Mar 23, 2017

Michigan Farmers Market Association celebrates 10th anniversary

The Michigan Farmers Market Association (MIFMA) is celebrating its tenth anniversary on April 20 to promote its mission to “Work with and for farmers market organizers, managers, farmers, vendors, and friends to create a thriving marketplace for local food and farm products.”

There will be birthday parties held across the state this spring to celebrate with cake or pie – look for more information on the MIFMA website or their Facebook page.

When the organization was founded market managers didn’t have an official way to connect with each other and since 2001, MIFMA has grown from 90 markets to over 300 across the state. Over the past ten years, MIFMA has helped to make Michigan a national leader in acceptance of SNAP benefits and helped to pilot the use of incentive programs for food assistance benefits at farmers markets. MIFMA also introduced the first certificate program in the country to train farmers market managers.

As the organization has grown, their programs have expanded as well. With support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, MIFMA has launched a loan program to encourage season extension while connecting farmers with vulnerable families. This initiative, called Hoophouses for Health, allows farmers to purchase a passive solar greenhouse and pay back the loan by issuing coupons for their fresh produce to low-income families with young children

The organization just held the annual Michigan Farmers Market Conference. During the conference, a group who assisted with the founding, Susan Smalley, Jim Bingen and Dan Keane, was part of a panel discussing the origins of the organization. They also hired the first and only executive director, Dru Montri, PhD, who has grown the organization’s staff and membership in the last 10 years.

Michigan State University Extension and the Community Food Systems team of MSU works to support the work of MIFMA by hosting webinars, providing technical support and sponsorship of events. We are proud of our continuing partnership with this valuable organization.

For more information visit www.mifma.org or www.msue.msu.edu.

— Julia Darnton, Michigan State University

Source: Michigan State University Extension