Blazing Trails Through the Jungle of Food Regulations

Blazing Trails is a 3-hour fast paced zoominar on all the laws and rules that govern food sales in Minnesota and across state lines into our neighboring states. You'll learn about the oldest food laws & the newest ones; where all the words are defined in law (like "food" and "sell"). You'll also learn about the 25+ "exemptions" and "exclusions" from food licensing. Time for Q & A.

 Direct to Customer

Are you new to marketing directly to customers or looking to refresh your approach?

Whether you are a farmer selling quarters of beef or a vegetable vendor at a Saturday farmers' market, this course is for you. Learn the basics of how to assess your market, pricing, and promotions for maximum effect and apply your knowledge independently in a hands-on workbook.

Here is the link to the free workbook "Direct To Customer."

• Video of Feb. 6, 2024 class: Identify Your Niche.
• Video of Feb. 13, 2024 class: Define Your Brand.
• Video of Feb. 20, 2024 class: Analyze Your Costs and Pricing.

Taught by Ryan Pesch, University of Minnesota Extension.

Farmers Market Coalition Membership

Good news! If you are a member of MFMA, you are automatically a member of FMC. As a FMC member, you have access to all their programs as well. Contact info@mfma.org to get the membership login code for FMC.

• Power of Produce Kit
• National Farmers' Market Week Resources
• 20% discount on FMC's store items

FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions!

Grow Your Green Farm Profitability

For farmers - 2 essential financial resources. To use these, click the link below, then click File > Make A Copy, and save the copy to your computer. If you need help with these, email info@mfma.org.

An Excel spreadsheet "Farm Finance Ledger," that is formulated to capture both Farm Chart of Account categories, and Tax categories.

An Excel spreadsheet "Balance Sheet," that is formulated to capture all the details in specific tabs that auto-fill to the balance sheet.

MFMA offers a group insurance policy for member markets and member vendors through Advantage 1 Insurance Agency. The policy is underwritten by West Bend Mutual. This group policy insurance is program is open to MFMA and Wisconsin market members and vendor members. The policy runs Jan. 1 through Dec. 31.

Legal for Sale Scales

If you sell any product by weight, you must use a 'legal for sale' scale. 

Market Bucks + Produce Market Bucks

Market Bucks is an incentive program funded by the Minnesota Legislature to match up to $10 per farmers' market visit to any participant in the SNAP program. SNAP participants go to the market's Welcome Tent, swipe their EBT card for SNAP tokens to spend with vendors selling SNAP-eligible foods, and receive the additional Market Bucks.

Produce Market Bucks is an incentive program funded by the federal government to match up to $10 per farmers' market visit to any participant in the SNAP program - specifically to buy produce.

Hunger Solutions Minnesota administers both programs. As of January 2024, both markets and direct marketing farmers in MN can offer SNAP, Market Bucks, and Produce Market Bucks. To learn how to offer Market Bucks & Produce Market Bucks, contact Jill Westfall at jwestfall@hungersolutions.org.

MN Farmers' Market Map

 Make sure you 'claim' your market on the map so shoppers can find you.

MFMA Farmers' Market Manual 

Our Farmers' Market  Manual is full of the organizational information needed to operate and participate in today's vibrant Minnesota farmers' markets.  Not only does the Manual go into detail about these subjects, it includes hundreds of links to resources and info from local markets, state agencies, national leaders, and organizations. 

Chapters include:

1. Starting A Farmers' Market
2. Organizing
3. Structuring
4. Governance Structure
5. Managing Your Farmers' Market
6. Financial Management
7. Food Safety and Food Licensing
8. Building A Vendor Base
9. Food Assistance Programs
10. Obtaining Financial Resources
11. Promoting Your Farmers' Market
12. Risk Management and Insurance

Power of Produce

The Power of Produce (PoP) Club is a nationally recognized kids program first started at the Oregon City Farmers' Market in May 2011, to empower kids to make healthy food choices, introducing them to where their food comes from.  PoP has now spread throughout the U.S. and Canada at thousands of farmers' markets.

In Minnesota, PoP is now offered for Kids, Teens, and Seniors. Markets and communities raise the money to offer $2 - $5 coupons to the various age groups. Participants then use that coupon to buy produce from the farmers at the market. 

There are two toolkits for markets to use to set up a PoP program. The Farmers Market Coalition's toolkit is free to Minnesota farmers' markets because MFMA is a member of FMC (contact info@mfma.org for the membership code) and the University of Minnesota Extension has a free toolkit.

Pricing For Profitability

Ryan Pesch

UMN Extension

Pricing at a farmers' market can be more art than science, whether it's lettuce or eggs or jam. Learn the basics of pricing your product to both make sales and a profit. Taught by Ryan Pesch, University of Minnesota Extension.

<<< Click free workbook that 

accompanies the zoominars.

"Pricing For Profit" video here.

As a food farmer, when should you choose the product of the farm exclusion from licensing, or the cottage food exemption from licensing, or invest in a food license?  This zoominar walks you through your options.

• • Safe Food Sampling Law
  • Required Handwashing Station
  • Worksheet

Sales tax on foods in Minnesota is complicated. For example, jams & jellies sold at grocery stores are not taxed BUT jams & jellies sold at a farmers' market are taxed. Key to note is that MDOR defines food terms differently than either MDA or MDH. 

• Flowchart of Prepared Food - MDOR

• FS102D.pdf Defines terms, lists example prepared foods and if they are taxed.

• FS102A.pdf Defines 'food and food ingredients' and if they are taxed. 
• Guidance List on Taxable & Nontaxable Cottage Foods

Selling Minnesota Guides

The Selling Minnesota Guides are the latest & most accurate sources of laws & rules impacting Minnesota food farmers.

• Approved Water Supply for Rural Food Businesses
• Selling Minnesota Meat Products
• Selling Minnesota Poultry Products
• Selling Minnesota Produce 
• Selling Minnesota Rabbit Products
• Selling Minnesota Shell Eggs

The Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) and the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) are federal programs administered by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (together known as S/FMNP). These programs seek to:

• Provide fresh, unprepared, locally grown fruits, vegetables, and herbs to Women, Infants & Children (WIC) participants and low-income seniors, and
• Expand the awareness, use of, and sales at farmers' markets.

To sign up to offer WIC at your market, contact the MDA Senior / Farmers' Market Nutrition Program.