By Chris Aldridge
Kentucky Ag News

Finding new ways to bring in more customers may mean embarking on community partnerships for some Kentucky farmers’ markets. For others it may mean improving their facilities, while others embrace the products their vendors offer.

Kentucky is home to 170 farmers’ markets and many have found success this summer with “some great projects,” according to Sharon Spencer, director of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Direct Farm Marketing Division.

One of them is the Meade County Farmers’ Market (MCFM).

“I am so excited with our market this year and wanted to share with other markets how we increased our vendors, customers, and community involvement with our youth,” market manager Mary Gavin said. “Our motto this year is ‘MCFM – A Community Affair.’

“We really concentrated on including the community with our market this season, and it has been a great experience,” she added. “Even with inflation and fuel costs, our market has exceeded prior years’ sales and attendance.”

Some of the programs Meade County implemented include:

• Passport Reading Program: “We partnered with the local library from May to July where they set up the bookmobile every Saturday and issued passports to fill with stickers for each book that was read,” Gavin explained. “The child could earn a $1 token per sticker or up to $20 for completing their passport.
  “It has been a huge success,” she added. “Interviewing the children when they redeem their passports showed that they did indeed read and learn. The kicker was all the reading material had to be related to agriculture and farming. The library issued 75 passports.”
• Power of Produce (POP) Club: “Partnering with the (Meade County) Extension Office, we continued the passport theme with a pamphlet that the extension office developed for POP Club members that can be completed and turned in … for a prize,” Gavin said. “Each Tuesday, children earn $1 for coming to the market, $2 for trying a sample by the extension nutrition educator, and $2 for completing an activity with the extension staff for a total of $5 to spend at the market.
  “So far, we have had 218 Meade County youth participate,” she noted. “These kiddos have an awesome time at the market.”
• Harvest Dinner: “To continue our youth support, we partnered with the (Meade County Area) Chamber of Commerce, tourism and the extension office to provide fresh produce for the Harvest Dinner that is a fundraiser for the Meade County school backpack program,” Gavin said. “In addition, all our vendors donated to a farmers’ market basket that was auctioned off during the dinner. Through ticket sales and auctioned items, they raised almost $4,000 to ensure children had food to take home on the weekends.”
• Child identification: “We are planning a Child Identification Day with local law enforcement during market hours,” Gavin said.

Child ID cards will be issued with name, address, date of birth, height, weight, hair and eye color, blood type, allergy warnings, and parents’ names and phone numbers.

Spencer mentioned two other Kentucky farmers’ markets that have gone the extra mile this summer to attract new and existing customers.

La Grange Farmers' Market & Artisans

The market has a new home under a pavilion at newly-completed Springs Park in downtown La Grange. Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Dr. Ryan Quarles spoke at the park’s grand opening this summer.

“The new pavilion is beautiful and a great addition to the market,” Spencer said.

Covington Farmers’ Market

“Alexa (Arnold) does a great job as the market manager,” Spencer said. “This is a great market to visit and supports the whole community by offering nutritional programs and special events. The market even hosts a farm to fork event each year showcasing each of their market vendors.”