A farmer’s market workshop is planned for next week. The Kansas Department of Agriculture and K-State Research and Extension will host a regional workshop at the Beloit First Christian Church in Beloit on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020.
This is one of six regional workshops which are being offered this year to assist farmers’ market vendors and managers. The other workshop locations are Iola, Wichita, Olathe, Hiawatha and Leoti.
Kansas farmers’ markets not only provide a fresh food source, but also stimulate the local economy. In 2019, 57 farmers’ markets were registered with KDA’s Central Registration of Farmers’ Markets.
“Farmers’ markets provide growers a wonderful opportunity to have real interaction with consumers, and a chance to tell their farm’s story,” said Londa Nwadike, consumer food safety specialist with K-State Research and Extension and the University of Missouri. “It’s also important for farmers to understand certain legal, safety and financial parameters before choosing to sell at a farmers’ market.”
The keynote will feature tips on marketing and making a profit, and attendees will hear updates from KDA and KSRE along with a Farm to Institution panel discussion. KDA’s weights and measures program will also offer free scale certification at the workshops for attendees. Workshop topics will include:
- Produce Grower Panel
- Double Up Food Bucks Program and Accepting EBT
- Regulations at Farmers’ Markets in Kansas
- Sales Tax for Farmers’ Market Vendors
- Kansas Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program Certified Farmer Training
- Food Safety Update
The workshop will be held at the Beloit First Christian Church, 321 N. Mill St. in Beloit. Onsite registration will open at 8:30 a.m. and the workshop will begin at 9:00 a.m. and conclude by 3:00 p.m.
Registration is now open at a cost $20 per participant to cover the cost of lunch. Lunch will only be guaranteed to those participants who register by February 21. Registration for the workshop, along with the other February regional farmers’ market workshops, can be found at FromtheLandofKansas.com/FMworkshop or at your local extension office.
For more information, contact Robin Blume, KDA’s education and events coordinator, at 785-564-6756 or [email protected]. The workshops are funded by the Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops, the Kansas Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, K-State Research and Extension, and the Kansas Department of Agriculture.
KDA is committed to providing an environment that enhances and encourages economic growth of the agriculture industry and the Kansas economy. The Kansas Ag Growth Strategy has identified training for small companies via workshops as a key growth outcome for the specialty crop sector. The farmers’ market workshops will provide education through partnerships to help make Kansas farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses more successful.
