Registration Now Open for the Annual Maryland Farmers’ Market Conference

ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Annual Maryland Farmers’ Market Conference will be held Thursday, March 13, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA), 50 Harry Truman Parkway, Annapolis and registration is open now. Anyone involved with or interested in the operations of farmers’ markets should plan to attend.

Conference sessions will offer information about marketing tips for farmers’ market, new opportunities for wineries at markets, and current regulations guiding the 2014 season. Also available will be training and certification sessions about the Women Infants and Children (WIC) program, the Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP), the Seniors Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP), and the Fruit and Vegetable Check (FVC) program.

Also during the conference, MDA’s Weights and Measures section will offer scale certification. Registered businesses that had their scales previously tested and approved should bring the certificate along with the scale. Businesses can renew their registration during the conference as well. New businesses that have not had their scales tested should contact the Weights and Measures office ahead of time at 410-841-5790 to ensure the scales are legal for trade. Once the scale is verified, bring it along with a check for registering the day of conference. The fee is $50 per business and $20 per scale.

Space at the conference is limited to 90 people. The conference fee is $30 and includes lunch. Register here. 

For questions, contact MDA Agricultural Marketing Specialist Shelby Watson by email at Shelby.Watson@Maryland.gov or phone at 410.841.5776.

The conference agenda is below.

Agenda

8:00 a.m.: Registration and scale certification begins
9:00 a.m.: Welcome Remarks by Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance
9:15 a.m.: Presentation and Training on the FMNP, SFMNP and FVC program by Shelby Watson, agricultural marketing specialist at MDA along with a representative from the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
10:50 a.m.: Break
11:00 a.m.: Marketing Tips for the Farmer and the Market Manager by Juliette Glass, market manager of Fresh FarmMarkets, and Julie Gray Stinar, owner of EvenSong Farm
12:00 p.m.: Networking Lunch
1:00 p.m.: Programs and Resources for Food Safety by Deanna Baldwin, Food Quality Assurance Program Manager at MDA, and Lee McCans in the regional sanitation office at the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
2:00 p.m. – New and Emerging Opportunities by Amy G. Crone, executive director of the Maryland Farmers Market Association, and Karen Fedor, Farm to School program manager at MDA
3:00 p.m.: Break
3:10 p.m.: Niche Markets: Attract New Customers to Your Market by Kevin Atticks, executive director of the Maryland Wineries Association, and Colleen Histon, owner of Shepherds Manor Creamery
4:00 p.m. – Closing Remarks and Conclusion

The following organizations will have information tables at the conference: Maryland Agricultural and Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation (MARBIDCO), Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC), Maryland Department of Agriculture Crop Insurance Education, Agricultural Conflict Resolution Service (ACReS), University of Maryland Extension, Rural Maryland Council, Maryland Farm Bureau, Future Harvest CASA, and Maryland’s Best.

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