Food/Farm/Fish/Forests

Below you will find a directory of resources that help farmers, agricultural service providers, and economic development professionals work together to develop the products, services, markets and business structures that are needed to sustain agriculture in the Northeast.

Group-Based Agricultural Businesses

• Together We Prosper: Group-Based Businesses Sustaining Agriculture in the Northeast (PowerPoint)This guide provides access to group-based business production, distribution and marketing concepts, models and best practices. In so doing we hope to not only strengthen farmer efforts at collaboration, but equally important to contribute to the development of a strong network of agriculture service providers and business specialists supportive of their efforts. This resource would not be possible without the generous support of the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (NE SARE) and the many hours of fruitful dialogue and debate among the Sustainable Agriculture Advisory Committee for this project. Some of the information was taken from The Cooperative Leader, editor Jane Livingston, published by Cooperative Development Institute. And because this site is a work in progress, we encourage you to send your suggestions for improving the guide, resources to add, links to make, etc. to the Cooperative Development Institute: info@cdi.coop.

Equipment Sharing Co-ops

• Farm Equipment Share Fact sheet (PDF) (CDI)
• Organizing a Machinery Cooperative  (PDF) (Prof. Phil Kenkel and Garrett Long, Student Assistant, OK State University)
• Sharing Machinery and Labor: Operational Issues (getting it done) (PDF) (Iowa State University Extension)
• Sample Equipment Co-op Agreement (DOC) (UConn)

Other Agricultural Resources

• Market Planning for Value-Added Agricultural Products
•  Preserving Rural Character Through Agriculture: A Resource Kit for Planners
• Growing a Food System for the Future: A Manual for Co-operative Enterprise Development, by the New England Farmers Union
• Cooperative Farming: Frameworks for Farming Together, a Guidebook published by The Greenhorns, a network of support for young and beginning farmers, which has an extensive Resources List on their website.

Resources for Farmers’ Markets

• Presentations and manuals from the Farmers’ Market Federation of New York
• How to bring wireless EBT to your farmers market: bridging the digital divide: Prepared by Lucinda Megill for marketumbrella.org
• Marketshare enables you to measure the economic impact of your farmers’ market.
• Willimantic Farmers Market provides how-to guides and videos on everything from business model development to bilingual marketing

Publications and Websites

• NY Farmers Market EBT/Food Stamps/SNAP Program
• USDA Local Food Research & Development
• Farmers’ Market Vendor Resource Guide
• The New Farmer’s Market: Farm-Fresh Ideas for Producers, Managers and Communities
• The USDA Role in Farmers Markets [PDF]

Associations

• City Farmers’ Markets of New Haven
• Connecticut Farm Fresh Cooperative Association
• Farm Fresh Rhode Island
• Farmers’ Market Federation of New York
• Federation of Massachusetts Farmers’ Markets
• Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets
• The Farmers’ Market Coalition
• New Hampshire Farmers’ Market Association
• North American Farmers Direct Marketing Association

Compliance and Safety Issues

• Farmers’ Markets Rules, Regulations and Opportunities, published by The National Agricultural Law Center

Government Websites

• ChooseMyPlate
• Connecticut Dept. of Agriculture
• Maine Dept. of Agriculture
• Massachusetts Dept. of Agricultural Resources
• New Hampshire Dept. of Agriculture
• New York State Dept. of Agriculture
• Rhode Island Division of Agriculture
• United State Dept. of Agriculture
• Vermont Department of Agriculture

Market Management

• Controlling Chaos: Suggested Guidelines for Implementation and Management of a Retail Farmers’ Market
• Establishing and Operating a Community Farmers’ Market (University of Kentucky)
• Farmers’ Market Online – Information and Equipment for Market Operations
• Farmers’ Market Resources for Market Managers – MA Dept. of Agricultural Resources
• How to Run a Successful Farmers’ Market
• Market Gardening: A Startup Guide – Information on Managing and Marketing Farmers’ Markets

Market Planning

• Developing a Farmers’ Market
• Farmers’ Market Business Planning Checklist (University of Colorado)
• Planning and Developing a Farmers’ Market: Marketing, Organization and Regulatory Issues to Consider
• Starting a Farmers’ Market (University of Florida)
• Starting a Farmers’ Market the Right Way
• Starting your Own Farmers’ Market (MN Farmers’ Market Association)

Market Promotion

• ATTRA – National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service: Farmers’ Markets – Marketing & Business Guide
• Direct Farm Marketing and Tourism Handbook
• Direct Marketing Resource Guide
• USDA Farmer Direct Marketing

Nutrition Programs

• National Association of Farmers’ Market Nutrition Programs
• WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (Women, Infants and Children) – Making food vouchers available for use at farmers’ markets

Organizations and Institutions of Service

• Agricultural Marketing Resource Center
• Agricultural Marketing Service – AMS Farmers’ Market Information
• CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture)
• Connecticut FarmLink
• Local Harvest
• Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association
• Northeast Organic Farming Association/Vermont
• Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut
• RIPE New England
• Slow Food Boston
• Southeast Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership (SEMAP)
• Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education