Market Matters
Winter 2008 Vol.7
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Market Matters |
Winter 2008 Vol.7 |
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President's Report
“In the garden, Autumn is, indeed the crowning glory of the year, bringing us the fruition of months
of thought and care and toil. And at no season, safe perhaps in Daffodil time, do we get such superb colour effects
as from August to November.” Summer is indeed finished and winter is upon us. I continue to be excited about farmers markets in BC. This year there were many exciting things happening in our BC Farmers' Markets. The BC150 celebrations added spice, fun and increased awareness to many markets this year. Our customers and vendors had a great time participating in many special Feastival events organized by their very own market managers, staff and volunteers! The high level of creativity expressed in organizing these celebrations was remarkable. Thank you to all BC150 markets who helped us to celebrate BC's 150th Anniversary. The Farmers' Market Nutrition and Coupon Program had yet another successful year. Ten communities were involved. Low income families with children took part in cooking and skill building classes where they received coupons to spend at the farmers markets. We look forward to expanding this program to twenty communities in 2009. We have been working hard at trying to find an Executive Director. After interviewing a number of qualified candidates we realized that we are not properly prepared to move in this direction. We need to walk before we run so we have changed direction and have decided to hire an Office Manager who will look after our immediate needs. I will be working closely with the person we hire to help BCAFM better serve our membership. We are still planning to hire an Executive Director and with the help of the Office Manager we will be better organized and better prepared for the work ahead of us. Watch for details on our 2009 Spring AGM & Conference on the BCAFM website at www.bcfarmersmarket.org. If you have any particular topics that you would like covered at the conference, send your wish list to info@bcfarmersmarket.org. As you talk to vendors please ask them to gather items for our silent auction. We know and recognize that food safety is an important issue for all of our markets. The BCAFM has contracted with the Foodsafe Secretariat at Camosun College to create a food safety manual and workshops customized to meet the needs of farmers' markets. There will be more news about this at the Spring Conference. Working with volunteers and boards can be rewarding and challenging at the same time. To help your operations run more smoothly, manuals for Board Training and Market Managers are being developed by the University of Vancouver Island. Further details will be provided on how your market can take advantage of these new tools in Spring 2009. Both projects are part of our strategic plan and are funded by the Investment Agriculture Foundation. Most markets have closed for the season, while some have winter markets. During the winter months take some time to visit the BCAFM website at www.bcfarmersmarket.org. This is a great way to keep up to date on the activities of your association. Remember that we're always keen on working with new volunteers so I invite you to call me at 604-794-3999 to find out how you can join our team. We are now accepting recommendations to the Board of Directors for next year. We would like to have representation from the Interior and the North. If you are interested or know of someone who might want to be a part of the exciting future of BCAFM please let me know. Have a warm winter,
Kudos to Kelowna Farmers' & Crafter's Market Bob the Mascot The Kelowna Farmers' and Crafter's Market received the Business Excellence Award for 1-5 employees from over 250 business community attendees at a banquet at the Grand Hotel in Kelowna. “The Business Excellence Awards showcases the outstanding businesses in our area and demonstrates that entrepreneurism flourishes in our region,” says Weldon LeBlanc, CEO of the Kelowna Chamber. Nutrition and Coupon Project Update
eat local, nutritious foodThe 2008 Farmers' Market Nutrition & Coupon Project (FMNCP) was successful! BC farmers' markets and families participated in designated cooking and skill building programs in ten communities around the Province. Markets created a welcoming environment for participating families and vendors directly connected with families and gained increased sales from the coupons. Local media highlighted the program around the Province thus creating an opportunity for communities to learn about their local market.  Simone Hugs at Bulkley Valley Farmers' Market Families enhanced their cooking and nutrition knowledge and skills as they visited markets offering fresh, local, and nutritious foods. For some coupon recipients it was their first experience at a farmers' market. For others, it was a chance to re-connect with familiar faces. For all, it was an opportunity for the whole family to experience the magic of their local farmers' market. Families used weekly coupons at their local farmers' market to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, dairy, fish and nuts. Kids especially enjoyed the opportunity to select their favourite fruit or veggie. “This project has been a great experience for my family. It gave us the opportunity to explore and experience produce shopping outside of the supermarkets, and made us more aware of the quality of food produced locally. We also enjoyed learning about picking and storing food produced locally. It also provided positive exposure for our children to all things local.”  Vendor at Kelowna Farmers' Market “I really appreciated the coupons for farmers' markets which let me buy healthy, organic produce for my family. I also appreciate that the program benefits the farmers as well. I don't know if I would have made it out to the market without the coupons, and I always ended up buying more than the coupons covered” …Hastings Community Centre Participants The FMNCP will expand to twenty communities for the 2009 market season. The program will continue to focus on low-income families with children but will expand to include low income seniors. This offers a great opportunity for inter-generational learning and eating. 
Applications for the 2009 season will be available in the New Year. For more information, please contact: Paula Luther, RHN
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 Market Managers: Please print and share 10 copies of this newsletter with your vendors to keep them in the know 
 IMPORTANT Notification re: Membership DuesBCAFM board of directors has decided to produce a new Farmers' Market Guide again in 2009. It is important that membership fees are received in the BCAFM office by April 1st so that your market is listed. This will ensure that we have the guides printed and delivered to visitor information centres by May 15th. Please note only fully paid member markets will be listed in the BC Association of Farmers' Market Guide. Membership in BCAFM is $200 per market per year. Did You Know?
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Want to find a local farmers' market convenient to you? Click here to go to our market listing. |
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Eat BC! Update
