A Day in the Life of a Farmers Market Manager

For many, the image of a farmers market consists of a slow morning, strolling through rows of vendors with a hot coffee or flaky pastry in hand, happily considering seasonal produce for the weekly meal plan. For a farmers market manager, the experience is vastly different.

As the sun begins to light the horizon, the scene at your favorite farmers market is one of hustle and bustle. You’ll likely find the market manager helping vendors locate their space, setting up signage, answering questions, and directing traffic. Until you’ve helped two box trucks navigate a narrow passageway of vendor stalls without any crashes (on very little sleep), it may be hard to imagine what it means to be a market manager.

Depending on market size, the market manager may be a vendor volunteering their time, a seasonal part-time staff member, or yearround full-time employee. Dan Jere, market manager at Les Cheneaux Farmers Market, not only oversees market operations but also runs his own business, Jere Farms. Supporting local businesses and keeping fresh, local food available in the community throughout the year is what drives Jere to make time for both:

“Being a market manager and vendor is a great and rewarding experience while also being incredibly challenging. just happen to be fortunate to manage the best farmers and artisans market in all the EUP with some of the most talented and creative vendors.”

He notes that one of the most important pieces of a market manager’s role is curating a vendor list for market. A successful market balances the purchasing power of the community with the breadth of local products available in order to build a market where customers find desired products and vendors generate enough sales to return each week. A manager may turn away an additional baked good vendor in favor of a cheesemaker or blueberry grower to achieve the perfect balance.

John Snyder manages the three markets on the Keweenaw Peninsula that compose the new From the Ground Farmers Market Collective. Combining management efforts for these markets allows Snyder to be a full-time employee and makes it easier for all three markets to accept payments from food assistance programs like SNAP, Double Up Food Bucks, WIC, and local programs like Michigan Tech’s Husky Fan. While these programs require significant staff time to manage, they contribute to increased sales by vendors at markets and increase food access in the region. Snyder says, “Helping to fill the gap in food accessibility is one of the most rewarding experiences I could ever imagine.”

Next time you visit your local farmers market, consider all the work that goes into making it an incredible place to shop. Say “thank you” to the market manager if you can - you’ll find them making the market happen!