Welcome, Land Acknowledgement, & Logistics

We are on the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary lands of the Dakota people, as well as other Indigenous nations who have lived, worked, and stewarded these lands. Minnesota is home to 11 Tribal Nations today, and their ongoing contributions to agriculture, food systems, and community resilience are deeply significant.

As we come together to strengthen local food systems and support farmers’ markets, let us reflect on the profound relationship between the land and those who cultivate it. May we honor this history and build relationships rooted in respect, reciprocity, and sustainability.

Let us hold this acknowledgment as a call to action—to engage with and support Indigenous communities in meaningful ways as we work towards a more equitable and inclusive future for all.

Sina War

MFMA Director of Engagement & Inclusion

MFMA at Work for Food Farmers, Food Makers, Fiber Farmers, & Markets

2024 has seen a whirlwind of accomplishments & challenges for Minnesota farmers' markets and vendors, with even more on the 2025 horizon. Join MFMA staff as we discuss accomplishments, challenges, and aspirations to continue the thrivability of Minnesota's local foodshed, populated by 375+ farmers' markets. 

MFMA's Slides

Kathy Zeman

MFMA Executive Director

Door Prize #1 and Break

Find the restaurant in your area here.

Under "Location Categories" search by region & restaurant. 

Cannabis Products at Farmers' Markets - What's Legal, What's Not Legal

Margaret will cover current MN law for all the CBD / THC products - both edible and topical.  

Margaret's Slides

Video

Margaret Wiatrowski

Director of Compliance & Enforcement

Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management

Door Prize #2 and Break

$75 Gift Basket from Heirloomista Farm, Amador Township

 11:05 am - 12:05 pm 

Keynote Speaker

Food and Agriculture Systems at a Crossroads: Dismantling Silo-mentality 

What role do you currently play in the food system today? What does a sustainable and equitable food system look like to you? I believe there is still hope for us to create a better food system where our children, their children and many more after them can thrive-- while giving back to the earth. But this requires urgent, deliberate, and deep change. Let's do this together.

Ka Zoua's Slides

Video

Ka Zoua Berry

Farm Director, The Food Group

 Door Prize #3 and Break

Shop Nawapo for food, gifts, and crafts from Indigenous sellers.

LUNCH on Your Own

What About Botanicals? Are They Food? Drugs? Supplements? Tinctures?

Farm Commons has researched the laws and rules for growing and selling botanicals. Staff attorney Chloe Johnson will share highlights and give us a sneak peak at the Minnesota-specific guide we can all use for our markets & vendors.

Chloe's Slides

Chloe Johnson

Staff Attorney

Farm Commons

Door Prize #4 and Break

$75 Swag from Minnesota Grown

Mallory Forseth

Minnesota Grown Official Merchandise

Sina will moderate a panel of vendors as they share their experiences building our local foodshed in a diverse community of farmers.

Moderator: Sina War

MFMA Director of Engagement & Inclusion

Yair “Leo” Carvajalino, Norte Cafe

Rivianna Zeller, Farm Distributions Supervisor, Dream of Wild Health

Naima Dhore,  First-Generation Farmer, Activist, and Educator, Naima's Farm 

Find the restaurant in your area here.

Under "Location Categories" search by region & restaurant. 

"Customer Survey Pilot Strategy 2024: Review, Takeaways, and Next Steps" 

FM360 is Minnesota's nationally recognized farmers' markets metrics service, now in its 9th year of data collection. Come prepared to ask about the evolution of metrics collection at farmers markets! 

Joe's slides

Joe Nowak

University of Minnesota  FM360 Co-Founder and PhD Candidate, University of Minnesota

Hikaru Peterson

FM360 co-founder and Professor of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota

Door Prize #6 and Break

$75 Gift Certificate to Black Garnet Books

Broaden Your Farmers' Market Mission To Better Serve Your Communities - Part 1

2024 was a good year for some creative & innovative thinking and programming at farmers' markets across the state - most likely born from several years of challenging growing conditions statewide! Come hear from other markets what they're doing and how they are managing it. 

These 3 entities are all aggregating (buying) food from farmers and selling those food products either wholesale or retail. All 3 also are selling under MDA's LFPA (Local Food Purchase Assistance) Program grants.

• BrightSide Produce - Online Farmers' Market Hub
• • BSP Slides
• Riverwalk Market Fair - Northfield
• • RMF Slides
• The Good Acre - Food Hub
• • TGA Slides

Moderator: Sina War

Justa Heinen-Kay, Manager

BrightSide Produce, Linden Hills Farmers Market, MidCity Farmers Market

Betsy Wentz, Marketing Manager, Riverwalk Market Fair & Farmer, Rotational Roots

Derek Meyers, Manager, Riverwalk Market Fair

Anna Richardson, Director of Market Access Programs, The Good Acre

Housekeeping for tomorrow & Door Prize #7

$75 Gift Certificate from the Farmers'  Market of Your Choice

Welcome, Land Acknowledgement, & Logistics

We are on the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary lands of the Dakota people, as well as other Indigenous nations who have lived, worked, and stewarded these lands. Minnesota is home to 11 Tribal Nations today, and their ongoing contributions to agriculture, food systems, and community resilience are deeply significant.

As we come together to strengthen local food systems and support farmers’ markets, let us reflect on the profound relationship between the land and those who cultivate it. May we honor this history and build relationships rooted in respect, reciprocity, and sustainability.

Let us hold this acknowledgment as a call to action—to engage with and support Indigenous communities in meaningful ways as we work towards a more equitable and inclusive future for all.

 Sina War

MFMA Director of Engagement & Inclusion

SNAP EBT & Market Bucks Another Record High in 

For the 3rd year in a row, MN farmers' markets played a key role in providing local food to their communities. Jill will share the results of 2024 - and explain any changes for 2025.

Jill's Slides

2025 Senior/Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program Updates
Senior / Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program overview and updates from Christina.

Christina's Slides

2025 Farmers' Market Cost Share Grants

Allison's Slides

Jill Westfall

Statewide Food Access Manager, The Food Group | Hunger Solutions Minnesota

Senior / Farmers' Market Nutrition Program  Coordinator

Minnesota Department of Agriculture

Allison Beauregard

Administrative Support

Minnesota Department of Agriculture

Find the restaurant in your area here.

Under "Location Categories" search by region & restaurant. 

How Are Our Markets Engaging Our Communities and Growing More Farmers? Part 1

Alert! This is an interactive session - requiring your input! 

• Sina will kick off this session highlighting successful messaging from markets across MN. (15 min)
• You will be able to choose a breakout room to dig deeper into the issues that most appeal to you, with a Moderator taking notes. (35 min)
• Break for a Door Prize!

5 Breakout Room Topics

• Community Engagement: Programs to build connections between markets and local residents.
• Vendor Recruitment: Strategies for attracting and retaining diverse vendors.
• Crisis Management: Preparing for weather, health, logistical emergencies, conflicts, etc.
• Bridging the Gap in Food Access: Strategies to connect low-income communities with fresh, local produce.
• Sustainable Practices: Exploring eco-friendly techniques in farming, packaging, and market operations.

Sina War

MFMA Director of Engagement & Inclusion

Breakout Room Moderators

1. Emily Toner, MDA Emerging Farmers Office
2. Friendly Vang-Johnson, MFMA Director of Government Affairs
3. Jametta Raspberry, Roots for the Home Team
4. Levi Welbourn, LEDC
5. Maeve Mallozzi-Kelly, RTC
6. Myc Daz, Discover Dope
7. Raji Vela, ROQA Productions
8. Britt Howell, BF50
9. Joe Alton, Botany Brew Farm
10. Tori Boyer, Emerging Farmer

Door Prize #9 and Break

$75 Gift Certificate from Spirit Lake Native Farms.

How Are Our Markets Engaging Our Communities and Growing More Farmers? Part 2

Alert! This is an interactive session - requiring your input! 

• You will be able to choose a 2nd breakout room to dig deeper into the issues that most appeal to you, with a Moderator taking notes. (35 min)
• Sina will bring us back together, with the Moderators reporting from their breakouts. (10 min)
• Sina will wrap up with possibilities for all of us for 2025. (10 min)

5 Breakout Room Topics

• Community Engagement: Programs to build connections between markets and local residents.
• Vendor Recruitment: Strategies for attracting and retaining diverse vendors.
• Crisis Management: Preparing for weather, health, logistical emergencies, conflicts, etc.
• Bridging the Gap in Food Access: Strategies to connect low-income communities with fresh, local produce.
• Sustainable Practices: Exploring eco-friendly techniques in farming, packaging, and market operations.

Sina War

MFMA Director of Engagement & Inclusion

Breakout Room Moderators

1. Emily Toner, MDA Emerging Farmers Office
2. Friendly Vang-Johnson, MFMA Director of Government Affairs
3. Jametta Raspberry, Roots for the Home Team
4. Levi Welbourn, LEDC
5. Maeve Mallozzi-Kelly, RTC
6. Myc Daz, Discover Dope
7. Raji Vela, ROQA Productions
8. Britt Howell, BF50
9. Joe Alton, Botany Brew Farm
10. Tori Boyer, Emerging Farmer

 Door Prize #10 and Break

$75 Gift Certificate from the Farmers' Market of Your Choice

 LUNCH On Your Own

Yoga & Breath Work: Nourishing You

Alicia's Poem from Morgan Harper Nichols:

"For The One Who Gives So Much For Everyone Else"

12:45 - 1:45 pm 

Keynote Speaker

A Perfect Summer Day: How MN Farmers' Markets Shaped My Childhood and Work in the Food Sovereignty Movement

Friendly Vang-Johnson, MFMA Director of Government Affairs will share her lived experience as one of the first Hmong farmers in the United States and how this has informed her work serving local small-scale, emerging farmers. Her speech, delivered in a storytelling style, is a love letter to encourage and honor all farmers and farmers' markets. She will outline a blueprint for food sovereignty: how it can be pursued and why it matters, beyond food security or equitable access.

Door Prize #11

$75 Gift Basket

MN Farmers' Market Association

Broaden Your Farmers' Market Mission To Better Serve Your Communities - Part 2

2024 was a good year for some creative & innovative thinking and programming at farmers' markets across the state - most likely born from several years of challenging growing conditions statewide! Come hear from other markets what they're doing and how they are managing it.

• Produce for the People - St. Paul Farmers' Market
• • Lindsay's Slides
• Rochester Farmers Markets

• Fergus Falls Farmers Market
• • Fergus Falls' Slides

Sina War

MFMA Director of Engagement & Inclusion

Lindsay Stauner, St. Paul Farmers' Market

Ben Carman, Rochester Farmers Market

Jan Werkau, Fergus Falls Farmers Market

Door Prize #12 and Break

$75 Gift Certificate to Birchbark Books 

National Farmers' Market Week Social Media Campaign Effectiveness

• Update from Lincoln Park Farmers' Market on 2024 NFMW Celebration
• • Sam's Slides
• Report from UWEX's USDA NIFA Farmers' Market Grant collaboration with the St. Paul Farmers Market & the New Ulm Farmers' Market
• • Bret's, Lindsay's, and Sarah's Slides

Sam Lindblad, Lincoln Park Farmers' Market

Bret Shaw, University of Wisconsin

Lindsay Stauner, St. Paul Farmers Market

Sarah Warmka, New Ulm Farmers' Market

 THANK YOU! Final Door Prize #13!

Win a banner like this from ProGraphics!

(612) 701- 4011

Sina War

MFMA Director of Engagement & Inclusion