Farmer Ethnicity
Total number
of vendors
(not unique)
Average
number per
market
Latino or Hispanic 212 3
Hmong 270 4
Other 93 1
Total Markets 72
Of those markets with immigrant or minority vendors, 82% reported having vendors who were
not fluent in English. When asked how market managers communicated with non?English
speakers, the most common responses were:
? The vendor’s children or another relative translates (59%);
? By simplifying communication and using sign language (34%); and
? Relying on other vendors to translate (20%).
Only 13% of these markets had bilingual staff or volunteers available to interpret. Several
managers noted that communication with non?English speaking vendors could be challenging
and stressed the need for patience. Approximately 45% of these respondents said their markets
offered specific types of support to immigrant or minority farmers such as training, information,
interpretation and/or translation. One group of markets held a separate vendor meeting with
interpreters for their Hmong farmers.
PRODUCTS AVAILABLE AT FARMERS MARKETS
A wide range of products was commonly available at most markets, with over half offering
baked goods, cut flowers, nursery plants, processed foods, eggs, meats, dairy and seafood in
addition to fruits and vegetables (Figure 9). Most respondents also listed additional products
that were desired or products that were in short supply at their market, including fruit, meat,
dairy and seafood. When questioned specifically about organic products, 13% of respondents
said their markets prioritized farmer vendors who sold certified or exempted organic products.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
12
Figure 9. Products Offered at Farmers Markets
* Honey was the most frequently cited “other” product.
We asked respondents to identify specific fruits and vegetables that they would like to offer at
their market in the future or would like to have in greater supply. The top three products listed
were all fruit:
? Berries, including strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, marionberries,
goji berry, and huckleberries;
? Stone fruit, including peaches, cherries, nectarines, plums and apricots; and
? Apples and pears.
These products were followed (in order of frequency) by melons, tomatoes and peppers, figs
and kiwi, mushrooms and broccoli. In addition, ten respondents expressed a desire for more
produce in the market earlier and/or later in the season.
Respondents were also asked to list other products (besides fruits and vegetables) that they
would like to offer or increase the amount offered at their market. The top three other types of
products were:
? Meat, including beef, grass?fed beef, poultry (chicken, turkey, duck), rabbit and
charcuterie;
? Dairy, including cheese, milk, cream, butter, and ice cream; and
? Seafood, including fresh fish and shellfish.
These products were followed (in order of frequency) by value?added products (e.g., canned
goods, pickles, jams and jellies), eggs, grains (especially local grains), prepared foods, and wine,
beer and hard cider.
18
21
26
39
51
53
66
68
83
87
92
93
93
100
100
0 20 40 60 80 100
Grains/flours
Other*
Wine/hard cider
Coffee
Fish and/or seafood
Cheese, milk, or other dairy products
Meat
Eggs
Prepared foods
Processed food products
Plants, plant starts, nursery
Cut flowers
Baked goods
Fruit
Vegetables
Percentage of Farmers Markets that Offered Product
N ranges from 86 to 90
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
13
Overall, Washington markets were found to be quite diverse in terms of their vendor
characteristics, their vendor mix, and the types of products sold. However, some common
themes emerged: most markets had a mix of farmer vendors and other types of vendors, under
half of markets allowed reselling, and 82% of markets had vendors who were either immigrants
or minorities. When all markets were combined, farmer vendors were the most common type
of vendor, although this was not necessarily true for individual markets. More than half (58%)
of the markets prioritized vendors with products from within a specific geographic area. Only a
minority of respondents said their markets prioritized vendors with organic products. Lastly,
fruits and vegetables were present at all markets, followed closely by cut flowers and baked
goods. Other items, such as eggs, meats, dairy products, and grains, were not available at all
markets.
? Farmers Market Sales, Customers and Business
Development
This section examines the total, annual farmers market sales, market shoppers, market
competition, and the role of farmers markets in incubating new businesses. We also explore the
impact of the recent economic downturn on farmers markets and use of new point of sale
(POS) technologies to accept credit and/or debit cards at farmers markets.
FARMERS MARKET SALES
Farmers market sales are the total of all purchases that shoppers make from vendors. Farmers
market organizers often collect sales data from vendors and use them as a measure of the
market’s economic impact and overall performance. However, there is no standardized method
for collecting or tracking vendor sales. Independent farmers market organizations have a range
of philosophies and practices regarding the collection of sales data. Likewise, vendors have
varying opinions and practices regarding sharing sales data. And, as vendors are independent
businesses, their revenue amounts are proprietary information. As a result market sales data
are based on figures informally reported by vendors to managers or estimated by managers.
Further, because vendors have many disincentives to sharing the full value of their sales, the
figures reported may not reflect the actual extent of a farmers market’s sales. This is an
important consideration when doing research on farmers markets.
Just over 70% of the market representatives who responded to our survey were able or willing
to provide their market’s vendor sales data.
8
Among the 88 unique farmers market locations
that reported their total sales for the 2009 season in our survey, the average was $347,941
(Table 9). The median was $137,773. The total sales reported per market ranged widely from
$1,000 to $5,000,000. The combined farmers market sales for the 88 responding markets were
$30,618,836 (Table 9). The sales of the top ten markets alone account for 58% of this total;
these top ten markets were located in five different counties.
8
A recent USDA Food and Nutrition Services study found that nationally only 20% of farmers markets require
producers to report sales (Dixit?Joshi, et al. 2013, 29). The fact that so many Washington State farmers markets
collect sales data is a significant asset to research on direct marketing.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
14
Figure 10 further shows the unbalanced distribution of sales by market. Table 10 and Figure 11
show the distribution of markets by grouping sales into categories. Table 11 includes the
average, median and range of sales relative to market size. Despite the economic downturn in
2009, over half (52%) of farmers markets reported that their total market sales were higher in
comparison with the past five years (Table 12).
Vendor sales data for Pike Place Market’s daystalls is not included in Table 9, Table 10 and Table
11, Figure 10, and Figure 11. In accordance with the Licata?Hildt Agreement, sales data cannot
be collected from farmer or crafter daystalls.
Table 9. Total Annual Market Sales per Farmers Market
Sales per Market Amount ($)
Average 347,941
Median 137,773
Mode 25,000
Minimum 1,000
Maximum 5,000,000
Total for all Farmers Markets that
responded to survey (N =88)
30,618,836
Figure 10. Distribution of Farmers Market Sales by Market
$0
$500,000
$1,000,000
$1,500,000
$2,000,000
$2,500,000
$3,000,000
$3,500,000
$4,000,000
$4,500,000
$5,000,000
M
a
r
k
e
t
S
a
l
e
s
Farmers Markets
N = 88
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
15
Table 10. Farmers Markets by Total Annual Market Sales*
Sales Category
Number of
Markets
Percentage
$5,000 or less 3 3
$5,001 to $25,000 13 15
$25,001 to $100,000 23 26
$100,001 to $250,000 18 20
$250,001 to $500,000 17 19
Over $500,000 14 16
Total 88 100
*Data includes all market days per unique farmers market location.
Figure 11. Farmers Markets by Total Annual Sales
Table 11. Total Annual Sales per Farmers Market by Market Size
Market Size,
by number of vendors
on a typical day
Average Total
Sales ($)
Median Total;
Sales ($)
Range of Sales ($) N
Very small (10 or less) 14,911 9,750 1,000 to 41,831 10
Small (11 - 30) 93,335 61,126 11,966 to 313,960 42
Medium (31 - 50) 390,397 328,379 109,649 to 1,319,090 25
Large (51 - 100) 1,233,304 612,686 295,000 to 3,028,249 7
Very large (Over 100) 2,039,158 1,224,788 707,057 to 5,000,000 4
3%
15%
26%
20%
19%
16%
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
$5,000 or less $5,001 to
25,000
$25,001 to
100,000
$100,001 to
250,000
$250,001 to
500,000
Over $500,000
N
u
m
b
e
r
o
f
M
a
r
k
e
t
s
Market Sales
N = 88
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
16
Table 12. Average Farmer Vendor Sales Compared to Past Five Years
Compared with the past five years, would
you say your average farmer vendor sales
in 2009 were lower, the same, or higher?
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Lower sales 18 15
Same sales 18 15
Higher sales 62 52
Don’t know or not applicable 22 18
Total 99 100
CREDIT AND DEBIT CARD SALES
In the 2009 market season, farmers markets were experimenting with offering credit and debit
card purchasing options as a way to increase their sales. At that time, we found that thirty?one
percent of farmers markets reported that they were equipped to accept credit and/or debit
cards. For these markets, as shown in Table 13, the reported impact on market sales ranged
from small increases in sales (42%) to large increases in sales (35%).
Since the survey period, there has been significant growth in this arena. Wireless Point?of?Sales
technology and smartphone apps offer new ways for farmers markets (and vendors) to accept
credit and debit cards. According to the latest information available from the WSFMA, 53% of
its member markets accepted credit and/or debit cards in 2012 (Donovan 2013).
Table 13. Impact of Accepting Credit and/or Debit Cards on Farmers Market Sales
How has accepting credit/debit affected market sales?
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Decrease in sales 0 0
No increase in sales 1 4
Small increase in sales 11 42
Moderate increase in sales 5 19
Large increase in sales 9 35
Total 26 100
MARKET SHOPPERS
Promoting the market and attracting shoppers is a core function of farmers market
organizations. Without shoppers, it is difficult to recruit vendors. (And, likewise, without
vendors it is difficult to attract shoppers.) We asked respondents to estimate the number of
shoppers at their market on a typical market day during the summer season (Table 14) and for
the full season (Table 15). Some markets had systematic ways of estimating shoppers through
periodic counts, while other market estimates were more informal. Note that in all cases the
number of shoppers refers to “shopper visits” and not unique, individual shoppers.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
17
Table 14. Shoppers on Typical Market Day in Summer Season
Shoppers Visits per Market
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Under 1,000 64 59
1,001 to 2,500 29 27
2,501 to 5,000 10 9
Over 5,000 5 5
Total 108 100
Table 15. Total Shoppers Visits for the 2009 Season
Shopper Visits per Market
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Under 2,500 19 20
2,501 to 5,000 10 11
5,001 to 10,000 11 12
10,001 to 25,000 22 23
25,001 to 50,000 16 17
50,001 to 100,000 7 7
Over 100,000 10 11
Total 95 100
The total number of reported shopper visits at farmers markets for the 2009 season is
7,953,852 ?? more than the population of the entire state. This number excludes Pike Place
Market, a unique kind of market,
9
which estimated 2.5 million shopper visits to their farmers
and crafters for the year. If Pike Place Market is included, then the total number of shopper
visits to farmers markets in 2009 rises to 10,453,852.
PERCEIVED COMPETITION FROM OTHER OUTLETS
To try to understand the nature of competition faced by farmers markets, our survey asked
respondents to consider the impact of other types of retail outlets on their farmers market
sales (Table 16). Perceptions about the sources of competition were mixed. In general, the
most significant competition for sales was viewed as coming from other farmers markets and
supermarkets or supercenters. In contrast, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA),
community or home gardens, and food co?ops/natural food stores were seen as enhancing
more than hurting farmers market sales.
9
Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle is the oldest farmers market in Washington and one of the largest tourist
attractions in the Pacific Northwest. This is a permanent, indoor market that is open 7 days a week, 362 days a
year, as part of a larger historic Public Market Center that includes restaurant, retail and service businesses. Within
Pike Place Market, they operate a distinct, seasonal “farmer?only” street market on the cobblestones that we
treated as a separate market.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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Table 16. Perceived Impact of Other Retail Outlets on Farmers Market Sales
Retail Outlet
Hurts sales
(%)
No impact
on sales (%)
Helps sales
(%)
N
Other farmers markets 28 46 20 96
Supermarkets or supercenters 23 70 6 94
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) 19 45 36 94
Farm stands or U-pick operations 18 69 13 94
Food co-ops or natural food stores 14 58 28 96
Community or home gardens 13 56 31 93
VENDOR BUSINESS INCUBATION
Beyond the direct impacts of vendor sales, another potential economic impact of farmers
markets is their role in incubating new businesses (Gillespie, et al. 2007). Eighty?two percent of
survey respondents affirmed that their market vendors had developed or expanded their food,
farm, craft product, or business beyond the farmers market within the past three years.
When asked to specify the ways their markets had helped to expand or incubate vendor
businesses, the most common responses provided were: opening a “brick and mortar”
storefront, opening a restaurant, or starting a farm stand. These were followed in frequency by
selling online; selling to grocery stores, co?ops, restaurants, or wholesale distributors; and
starting a CSA.
Excerpts from the comments provided by respondents are illustrative of the specific kinds of
business development trajectories that have been catalyzed from selling at farmers markets:
I have an orchardist who ... expanded his number of varieties of tree fruit. Some food processors
opened their own restaurants after they had set up for several years at the farmers market ... I had a
pasta maker who … converted his garage into a commercial kitchen and just last year bought a
restaurant … There was a potter … who started with us less than a year ago in the winter. He was so
well received that he started his own business on eBay.
[A soup vendor] uses local ingredients and now they have two storefronts … [A] restaurant opened a
second location based on popularity from the … market. Two farmers have expanded into a processing
kitchen on their farm to sell longer into the season after the main growing season … A goat cheese
vendor has outgrown our markets except for occasional visits. They boosted their retail sales so much
they don't have enough product for the market. [One farmer] doubled their CSA business based on
contacts made at the market.
Mostly farmers have started CSA boxes and started delivering directly to their customers. Also local
restaurants are buying some of their vegetables, not just at the farmers market, but during the rest of
the year. And there are some Internet businesses that have happened, and some of the craft people
have been able to commission some of their crafts into the gift stores, etc. Some of the craft people
and also some farmers have started some Internet sites and businesses.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
19
In summarizing the findings, total market sales for 2009 varied dramatically among farmers
markets. At the extremes, there were 14 farmers markets reporting annual sales over $500,000
and nearly 20 with annual sales under $25,000. Average annual sales among farmers markets
surveyed were $347,941 and the median was $137,773. Washington State farmers markets
were a huge draw for shoppers with several markets drawing over 5,000 shoppers on a typical
market day. Most farmers markets that had developed the capacity to accept credit and/or
debit cards saw at least some increase in sales. When asked about their sources of competition,
respondents most readily identified other farmers markets and supermarkets, while CSAs and
food co?ops/natural food stores enhanced sales. Finally, farmers markets were reported to be
valuable incubators of vendors’ businesses.
? Organizational Structure of Farmers Markets
This section examines the ways farmers market organizations are incorporated, their
organizational management tools and strategies, organizational revenue and expenses, and
issues associated with market siting or location. These questions are particularly of interest in
terms of determining what program and policy support is needed to sustain farmers markets
(Stephenson 2008) and what models seem to work best in particular communities and contexts.
ORGANIZATIONAL INCORPORATION OF FARMERS MARKETS
Tables 17?19 document the various ways that farmers markets are incorporated. Most markets
(74%) were formally organized as a non?profit or as a project of another non?profit. Among
non?profits, 44% were incorporated with the State of Washington and 50% had a federally tax?
exempt 501c status (primarily 501c3). Fourteen percent of markets were incorporated as a
business or operated as a project of another business. Among the markets that were
incorporated as businesses, most (40%) were sole proprietorships. Lastly, 9% of markets were
operated as a project or department of a government entity. The later may include being run by
a City, a department such as Parks and Recreation, or having the market incorporated as a
Public Development Authority.
Table 17. Organizational Incorporation of Farmers Markets
Organizational Incorporation
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Non-profit 69 57
Project of a non-profit 20 17
Business 15 12
Project of a business 2 2
Project of government department or agency 11 9
Other 4 3
Total
121 100
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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Table 18. Types of Non?Profit Incorporation among Farmers Markets
Types of Non-Profit Organizations
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Incorporated in the State of Washington only
31 44
Federal 501(c)3
24 34
Federal with another 501(c) tax status (e.g., 501c4 or 501c6)
11 16
Other non-profit
4 6
Total
70 100
Table 19. Types of Business Incorporation among Farmers Markets
Types of Businesses
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Sole proprietorship 6 40
S-corporation 3 20
LLC 3 20
Other 3 20
Total 15 100
ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT TOOLS
A market’s organizational structure and use of management tools vary in accordance with the
markets’ needs and size (Stephenson 2008). In our survey results, over 95% of markets said
they had vendor rules and guidelines and 75% had market by?laws (Table 20). Almost two?
thirds of farmers markets had a board of directors. The vast majority (72%) of farmers markets
with a board of directors were non?profit organizations or projects of non?profit organizations.
However, over a quarter (26%) of markets that were incorporated as businesses or projects of
businesses or run by a government entity also had boards of directors.
Table 20. Organizational Tools Used by Farmers Markets
Organizational Tool
Percentage of
Markets that are
Using Tool
N
Vendor rules/guidelines/policies or a vendor handbook 95 92
Vendor application form 93 92
Vendor sales report form 76 92
Market by-laws 75 91
Board of Directors 64 92
Professional accountant/bookkeeper 58 89
Market vendor memberships 47 89
Business plan 35 83
Strategic plan 30 82
Community memberships 27 86
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
21
SINGLE-MARKET AND MULTI-MARKET ORGANIZATIONS
Nearly two?thirds (65%) of farmers markets in Washington are managed by “single?market”
entities, meaning that the organizing non?profit, business or government?affiliated program
manages just that one market. Over one?third (35%) of farmers markets are managed by one of
fourteen “multi?market organizations.” These organizations managed from two to seven unique
farmers market locations.
FARMERS MARKETS’ ORGANIZATIONAL REVENUE
In contrast to the market or vendor sales, “organizational revenue” refers to the operating
funds that the market organizers raise for its management, administrative functions, and any
additional programming it might provide to vendors or the community. Markets raise operating
revenue through a variety of means, usually including sources listed in Figure 12. The amount of
organizational revenue reported by farmers markets in this study ranged widely, from under
$1,000 (4%) to over $100,000 (9%) (Table 21). Just under a third (31%) were in the $5,001 to
$25,000 category and just over a third were in the $25,001 to $100,000 range. The average
reported revenue per market was $48,342 and the median was $15,255. Table 22 breaks the
market revenue down by the most important sources. Fees from vendors, such as stall,
application, and membership fees, were by far the most common means of raising market
revenue. Markets also successfully secured a variety of grants, donations, sponsorships, and in?
kind support. Table 23 shows that 75% of markets were supported by volunteers.
Figure 12. Typical Farmers Market Revenue and Expenses
Table 21. Organizational Revenue per Farmers Market Location
Revenue category
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Under $1,000 3 4
$1,000 to $5,000 16 22
$5,001 to $25,000 23 31
$25,001 to $100,000 25 34
Over $100,000 7 9
Total 74 100
Revenue
Stall, membership and service fees from
vendors
Sponsorships
Fundraising events and other donations
Grants
Expenses
Staffing and professional services
Market promotions
Rents, utilities and equipment
Permits, licensing
Insurance
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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Table 22. Sources of Farmers Market Revenue by Highest Dollar Value
Source of Revenue
First
Highest
Second
Highest
Third
Highest
Vendor stall fees, market application or
membership fees
59 6 0
Grants 2 18 6
Donations 2 4 12
Sponsorships 1 11 4
Other* 2 7 5
N =66
* “Other” included market merchandising, fundraising events, additional vendors services and equipment rental.
Table 23. Additional Sources of Support for Farmers Markets
Source of Support Received
Percentage of Markets
that Received Support
Volunteer labor 75
Reduced or free rent 63
Other grants 41
Reduced or free advertising 37
Reduced permit cost from local government 22
Hotel/motel tax grants 10
Other 5
N ranges from 81 to 85
VENDOR FEES
As the farmers markets’ primary “customer,” vendors pay for booth space and other services
(e.g. market promotion, token programs, security). We investigated the different ways that
markets collected fees from vendors and to what degree this revenue was sufficient to cover all
of the costs of doing business for the farmers market. We also looked at the ways market
organizations were garnering the additional financial and in?kind resources needed to operate.
Table 24. Vendor Stall, Application/Membership Fees as Percentage of Farmers Market
Revenue
Percentage of Market Revenue from Vendor Stall
Fees, Market Application or Membership Fee
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Under 25% 4 6
26 to 50% 8 12
51 to 75% 15 22
76 to 99% 24 35
100% 18 25
Total 69 100
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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Table 25. Methods Farmers Markets Use to Charge Vendors for Stall Space
Methods of Charging*
Percentage of
Markets Using
Method
Flat rate fee 87
Membership or application fee 40
Percent of sales 38
Did not charge vendors 3
Other 3
N’s range from 119 to 123
* Respondents could check more than one method.
Table 26. Combinations of Vendor Charges at Farmers Markets
Vendor Fee
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Flat fee 30 27
Flat fee (variable) 14 13
Flat fee and percentage of sales 4 4
Flat fee or percentage of sales 10 9
Flat or flat variable fee plus application, membership,
registration, or other one-time market fee
27 24
Percentage of sales plus application or membership fee 8 7
Combination of flat fee and/or percentage of sales and/or
membership fee
19 17
Total 112 100
Approximately 42% of markets charged vendors an annual membership, application,
registration, permit or other one?time market fee. These fees ranged from $10 to $100 and the
average amount charged was $32.00.
FARMERS MARKETS’ ORGANIZATIONAL EXPENSES
The variety and amount of expenses incurred by organizations operating a farmers market in
Washington State are often difficult to recognize and quantify (Figure 12). The total expenses
reported on our survey for each market were highly varied, from under $1,000 (11%) to over
$100,000 (9%)(Table 27). On average, Washington markets had operating expenses of $44,837
and the median was $10,812.
The most significant operating expense for most markets was personnel, followed by marketing
and promotion (Table 28). Table 29 examines personnel and staff expenses as a proportion of
each market’s total expenses. We found that a quarter of the markets’ personnel was zero
percent of their budget, implying that they had no paid staff. For another 37% of markets, these
costs only constituted 50% or less of their operating expenses. For the remaining 37% of
markets, personnel and staff costs were more than 50% of their expense budget. The variation
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
24
in funding spent on marketing, promotion and special events was striking, with 32% spending
less than $1,000 a year, while 13% spent $10,000 or more annually (Table 30). Four percent of
markets had annual marketing budgets over $25,000.
Table 27. Organizational Expenses per Farmers Market Location
Revenue category
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Under $1,000 9 11
$1,000 to $5,000 19 24
$5,001 to $25,000 27 34
$25,001 to $100,000 17 22
Over $100,000 7 9
Total 79 100
Table 28. Farmers Market Expenses by Highest Dollar Value
Expenses
First
Highest
Second
Highest
Third
Highest
Personnel/staff
38 11 2
Marketing, promotion, special events
17 33 10
Rent, permits/licensing, insurance
8 12 12
Equipment
2 4 6
Office, software, postage
2 1 13
Fee to fiscal sponsor
0 0 3
Other*
4 3 13
Total
71 64 59
* The most common “other” expenses were music at the market and professional services.
Table 29. Personnel/Staff Expenses as Percentage of Total Expenses
Amount
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Zero*
19 25
1 to 25%
7 9
26 to 50%
21 28
51 to 75%
24 32
76 to 99%
4 5
Total
75 100
* Zero implies that there were no paid staff.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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Table 30. Marketing, Promotion and Special Event Expenses Per Market
Amount
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Zero 4 5
$1 to $1,000 20 27
$1,001 to $5,000 32 43
$5,001 to $10,000 9 12
$10,001 to $25,000 7 9
Over $25,000 3 4
Total 75 100
BALANCE OF FARMERS MARKET REVENUE AND EXPENSES
This section examines the balance of operating revenues and expenses among Washington
farmers markets, an important aspect of long?term financial stability. Table 31 shows that,
according to the numbers reported on the survey, the majority (79%) of markets were breaking
even or coming out ahead with their revenue generated relative to their costs. However, fifteen
markets (21%) appeared to have insufficient revenue to cover their expenses. When asked
about the long?term economic sustainability of their markets in a different question, 86% of
respondents were positive, 3% answered negatively and 11% were uncertain (Table 32).
Table 31. Difference between Reported Farmers Market Revenue and Expenses
Balance
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Negative number (in the red) 15 21
Even (break-even) 3 4
Positive (in the black) 53 75
Total 71 100
Table 32. Future Economic Outlook for Farmers Markets
Do you think your market will be able to
economically sustain itself over the next 5 years?
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Yes 84 86
No 3 3
Don't know 11 11
Total 98 100
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FARMERS MARKET SALES AND REVENUE
There is often an assumption that farmers markets with greater vendor sales will also have
greater revenue for their operational budget. Given the variety of ways that markets charge
vendors for stall space, membership and other services, it is important to look more closely at
this assumption. For the 63 markets that reported both revenue and total sales on our survey,
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
26
their total market revenue, on average, was 14% of their reported sales. Figure 13 shows a
linear relationship between increasing sales and the organizational revenue generated for the
market. However, for each individual market, there is a great deal of variation in the proportion
of revenue generated relative to sales. Markets with similar amounts of sales may differ
substantially in the amount of revenue available to meet operating expenses.
Figure 13. Farmers Market Revenue relative to Total Vendor Sales
FARMERS MARKET SITES
Information was gathered on the kinds of sites used by farmers markets, ranging from parking
lots and streets to public parks, churches, and other privately owned properties. We also asked
about who owned the site, the costs to use the site, the permitting and regulations
encountered, and the long?term security or permanence of the site. Table 33 shows that the
most common types of locations were parking lots (39%), streets (22%), and parks (16%).
Correspondingly, two?thirds of sites were owned by government entities (Figure 14).
Table 33. Types of Farmers Market Sites
Type of Market Site
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Parking lot 36 39
Street 20 22
Park 15 16
Plaza 7 8
Other* 15 16
Total 93 100
* “Other” included farms, permanent structures, schools and vacant lots.
$0
$50,000
$100,000
$150,000
$200,000
$250,000
$300,000
$0 $500,000 $1,000,000 $1,500,000 $2,000,000 $2,500,000 $3,000,000 $3,500,000
M
a
r
k
e
t
R
e
v
e
n
u
e
Vendor Sales
N = 63
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
27
Figure 14. Owners of Farmers Market Sites
Perhaps indicative of the frequent reliance on publicly owned sites, 71% of markets reported
that they paid no rent.
10
Of the markets that did pay rent, 48% paid by year with rents ranging
from $50 to $100,000 (Table 34). While many markets were not charged rent, 60% of markets
were required to get a combination of permits, fees and licenses (Table 35), including a right of
way permit, farmers market right of way use permit, event permit, street closure permit, parks
department permit, fire department permit, general business license and city?specific business
license. In addition, markets described needing to secure approval or a written agreement from
a range of agencies including the board of a Park District, City Council/Town Council for either
the market site and/or use of a parking lot.
The long?term availability of the market site was reported as poor by only 13% of respondents
(Table 36). However, over two?thirds (68%) of farmers markets that were 10 or more years old
have had to move at least once. On average, markets 10 years or older had moved 2.2 times.
This includes one market that moved nine times (Table 37). The farmers market location was
also mentioned in market goals (Table 38) and challenges (Table 41).
Table 34. Rent Paid for Farmers Market Site
Payment term Average ($) Minimum ($) Maximum ($)
Week 138 15 350
Month 500 500 500
Season 582 25 2,000
Year 10,080 50 100,000
N =25
10
This includes one market that reported paying $1.00 per year for rent.
13%
66%
18%
3%
Church, school, or community organization
City, County or other government
Private enterprise
Individual
N = 93
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
28
Table 35. Terms, Conditions or Permits Required to Use Farmers Market Site
What were the terms/conditions or permits required to use your market
site in 2009?
Key Themes
Percentage
of Markets
Permits, fees and licenses required by the County, Health Department and/or City 60
The market had to provide proof of liability insurance 18
Markets were required to pick up litter, garbage 10
N =78
Some respondents described multiple terms/conditions or required permits.
Table 36. Long?Term Availability of Farmers Market Site
Site Characteristic
Poor
1 2 3 4
Excellent
5
Long-term availability of
farmers market site
9% 4% 12% 19% 55%
N =89
Table 37. Number of Times Farmers Markets 10 years or Older Changed Location
Number of times farmers market changed location
(for markets 10 years or older)
Number of
Markets
Percentage
0 10 32
1 5 16
2 to 4 10 32
5 or more 6 19
Total 31 100
LONG-TERM GOALS AND CHALLENGES FACING THE MARKET ORGANIZATION
This section examines the responses of the market representatives to a set of questions that
asked about their market’s long?term goals and their most significant challenges. When asked
about their long?term aspirations in an open?ended question, market representatives expressed
a wide variety of goals and a strong sense of service.
The most frequent themes, as listed in Table 38 below, included organizational development
goals that would enhance financial and personnel management; improve vendor recruitment,
quality, and sales; and increase community engagement with the market. Other goals centered
on improving sales through attracting and educating customers. Goals to improve the market
location were also significant for some respondents. Only three respondents said they did not
have any long?term goals.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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Table 38. Long?Term Goals of Farmers Markets
What is your long-term goal for your market?
Key Themes
Percentage
of Markets
Market stability and growth Goals included making the market self-
sustaining financially, paying the manager more, growing the market, and
keeping the market going.
53
Community. Goals included increasing community participation in the market
and reaching out to non-profits, schools, local businesses, and city officials.
Other goals focused on educating the community to eat locally, shop locally,
and increase their knowledge of food and farming. Being a “community hub”
and contributing economically were also noted.
42
Vendors and products. Goals included increasing sales, especially for
farmers, expanding the market’s vendor base, and improving the product mix
and quality.
41
Customers. The predominant goal was to increase the number of market
customers, and to get more of the community to shop at the market.
32
Market location. The predominant goals were to get a permanent location or
larger space for the market.
17
N =98
Some respondents described multiple goals.
The following quotes taken from the open?ended responses to the above question about long?
term market goals offer additional insights and details. On the theme of market stability and
growth, financial sustainability was mentioned repeatedly. For example, one respondent
explained that the goal for their market was to “increase market size to the point where there
is a full?time person that runs it with a professionalism that really keeps it going” and another
hoped their market would “stay a viable business within the area.” One respondent linked
market sustainability to policy:
I want to see markets be sustainable on their own. Now the big markets are subsidizing the small ones.
I want public policy to truly, truly provide support. Nationwide, it's only a small percentage (of
markets) that are self?sustaining. Most rely on grants, funding, volunteer hours. It's a house of cards.
Other stability and growth?related goals focused on larger food security needs with dreams
such as to “keep building until we get a supermarket out here.”
On the theme of community goals, many respondents expressed a strong commitment to
improving life in their community through the market stating that they wanted to “continue
serving our neighbors and community with healthy food” or “provide fresh produce to the
public and make it more accessible.” Others also noted goals to maintain a “relationship with
the city and downtown core businesses” and make connections with the schools:
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
30
My long?term goal is to build the connections and market partnerships with schools and other
community groups … to partner with many different schools, not just high schools but middle schools
and elementary schools to provide or assist in developing interconnections with the farmers market
and our vendors.
In terms of vendor?related goals, some respondents stated simply that they wanted “continued
success for farmers” or for “sales to farmers to go up.” Another respondent wanted to “support
farmers anyway that I can” and saw “having space for them as a way to help them
economically.” Other comments were centered on attracting more farmer vendors with high
quality products to their market. Examples of such goals were:
To increase the quality … keep searching for quality vendors. I want more farm products, cheese, wine.
I want it to be real. I want to keep it true and authentic. If there is bread, I want the wheat from WA. I
want WA products to be sold and represented at our market.
To keep operating and to encourage farms to participate. Our local farmers are attracted to the Seattle
markets where they make more money rather than support their local rural market.
Goals related to attracting more customers recognized that farmers market shoppers currently
constitute only a very small fraction of overall food consumers. As one market representative
stated, “there are a whole lot—90% or more—of eaters to get to.” Respondents had goals for
consumer education in order to expand their base of informed and regular shoppers. Some saw
the growing awareness of farmers markets as an opportunity:
I want people to see farmers markets as the best possible option for shopping for fresh and local food.
People don't know the difference between green beans, purple beans, wax beans. One woman came
up to me and asked for bananas. People need to know what is able to be grown here and what is not.
So basically—know food, know environment, maintain numbers and community. Food 101.
Good nutrition, information about farms and farming. Education about what it is. To get food out and
get people to understand the benefits of local food products.
My gut feeling is that we've got a strong farmers market movement in the country. There's a high
consciousness around it. I just read in Parade (weekly news) about some celebrities—"What do you do
on a Saturday morning? Well, the whole family goes down to the farmers market."
When survey participants were asked about the challenges facing their markets, several issues
rose to the top, ranging from regulatory barriers to the difficulties of attracting sufficient
numbers of shoppers and the desired types of vendors. Over half (54%) of market
representatives indicated that they faced regulatory barriers (Table 39). Most (70%) of these
respondents described challenges with their county health department and 39% listed
regulatory challenges with specific products sold at their market. The lack of commercial
kitchens and processing infrastructure were also identified as regulatory barriers (Table 40).
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
31
Table 39. Farmers Markets Facing Regulatory Barriers
Are you facing any regulatory barriers (such as health
regulations, permits, etc.) related to products sold (or
products you would like to sell) at your market?
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Yes 46 54
No 35 41
Not applicable 4 5
Total 85 100
Table 40. Regulatory Barriers Described by Farmers Markets
Description of Regulatory Barriers
Key Themes
Percentage
Local health department policies, inspection practices and permit fees. 70
Regulations around specific products being sold at farmers markets. 39
Lack of available commercial kitchens or other food processing infrastructure. 11
N =46
Some respondents described regulatory barriers.
When asked about challenges more broadly, most market representatives commented on the
challenges associated with attracting more shoppers and the right quality and mix of vendors
(Table 41). The market location was the third most common challenge described by
respondents (Table 41). Other challenges described by managers included challenges with
being able to effectively advertise with limited budgets, overall funding constraints, working
with the city government, staffing, managing a new market, managing market growth,
competition from other markets, market location, and the weather.
Table 41. Challenges Facing Farmers Markets
What has been the most significant challenge for your market?
Key Themes
Percentage
of Markets
Shoppers. Attracting more market customers and getting them to buy more
from vendors
30
Vendors. Recruiting or attracting vendors to the market, especially farmers,
and getting the right mix of vendors.
27
Location. Having to move the market and other location challenges such as
construction, parking, and finding a permanent site.
21
N =89
Some respondents described multiple challenges.
In reviewing the top market goals and challenges provided by survey respondents, several
recurrent themes were interrelated. Most notable were the goals and challenges associated
with attracting more shoppers and the right kinds of vendors, as well as the related
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
32
management goals of strong vendor sales and financial sustainability for the market. Other
significant challenges were regulatory and permitting requirements and location or site issues.
To summarize, three?fourths of all markets were formally organized as non?profits or under
non?profits, while the rest were organized as private businesses or under government entities.
Local sources such as fees from vendors were the most common source of market revenue,
with additional support provided by volunteerism, reduced or free rent, and grants. The
revenue generated per market varied widely, from under $1,000 to over $100,000. While
average market revenue was $48,342, the median was only $15,255, indicating that many
markets were subsisting on extremely low budgets. Revenue generally increased in relationship
to market sales, however, markets with similar sales sometimes captured vastly differing
amounts of revenue. This was especially evident among markets with lower sales. Staffing and
marketing were the largest expenses reported. Over 86% of markets were positive about their
market’s five?year economic outlook, while 14% were uncertain. Long?term goals and
challenges included organizational development, attracting vendors and shoppers, and
addressing regulatory and siting issues.
? Community and Environmental Dynamics
The business model of a farmers market is without an easy analogy. On the one hand they are
centered around commerce on behalf of a collection of vendors. This sometimes leads farmers
markets to be compared to “shopping malls”; as both farmers markets and shopping malls
aggregate independent businesses in one physical location. However, this analogy does not
account for market seasonality and the variability of vendors. Likewise, and perhaps more
crucially, the shopping mall analogy fails to account for critical dynamics such as the social
mission, volunteer commitment, and community and environmental goals of many market
organizations.
Our study looked broadly at the nature of the interactions between farmers markets and their
surrounding communities. We also wanted to examine the extent to which market
organizations had developed specific goals or missions related to community development,
community food access, social justice and environmental sustainability.
FARMERS MARKET MISSION
We asked respondents about the primary motivation for starting their farmers market. Thirty?
six percent selected “to support farmers” (Table 42). The next most frequently selected
motivations were “to improve community access to fresh farm produce” (24%) and “to improve
community access to healthy foods” (9%). Taken together, improving community access to
fresh and healthy foods constituted a third of the responses.
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Table 42. Primary Motivation for Starting Farmers Market
Primary Motivation
Number of
Markets
Percentage
To support farmers 32 36
To improve community access to fresh farm produce 22 24
To improve community access to healthy foods 8 9
To create a fun community event 7 8
To promote economic development 5 4
To help local business district 2 2
To support/incubate small businesses 1 1
Other* 14 15
Total 90 100
* The most frequent “other” was a combination of motivations.
SERVING LOW-INCOME SHOPPERS
The importance of serving low?income community members emerged as a strong value of many
market organizations. Nearly one?half (48%) of respondents believed “serving low?income
community members” was “very important” to their market mission, while only 2% believed
this was “not important” (Table 43). Up to 88% of farmers markets developed strategies for
serving low?income community members, with common practices such as working with the
Federal Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) to accept checks from the “Women, Infant,
and Children” (WIC FMNP) and low?income Senior FMNP programs, arranging transportation,
and donating produce (Table 44).
Forty?five percent of markets said they had Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card readers to
accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits (formerly food stamps). Of
these markets, 81% said that having the EBT card readers had increased their sales by a small
amount (Table 45). Of the 46 markets that provided an estimate, an average of just over 4,000
pounds of produce per market was donated to food banks and other assistance programs
(Table 46). This data does not account for other food products that may be donated such as
bread, dairy and eggs.
Table 43. Importance of Serving Low?Income Community Members
N = 87
Not
Important
1 2 3 4
Very
Important
5
How important was serving low-income
community members to your market
mission in 2009?
2% 7% 18% 24% 48%
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
34
Table 44. Strategies for Serving Low?Income Community Members
Market Strategy Percentage
Market vendors participate in WIC FMNP 88
Market vendors participate in Senior FMNP 88
The market or vendors within the market donate produce to a
food bank, pantry, soup kitchen or shelter
86
Market actively promotes WIC and/or EBT to service providers
and potential customers
78
Market offers EBT card reader for food stamp participants 45
Farmers market is located in or near a low-income neighborhood 32
Market helps arranges transportation to/from the market for
seniors and others
19
N ranges from 95 to 98
Table 45. Impact of Accepting EBT on Farmers Market Sales
No Increase
(%)
Small
Increase (%)
Large
Increase (%)
How has accepting EBT affected market sales? 6 81 14
N =36
Table 46. Estimated Pounds of Produce Donated Annually to Food Banks, Soup Kitchens and
Shelters by Farmers Markets
Pounds of
Produce
Average per farmers market 4,055
Total from all markets 186,548
N =46
The range of annual produce donations per market was from under 100 pounds to over 35,000
pounds. Other strategies used by markets to serve low?income shoppers include cooking and
chef demonstrations emphasizing affordability, providing booth space to service organizations,
providing discounts for seniors and military, providing market bucks or free tokens to increase
purchasing power at the market, cash donations for the food bank, and education around food
production and gardening.
PERCEIVED SHOPPER CHARACTERISTICS
Our survey asked respondents to estimate the percentage of shoppers at their markets that fit
into different income and racial/ethnic categories. Note that these are only estimates based on
the personal observations and perceptions of the survey respondents. While the responses to
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
35
our questions suggest certain patterns, we cannot reach definitive conclusions without further
empirical research that directly and systematically investigates shopper demographics. Based
on the limited information that could be gathered from our survey, it appears that the shoppers
at most Washington farmers markets are perceived to be fairly diverse in terms of
socioeconomic status and less diverse in terms of their racial/ethnic background (Table 47 and
48).
Table 47. Perceived Economic Mix of Shoppers
Markets with at least 25% of shoppers
described economically as:
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Low income 30 39
Upper income 28 37
N =76
Table 48. Perceived Racial/Ethnic Mix of Shoppers
Markets with at least 25% of shoppers
described racially/ethnically as:
Number of
Markets
Percentage
White (not Latino/Hispanic) 76 99
Latino/Hispanic 15 19
Asian or Asian American 2 3
Black or African American 0 0
Native American 0 0
N =77
VOLUNTEERS
Another measure of a farmers market’s connection with their community is the degree of
volunteer support it receives. Nearly three?fourths (73%) of the respondents reported that their
markets had volunteers (Table 49). Among the markets that used volunteers, the average
number of volunteer hours donated annually per market was 338 (Table 49).
Table 49. Volunteer Service at Farmers Markets
Volunteers Hours
Hours
(annual)
Number of
Markets
Average volunteer hours per market 338 56
Total volunteer hours from all farmers
markets that responded to survey
18,947 56
COMMUNITY IMPACTS
When asked an open?ended question about the specific ways in which their farmers markets
impacted their communities, all survey respondents answered in a positive way.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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Table 50. How Farmers Markets Benefit Their Communities
In what ways does your farmers market benefit the community?
Key Themes
Percentage
of Markets
Farmers markets bring fresh, healthy, local, organic, quality food/produce (that
is often otherwise unavailable) into the community.
64
Farmers markets create a community gathering place and enhance a sense of
community.
53
Farmers markets support farmers. They provide direct sales to farmers and
other vendors who don’t have brick and mortar storefronts.
45
N =99
Some respondents described multiple benefits.
Other significant themes focused on how farmers markets
? support local or small businesses;
? draw in tourists;
? enable people to buy direct from farmers, connect directly with growers, ask questions,
and build trust and transparency, especially around food safety;
? educate people about local foods and agriculture;
? provide space for non?profit groups; and
? serve low?income people by providing affordable food and access to the FMNP or EBT
programs.
The excerpts below offer a flavor of the extensive responses provided to the question of how
farmers markets impact communities. Although not included in their entirety here, some of the
responses were quite lengthy and many of the respondents reported multiple ways their
markets benefited community members.
It unites communities. We have entertainment for multi?ethnic groups to draw a very diverse crowd
… We create a very convenient access point for local citizens to get fresh, local food. We try to focus
on giving priority to [our] county’s farmers. We incubate new farms and small businesses.
It helps maintain small, self?sufficient farmers in the nearby county and region, food stability, and
helping people earn living wages for their work. That's number 1. Number 2 would be that we are
actively, subtly, and consistently educating urban residents who have been over the years removed
from their connection to their food source … Along with that we provide a delightful, beautiful, and
stimulating family?friendly atmosphere and space to gather, meet friends and enjoy other people in
the community, known and unknown … Number 4—we bring anywhere from ... 8 to 1,000 pairs of
feet into a community area or business area that would not necessarily be coming there regularly
and introduce them to surrounding businesses.
Now we set?up cooking classes on Tuesdays at the high school. People collect food from the market
on Sunday, keep it in the refrigerator Monday, then cook on Tuesday. We've had 20 students, and
chefs coming in, and overall health and education. It's a real kick to connect with schools. I really,
really feel that is our future.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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We strive to bring fresh fruits and veggies to the people in the community so they don't have to go
outside the community to get them. Also they are local and better for people because they are fresh.
It has given us a chance to revitalize our city’s identity as a farming community.
Community has really come out to support our market. I've heard from the city council and from
people all over town that this has been the best community project that's happened … in a long, long
time. In 2009 we were invited to the city council and I and three other women were recognized; they
made us citizens of the year. So it's been extraordinarily well received ... Community groups I didn't
know existed came to be a part of it … We get 2,000 shoppers per day and people stay for quite a
while. We have all sorts of activities for all sorts of people groups. Local businesses are supported.
Everywhere I go people are saying "When's the market going to open?"
Last year we had over 35 unique vendors and out of them there are 10–12 where that's all they do,
so there's the economic impact, which is about half a million dollars. Also we put our producers in
direct contact with consumers, which in my opinion is the best technique to insure the ethical nature
of the farming practices.
[This] is the 4th oldest market in state, it has continuity. [This] is a more ag?based community so it
provides an outlet for established farmers—we have some 300?year old farms that sell—and new
farmers. It's the hub of the community every Saturday. It's located on a public green by the post
office, so people come downtown.
We do a lot of surveys and we've learned the farmers market shopper base is made of people who
want diversity and quality products. They also want to buy directly from a farmer. They also support
the local economy—they've made a conscious decision to do this. They love the sense of community
at farmers markets. They also care about the safety of the food and have made a conscious choice to
come to the farmers market because they trust farmers; there is a level of transparency … we have
worked with our farmers for so many years—I've seen the number increase 5 or 6 fold. Farmers are
making maximum profit by selling directly to customers.
We give small farms access to shoppers. We give shoppers access to local food. It's a community
gathering place and a tourist activity. It's another reason to shop downtown. The shops downtown
enjoy having us.
We are a community gathering place, a free weekly community event, centered around healthy food
and making connections.
Well, the customers get local food. Then local people get jobs. We have farmers and crafters. The
whole thing is geared toward regular people. There aren't any chains or corporate presence.
As evidenced by these quotes, the farmers market representatives who answered the survey
saw their markets as both an integral part of the fabric of their communities and a tool that
could be used to make those communities stronger.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
Respondents were questioned about their market’s environmental practices and impacts. Table
51 illustrates that most market organizations have selected locations that are highly accessible
to alternative forms of transportation. Markets did not receive as many high marks for their
waste management programs, with just over half the markets implementing recycling and only
19% practicing composting (Table 52). When we asked an open?ended question about the ways
in which farmers markets help the environment, many of the responses were quite detailed,
indicating that the respondents had given this issue significant prior consideration. The top
three themes that emerged were the environmental benefits of reduced transportation
distances, incentives for good environmental farming practices, and public education about
good environmental practices, including modeling sustainable waste management at the
market (Table 53).
Table 51. Environmentally?friendly Means of Getting to Farmers Markets
Means
Number of Markets
with Good or
Excellent Access
Percentage
with Good or
Excellent Access
Walking 74 82
Bike 83 92
Public Transportation 56 65
N ranges from 86 to 90
Table 52. Recycling and Composting at Farmers Markets
Number of
Markets
Percentage
Recycling 48 53
Composting 17 19
N =90
Table 53. Farmers Markets’ Impacts on the Environment
In what ways does your farmers market help the environment?
Key Themes
Percentage
of Markets
Reducing food miles, shopper miles, fuel consumption and pollution 60
Encouraging environmentally sound and organic farming practices among
farmers
51
Educating the public and modeling sustainable practices, especially around
waste reduction and recycling
40
N =98
Some respondents described multiple ways their market helped the environment.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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Other significant themes included the role that farmers markets play in providing markets for
environmentally minded local farmers and shoppers, consumer education about eating
seasonally and locally, reducing the amount of packaging that is used, being located in a site
that is within walking distance, protecting farmland, inspiring gardening, and offering
environmental non?profits space at the market. The following quotes elaborate on these
themes:
We create a lot of environmental awareness, a lot of education and outreach within the market and
portable learning sessions which we take out into the community to schools and civic groups about the
importance of organic and natural farming so they understand how it relates to clean air, clean soil,
clean water. We talk at length about the carbon footprint and about buying local. We encourage local
shopping and our location helps reduce the distance that vendors and shoppers need to travel.
Fifty percent or more are sustainable farmers. All are very conscious of what we can do to help the
environment and educate young people about maintaining the land, farmland in particular, and the
impacts of herbicides and pesticides.
Biggest impact would be our market has implemented a zero waste market. Generated zero garbage.
Educated our community about how easy it is to do this. We have recycling and composting available
at the market. To be accepted vendors must agree any trash they generate must be compostable or
recyclable.
Analysis of respondents’ comments shows that community and environmental goals constitute
strong components of many markets’ organizational missions. Moreover, these goals influence
their practical management practices. The commitment of so many markets to serving low?
income community members was particularly striking, with 88% of markets participating in
federal nutrition assistance programs and 86% making produce donations. The majority of
survey respondents could point to a variety of ways that their markets were making significant
community and environmental contributions.
? Farmers Market Personnel
Farmers market organizations juggle a diverse mix of responsibilities. In addition to the core
functions of providing stall space for vendors and actively promoting the market to attract
shoppers, most farmers market organizations are also responsible for:
• assessing shopper demand for farmers market vendors;
• envisioning and establishing an ideal vendor mix to draw in shoppers, recruit vendors and
guiding vendor policies (application process, rules, etc.);
• determining the market’s niche in terms of seasonality, day of the week, and hours;
• securing a location (and permitting) with adequate parking, public safety, and shopper
accessibility;
• recruiting and supervising a market manager and volunteer labor;
• understanding and meeting all local, state, and federal regulations related to health and
safety, direct sales, and arranging police and fire protection and waste management;
• developing appropriate organizational policies and practices;
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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• managing the market’s finances, raising sufficient revenue, securing insurance, and paying
taxes;
• providing public amenities, such as access to bathrooms and seating; and
• creating a festive atmosphere on market day (typically including music and signage) and
organizing events to draw in customers (Stephenson 2008, Ostrom and Lyons 2012).
If a farmers market chooses to participate in food assistance programs such as the Farmers
Market Nutrition Program or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps) then
the market is required to obtain additional permitting, staffing, accounting, program
management, reporting and outreach.
This work is typically accomplished by a combination of paid staff, the market’s owner?
operators, vendors, board members and volunteers. It is usually the farmers market manager
who represents and coordinates everyone at the market. The actual scope of duties, time
demands, and job positions vary greatly among market managers. In our survey, we wanted to
understand the current norms of these positions and the larger picture of farmers market
personnel. The wide diversity of personnel policies among markets, seasonality of markets, and
the tendency to subsidize formal paid manager duties with volunteer duties make this a
challenging and complex task. In addition, high market manager turnover has been associated
with greater risk of farmers market failure (Stephenson 2008).
FARMERS MARKET STAFFING
We asked how many employees a market had based on the four employment categories listed
in Table 54 below. The survey did not define “employee” and the implication is that an
employee is a paid position. We did not specify whether or not to count contract positions.
Also, volunteer positions or owners who function as a manager may or may not have been
counted. Given the wide range of farmers market seasons, we did not define “seasonal.” For
our immediate purposes, “seasonal” is assumed to mean anything less than year?round.
Likewise, “full?time” and “part?time” were not defined in the survey and left to interpretation
by the respondent. The results show that markets employ relatively few full?time, year?round
employees and, instead, rely heavily on part?time and seasonal employees.
Table 54. Total Number of Farmers Market Employees by Status
Employment Status
11
Total
Number of
Employees
Full?time, year?round 29
Part?time, year?round 31
Full?time, seasonal 10
Part?time, seasonal 79
Total (N = 80) 150
11
If the number of employees for a multi?market organization were reported in the aggregate, then an average
was calculated for each market.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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Figure 15. Farmers Market Employees by Type
Table 55. Average Year?Round and Seasonal Employees at Farmers Markets
Year?Round
(full?time and
part?time)
Seasonal
(full?time and
part?time)
Average 0.8 1.1
Median 1.0 0.9
N = 80
Table 56. All Employees by Farmers Market Size
Market Size
(number of vendors
on a typical day)
Average Minimum Maximum
Number of
Markets
Very small (10 or less) 0.8 0.0 3.0
12
Small (11 to 30) 1.4 0.0 6.0 36
Medium (31 to 50) 2.5 0.0 9.0 21
Large (51 to 100) 3.3 1.0 7.0 7
Very large (Over 100) 3.3 1.3 5.0 4
FARMERS MARKET MANAGER COMPENSATION
Over three?quarters (78%) of the farmers markets in our survey had one market manager
position filled by one person (Table 57Error! Reference source not found.). However, one in
five markets (22%) had either more than one manager position or had one position shared by
two people, suggesting some flexibility in staffing.
Full?time, year
round
19%
Part?time,
year?round
21%
Full?time,
seasonal
7%
Part?time,
seasonal
53%
N = 80
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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Table 57. Types of Farmers Market Manager Positions
Number of
Markets
Percentage
One manager position (filled by one person) 70 78
One shared manager position (filled by two people) 12 13
More than one manager position 8 9
Total 90 100
Overall 65% of all farmers market manager positions were paid. If analyzed by market size, the
percent of paid managers increased with market size (Table 58). Of the unpaid managers, over
90% were at small or very small markets.
If analyzed in relation to the total annual market sales categories, the percent of paid managers
increased with market sales (Table 59). There was also a distinct increase in paid managers at
markets with sales over $100,000 (Table 59); over 91% of unpaid managers were at markets
with sales of $100,000 or less.
If analyzed by how the market was incorporated organizationally, distinct patterns emerge
again. Non?profit farmers markets were more likely to have paid managers; however, if the
market was a project of a non?profit, then managers were less likely to be paid (Table 60). If the
market was incorporated as a business, there was an even split between paid and unpaid
managers. And, finally, if the market was a project of a government agency, 100% of managers
were paid (Table 60).
If analyzed by geographic region, a notably higher percentage of managers in Northwest and
Southwest Washington were paid (Table 61). In the North Central and South Central regions,
well over half of the managers were unpaid (Table 61).
Table 58. Unpaid and Paid Market Managers by Farmers Market Size
Market Size
(number of vendors
on a typical day)
Unpaid
(percentage)
Paid
(percentage)
Number of
Markets
Very small (10 or less) 77 23
22
Small (11 to 30) 41 59
54
Medium (31 to 50) 11 89
28
Large (51 to 100) 9 91
11
Very large (Over 100) 0 100
6
Total 35 65 112
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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Table 59. Unpaid and Paid Market Managers by Farmers Market Sales Category
Market Sales Category
Unpaid
(percentage)
Paid
(percentage)
Number of
Markets
$5,000 or less 100 0 4
$5,001 to $25,000 57 43 14
$25,001 to $100,000 39 61 23
$100,001 to $250,000 6 94 18
$250,001 to $500,000 6 94 17
Over $500,000 0 100 14
Total 26 74 90
Table 60. Unpaid and Paid Managers by Type of Organization
Organizational
Incorporation
Unpaid
(percentage)
Paid
(percentage)
Number of
Markets
Non-profit 24 76 68
Project of a non-profit 60 40 20
Business 53 47 15
Project of a business 50 50 2
Project of government
department or agency
0 100 11
Other 100 0 4
Total 35 65 120
Table 61. Unpaid and Paid Market Managers by Region of Washington
Region of Washington
Unpaid
(percentage)
Paid
(percentage)
Number of
Markets
Northwest 18 82 66
Southwest 35 65 17
North Central 64 36 11
South Central 80 20 10
Eastern 56 44 18
Total 35 65 112
The precise amount paid to managers was difficult to ascertain. A complicating factor was that
managers (as well as co?managers and assistant managers) were paid by various terms: by
hour, by week, by month, by season, or by the year. The most common method (41%) was to
pay a manager per hour (Figure 16). The average hourly rate for managers was $16.00 (Table
62).
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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Figure 16. Term of Payment for Market Managers
Table 62. Average Wages by Farmers Market Position and Term of Payment
Market Position Hour Week Month Season Year N
Market Manager $ 16 $ 104 $ 775 $ 5,171 $ 19,510 64
Co?manager $ 70 $ 1,250 4
Market Manager, assistant $ 13 $ 500 $ 2,487 $ 2,220 7
Total 78
MARKET MANAGER TURNOVER
Given the demanding roles and responsibilities of farmers market managers in conjunction with
the inconsistent compensation patterns, market manager turnover is a serious concern and risk
factor for market success (Stephenson 2008). Our survey results show that markets reported
having from one to eight managers in a ten year period (1999 to 2009). The overall average for
77 farmers markets was 2.3 managers. There was a dramatic variation in the amount of
manager turnover across markets of the same age, with a significant percentage in each age
category that had the same manager during the same ten year period (Table 63). In contrast, at
the upper end of the spectrum, some of the younger markets have had a new manager every 1?
2 years (Table 63).
Table 63. Number of Farmers Market Managers between 1999 and 2009
Age of Farmers Market Average Minimum Maximum
Percentage
with 1
manager
Number of
Markets
Under 4 years 1.4 1 3 69 26
5 to 9 years 1.9 1 5 47 19
10 to 19 years 3.1 1 7 7 15
20 to 29 years 3.2 1 5 20 5
30 to 39 years 3.6 1 8 25 8
Over 50 years 2 1 3 50 2
Hour
41%
Week
14%
Month
10%
Season
10%
Year
25%
N = 78
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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MANAGER REFLECTIONS ON FARMERS MARKETS AND THE ROLE OF A MANAGER
In an open?ended question, we asked managers who responded to the survey to reflect on the
farmers market manager position, staff, and volunteers. The following are examples of
respondents’ comments. Being a farmers market manager appears to be a very demanding
position associated with a range of challenges from juggling multiple competing demands to
low pay to feeling underappreciated by vendors and market organizations.
It is the most stressful and difficult job I have ever had. There are so many organizations, community
members, customers, vendors, etc. to maintain and keep happy. It is a very involved process to
manage a farmers market.
In need of financial support. I really thought, as the market grew in popularity we would receive
financial assistance from our local government.
I believe the amount of work required of market managers is sometimes underestimated and
undervalued and as a result the positions are more often than not underpaid which I think accounts
for high turnover in some areas.
Market managers need to be valued more by their organizations. Living wages need to be paid.
Benefits need to be provided for by the organization.
It's an exciting time to be working in this field.
While market managers were clear about the challenging aspects of this demanding position, it
was also obvious that many had a passionate commitment to the larger ideals of farmers
markets. They talked about how opportunities such as supporting farmers, creating a
community gathering place, working collaboratively, and bringing healthy foods to their
communities brought meaning to their work and were a great source of personal reward.
I love our farmers market; the experience and being a part of the growth, what our market offers our
customers, the integrity of the vendors, the [city’s] support, what our market can do for the local
businesses, everything you can think of involving the market makes me think of how lucky I am to be
involved and it makes me a better person.
The success of this market is based on the fact that we embraced the many talents of the community
and welcomed a larger variety of vendors. We wanted a European styled open air market to meet the
many needs and interests of the public.
I've enjoyed the role in the community that this position has created, and the impact the market has
in the community.
It is always rewarding to be at the farmers market. People who really enjoy fresh food types as well as
offering excellent fruits/veggies to people who cannot normally afford them. This market is extremely
friendly, vendors enjoy being friends with each other and the clients. Everyone looks forward to the
next Saturday.
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
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Thus the roles played by market managers and, consequently, their experiences are multi?
faceted and complex, eliciting both positive and negative reflections and comments.
CHARACTERISTICS OF MARKET MANAGERS
Among the farmers markets that participated in the survey, 92% of respondents were “market
managers” including current market managers, a past manager, directors of farmers market
associations, market staff, or some combination of roles. The remaining respondents were
primarily market board members.
Among these market managers, almost three?quarters (73%) were female (Table 64). Ages
ranged from 22 to 74 years old, with an average age just over 50 (Table 65). Managers had a
wide range of formal education, from high school (2%) to graduate or other professional
degrees (11%). Almost half (49%) had at least a two? or four?year college degree (Table 66). On
average, respondents had 5.6 years of experience managing farmers markets and 35% had 6 or
more years of experience (Table 67).
Table 64. Gender of Farmers Market Managers
Gender Number Percentage
Male 22 27
Female 59 73
Total 81 100
Table 65. Age of Farmers Market Managers
Age of Managers Years
Average 50.6
Youngest 22
Oldest 74
Total 80
Table 66. Formal Education of Farmers Market Managers
Highest level of formal education
Number of
Managers
Percentage
High school diploma or equivalent 2 2
Some college, but no degree 21 26
2-year college degree 10 12
4-year college degree 36 44
Some graduate school 3 4
Graduate degree or professional degree 9 11
Total 81 100
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
47
Table 67. Farmers Market Manager Experience
Year managing farmers market
Number of
Managers
Percentage
Up to 5 years 48 65
6 to 10 years 15 20
11 to 20 years 11 15
Total 74 100
In summary, beyond the fundamentals of providing vendor stalls and promoting the market,
market organizations also have myriad responsibilities related to developing market bylaws and
policies, staffing, siting, product mix, scheduling operating hours, budgeting, regulations and
permitting, holding events, providing public amenities, etc. Our survey results showed that this
work was primarily being carried out by a combination of part?time, seasonal, and volunteer
labor. Despite the wide extent of farmers market activities and commerce in Washington, our
survey only identified 29 full?time market employees in the state. Manager turnover rates
varied significantly across markets from very low to very high, indicating a need for further
research on the organizational characteristics that lead to higher retention rates. When asked
to provide comments on their roles, many market managers expressed a deep commitment to
the ideals of improving their communities through farmers markets, yet also acknowledged the
challenging nature of the work.
? Summary
The 127 farmers markets that participated in our survey constituted the majority of farmers
markets in Washington at that time. They appeared to be representative of the rich diversity of
geographical locations, ages, sizes, climate zones, and unique community character of the
markets found in the state. Because it required such a significant time investment and
cooperation from so many market organizations to be successful, a research project of this
caliber could not have been possible without the strong leadership and commitment of
Washington market managers and their supporting organizations. Largely as a result of the
early creation of the Washington State Farmers Market Association (WSFMA) in 1979, many
markets in Washington developed an early emphasis on tracking sales data and collaborating
with other markets, making for a particularly rich participatory research environment.
Nevertheless, this is the first statewide survey of all Washington State farmers markets that we
know of and we hope it contributes to the overall understanding of the diversity of farmers
markets, a holistic view of their benefits, the complexity of their challenges, and how to
enhance their capacity.
The results of this survey indicate that Washington farmers market organizations have grown
rapidly in number and accomplished a great deal over the past decade, yet still have keen
ambitions and room for future growth and improvement. Over a third of the markets in the
study could be considered well?established, having operated for a decade or more. The rest
were relatively new, with almost 40% having started up in the past five years. The average
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
48
number of vendors selling at Washington farmers markets on a typical market day was 32;
however markets reported a broad range from 3 to 200 vendors. The majority of markets (63%)
were small or very small, with less than 30 vendors per market.
Markets reflected the unique character of their community and their region and each had a
distinctive vendor mix. Most regions of the state have a rich farming heritage to draw upon and
many have a growing base of direct market and immigrant farmers. The vast majority of
markets (82%) had immigrant or minority farmer vendors participating in their markets. All the
markets in the study combined provided a total of 6,328 vendor opportunities in the year of the
study. The statewide mix of market vendors was proportionately 43% farmers, 32%
artisans/crafters, 11% value?added processors, 8% prepared food vendors, and 1% resellers.
Nearly half the markets allowed some form of reselling, however most had placed significant
conditions on this activity.
Nearly all markets gave a preference to products coming from within Washington State, and
many expected their farm products to come from an even closer distance, such as from within
their county, their island, a nearby county, or a particular region of the state. Depending on
management approaches, shopper numbers, and local availability, market managers had
varying degrees of success in attracting their desired mix of vendors. Most managers were able
to offer a fair amount of product diversity, yet many expressed a desire to obtain a greater
supply of berries, fruits, meats, dairy products, specific vegetables, and/or extended seasons for
popular items.
Every market is at the same time its own dynamic business and a collection of unique vendor
businesses. As such, they contribute to regional economic development in multiple ways. Most
obviously, they ideally provide a marketplace that connects vendors with a shopper
demographic interested in obtaining distinctive local products and supporting local farms and
businesses. Markets in the study reported nearly 10.5 million annual shopper visits (including
Pike Place Market). Among the 88 markets in the study that reported sales data, annual total
market sales ranged from $1,000 to $5,000,000, with an average of $347,941 per market. All of
the markets in the study combined reported a total of $30.62 million in sales for vendors. More
than half of respondents said that their average farmer vendors’ sales had increased in recent
years despite the economic downturn. Further, 82% of survey respondents reported that their
vendors had developed or expanded their business beyond the market within the last three
years, demonstrating the key role of markets in business incubation. Besides creating economic
opportunities for thousands of vendors, when combined, the farmers markets in the study
employed 150 full and part?time workers.
Finally, less tangible community and environmental assets were widely reported on the survey,
such as making fresh foods accessible to consumers from a variety of economic backgrounds,
creating a focal community gathering point and building a “local culture” around food, farming,
and support for independent, locally?owned businesses. For example, 90% of respondents said
their markets worked with the federal Farmers Market Nutrition Program to provide shopping
Summary Report: Farmers Markets and the Experiences of Market Managers in Washington State
49
opportunities for low?income community members. Over 93% provided examples of how their
markets helped the environment.
Significant challenges to overcome were perceived competition from other markets and
supermarkets, regulatory barriers, issues with location, generating sufficient organizational
revenues, and attracting the right vendors and customers. When asked about future goals for
their markets, most respondents aspired to improve their market organization’s long?term
stability through increasing community engagement, attracting key vendors, and expanding
their shopper base. Some respondents observed that improving their administrative budgets
would allow them to improve manager compensation, reduce manager turnover, and enhance
overall market management thereby helping ensure the long?term success and sustainability of
their markets.
References
Brown, Allison (2001). "Counting Farmers Markets." American Geographical Society 91, no. 4 (October
2001): 655?674.
Dixit?Joshi, Sujata, John Burke, Barnali Das, and Michael Steketee (2013). Nutrition Assistance in Farmers
Markets: Understanding Current Operations. Final Report, Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Research and Analysis, 2013.
Donovan, Colleen. 2012 WSFMA Member Market Report. Unpublished., WSFMA.
Gillespie, Gilbert, Duncan L. Hilchey, C. Clare Hinrichs, and Gail Feenstra (2007). "Farmers' Markets as
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Food System: Strategies for Sustainability, edited by C. Clare Hinrichs and Thomas A. Lyson, 65?
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Ostrom, Marcia, and Zachary D. Lyons (2012). Washington State Farmers Market Manual. Second. WSU
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arket%20Growth (accessed August 2013).
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