Bigger role seen for Ohio farmers’ markets

Editor’s note: This article is provided courtesy Ohio State
University Extension.


he popularity of farmers’ markets and locally grown food is soaring nationally. According to the Farmers’ Market Coalition, the number of farmers’ markets in the United States has increased 40 percent during the past decade. More than 3 million consumers shop at farmers’ markets, spending more than $1 billion annually.

A majority of farmers’ markets are organized as cooperatives or operate on cooperative principles.

Several efforts are underway in Ohio to help farmers’ markets and their farmer-vendors boost the marketing of fresh, local foods. A new Ohio State University (OSU) Extension program, supported by USDA Rural Development, is helping with the effort. The OSU South Centers office in Piketon, Ohio, was awarded a $99,000 Rural Business Enterprise Grant from USDA Rural Development to launch the Growing! Ohio Farmers’ Markets program.

The goal of the program is to help farmers’ market managers, boards and vendor/producers in three main business functions: marketing, money/accounting and general management.

“There has been tremendous growth in consumer demand for locally produced foods, and we want to assist Ohio’s food producers in taking advantage of this opportunity,” says Christie Welch, an OSU Extension farmers’ market specialist with OSU South Centers at Piketon. “This is a win-win for producers and consumers alike. The producers increase their financial stability, which helps maintain their farms, and the consumers have access to the fresh local foods they demand.”

Welch and her colleagues are partnering with USDA Rural Development in implementing the program, the focus of which will be on providing business training and technical assistance. The technical assistance is designed to increase the knowledge, skills and abilities of the farmers’ markets participating in the program.

Training emphasizes marketing plans
Training, which began in the fall of 2008, includes developing marketing plans, establishing producer standards, building a business plan, developing accounting systems, leveraging resources and conducting feasibility studies. To date, 342 hours of one-on-one technical assistance have been provided to clients who are either vendors at farmers’ markets or are looking to become vendors or to start a farmers’ market.

The first six of 12 training programs have been held for farmers’ markets and their vendors/producers. Topics presented were: More than 60 participants attended, representing 18 existing farmers’ markets and three potential markets.

Tom Worley, director of OSU South Centers, emphasizes the importance of the program and its connection with local foods. “This funding is expected to expand the availability of locally grown products by working with current and potential growers and vendors, as well as managers of farmers’ markets,” says Worley.

Statewide co-op formed to help farmers’ markets
The Farmers’ Market Management Network is a statewide cooperative formed in early 2008 to bring together managers, vendors and board members to improve Ohio’s farmers’ markets, both large and small. Specific goals include helping farmers’ market managers determine common needs and collaborate to improve the cost effectiveness of their markets.

The cooperative was scheduled to hold its first annual meeting on March 9 at the Ohio Department of Agriculture in Reynoldsburg, Ohio.

The cooperative is beginning work on two big projects, including creation of an Ohio farmers’ market manual for new and emerging markets. It will identify best practices and needed resources for starting a farmers’ market. The second project involves working closely with the Ohio Department of Agriculture to create consistent and reasonable regulations to maintain the highest level of food safety for consumers.

The Network was formed after a focus group of market managers expressed interest in networking, pooling resources and pursuing education for themselves and for their communities. The Ohio Cooperative Development Center (OCDC) in Piketon assisted with the formation of the co-op and continues to work closely with it by providing technical assistance and training.

OSU, OCDC support state’s co-ops
Farmers markets aren’t the only co-ops receiving help from the OSU Extension and the Ohio Cooperative Development Center.

In the Appalachian region of Ohio — where low income, high unemployment and lack of opportunities stifle economic growth — an OSU program promotes rural development by pooling the resources, training and services for new and existing businesses. For nearly a decade, the OCDC office in Piketon has also been supporting rural economic development throughout southern Ohio by assisting businesses in developing cooperatives.

The goal, says OCDC’s Snyder, is to encourage businesses that serve a common purpose to work together, especially in communities where cooperatives would have a significant impact on economic development and where they would be more cost efficient. “I love the notion of cooperatives,” says Snyder. “Working together can be such a great tool and can have quite a powerful, positive impact on an otherwise negatively viewed situation.”

OCDC has assisted in the formation of six new cooperatives, some of which target farmers’ markets, manufacturing businesses and healthcare services. The program operates through grants and funding from OSU Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. OCDC also recently received a $200,000 grant from USDA Rural Development to continue its efforts.

“We’ve worked closely with the Ohio Cooperative Development Center to carry out the common mission of rural economic developing using the cooperative business model,” says Randy Hunt, former state director for USDA Rural Development in Ohio. “Successful competition for this grant ensures an available funding source for many of Ohio’s rural community development initiatives.”

Appalachia region has greater needs
Snyder says some of the objectives of OCDC are to increase incomes and production, create employment opportunities and decrease out-migration from rural Ohio communities — in short, to ensure the region is an asset to Ohio’s overall economic sustainability.

“In Appalachia Ohio, as opposed to more metro areas, unemployment is higher, the average household income is lower and community structure is not always conducive to business growth. Additionally, businesses tend to be smaller, so they have fewer opportunities to access resources individually,” says Snyder. “We recognized these issues and realized that the keys to economic growth may lie in the ability to market as a group and increase business visibility for those seeking employment opportunities.”

To help businesses achieve those goals, OCDC staff provides technical assistance and advisory services, conducts training programs, assists with information access, conducts feasibility studies, develops business plans, produces budget and cash flow documents and participates in bylaw development.

“We strive to lobby for the services that Appalachia Ohio needs,” says Snyder. “Sometimes the area is just not first on the list to get money, support or attention it deserves.”

For more information on the farmer’s market program or the Farmers’ Market Management Network , visit: www.ohiofarmersmarkets.osu.edu, or contact Christie Welch: (740) 289-2071, ext. 234. For more information on the Ohio Cooperative Development Center, visit: http://ocdc.osu.edu or contact Tom Snyder at (740) 289-2071, ext. 220.







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