America’s Favorite Farmers Markets™ Contest Dear Farmers Market Manager: American Farmland Trust hopes that you will join us for the second annual America’s Favorite Farmers Markets™ contest. Here at American Farmland Trust, we are excitedly preparing for another great national contest, but we cannot successfully raise national awareness of farmers markets or discover America’s Favorite Farmers Markets™ without the participation of farmers market managers like you. Entering your market in the contest will engage customers, generate local pride, raise the local visibility of your market, increase awareness of farmers markets, local food and farmland protection, and you will have a chance to win a prizes that will help promote your market in your community. Check out the attached FAQs to learn more about the America’s Favorite Farmers Markets contest in 2010. You can also follow our webpage for farmers market managers at www.farmland.org/marketmanager. Voting starts on June 1st at noon. Here is what you can do to get ready: 1. 2. 3.
Read the attached FAQs to learn more about the contest in 2010. Share the attached Press Release with members of the media in your community. Go to www.farmland.org/marketmanager. where you can sign up to participate in the America’s Favorite Farmers Markets™ contest, sign up for a free webinar on May 18th to prepare you for the contest and get tips and tools for getting out the word about your market this summer.
When voting begins in June your customers simply visit the America’s Favorite Farmers Markets™ website by going to www.farmland.org/vote searching for your market and casting their vote. Throughout the summer American Farmland Trust will be running a national marketing and engagement campaign to promote farmers markets through our e‐communications, website, social media like Facebook and Twitter, and traditional media outlets. If you have any questions now or throughout the summer you can contact me at
[email protected] or 202‐378‐1251. We’re looking forward to a great contest this summer! Gretchen Hoffman
Manager of Engagement and Communications American Farmland Trust
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 4, 2010 For more information contact: Jennifer Morrill, 202‐378‐1255
[email protected] Calling All Farmers Markets! Announcing the 2010 America’s Favorite Farmers Markets Contest
Washington, D.C. ‐ This summer, American Farmland Trust is organizing the second‐annual contest for “America’s Favorite Farmers Markets.” This nationwide contest will give farmers market customers an opportunity to vote for their favorite markets and show support for their local food communities. The goal is to promote the connection between fresh and local food and the local farms and farmland that supply it. The 2010 America’s Favorite Farmers Market contest is open for new farmers markets to register! This year American Farmland Trust is offering a host of new prizes for market managers and customers, more tools to get larger crowds out to support farmers markets, and will be making st a bigger impact for local farms and food in America! Voting starts June 1 so get ready, get out and love your farmers market. Farmers Markets that are interested in participating can sign‐up now at www.farmland.org/marketmanager. st When the 2010 America’s Favorite Farmers Markets contest kicks off on June 1 , customers will be able to choose their st st favorite farmers markets online at www.farmland.org/vote. Voting will be open from June 1 until August 31 , when winners will be announced. One large, medium, small and boutique farmers market will win the title of America’s Favorite Farmers Market for 2010. The four winning farmers markets will also each receive a prize worth over $3,000 in promotional and marketing value from American Farmland Trust and its partners. There are many new elements this year that are sure to make the contest better than ever for farmers markets and their patrons. New benefits for participating markets include access to the customizable, affordable and environmentally friendly printing services of, igreenprint, the official printing partner of the contest. As in last years contest, the winning markets will receive 500 No Farms No Food® totebags, along with other prizes including free printing services from igreenprint and free graphic design services from Virginia based design firm, SQN Communications. Additionally, there is a fourth new “boutique” category for markets that have 15 or fewer vendors. Farmers markets provide a vital connection from town and city centers to surrounding local farms, providing fresh and healthy food and an experience that cannot be matched anywhere else. Farms near metropolitan areas produce 91% of the nation’s market value of fruit, 78% of vegetables, and 67% of dairy products. Farmers markets have been surging in popularity in recent years – the 2008 U.S. Agricultural Census reports a 49% growth in direct sales from farms to consumers, representing $1.2 billion that stayed in local communities. At the same time, however, every year America is losing more than one million acres of productive land to development – most of it around cities where there is greatest demand for local food. The success of farmers markets is crucial to reversing this trend, ensuring that we will all have access to excellent food from local farms. American Farmland Trust (AFT) is the leading national organization working with communities and individuals to protect the best farmland, to plan for the future of American agriculture, and to keep our environment healthy. The America’s Favorite Farmers Contest is a part of AFT’s No Farms No Food® campaign which is dedicated to bringing consumer support for farms up to the national level. The contest is a fun and engaging way for customers of farmers markets around the country to show their pride for their local farmers markets, and to directly support their local community. ‐30‐ American Farmland Trust is a national nonprofit organization working with farmers and ranchers to protect the land, produce a healthier environment and build successful communities. As the nation’s leading advocate for farm and ranch land conservation, AFT has ensured that more than a million acres of land stays bountiful and productive. AFT’s national office is located in Washington, D.C. The phone number is 2023317300. www.farmland.org
America’s Favorite Farmers Markets Contest FAQ for Market Managers What is the goal of the America’s Favorite Farmers Markets™ contest? The purpose of the America’s Favorite Farmers Markets™ contest is to spread the No Farms No Food® message and to raise national awareness about local farmers markets, the role they play in supporting local farms and food, and the importance of local farms and farmland to our communities. It is a free national contest that will let your customers show support for your market, help you earn free media coverage, and bring in new shoppers who want to support farmers markets in your community and beyond. We will be promoting farmers markets on the national level while we continue to work toward our goal of protecting productive farmland and spreading the No Farms No Food® message. How do I register my farmers market for the contest? Market managers and representatives can sign up for the contest by filling out a short entry form on the American Farmland Trust website at www.farmland.org/marketmanager. What do the winning farmers markets win? How many winners will there be? There will be four winning markets and each will receive a farmers market promotional package with a value of $3,000 to help grow their market. The package includes: • • • • • • • •
A special logo for the exclusive use of the winning markets An event honoring the market including support convening key stakeholders at the event National press release announcing the winning markets 500 totebags with the America’s Favorite Farmers Markets logo and the No Farms No Food® message to give away to customers An outdoor banner to hang-up in the market Up to $500 of printed promotional tools from our printing partner igreenprint $1,000 worth of graphic design for a new flyer, logo, web element, or other project by the Virginia based design firm, SQN Communications. 200 copies of our magazine American Farmland with a feature story on the winning markets
When does the contest begin and end? When will winners be announced? The contest begins on June 1st at 12:00 pm and runs through the end of August. Winners will be announced at midnight on August 31st. If I manage more than one market, can I enter all of them? Yes, you can register multiple markets even if they are managed by the same person or by an association. You can also register a Wednesday market and a Sunday market as two different markets. This may or may not be desirable depending on whether or not the customer base is the same. Customers can vote for more than one farmers market but can only vote for each market one time so customers that shop at multiple markets around their city or community can vote for all of the markets they support. Where do customers vote for their favorite farmers market? America’s Favorite Farmers Markets™ contest is an online contest. Customers can vote online at www.farmland.org/vote. Voters can search by market name, city, state or zip code or can zoom in to find their market on the Google map. Customers can then register, vote and write about how much they love their local market!
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How can I track votes for my farmers market? Votes for farmers markets are updated automatically and will be visible on our Google map. There is a slight delay as votes are entered before they update; please refresh your browser and allow a few minutes for the vote count to upload. Later in the summer we will release the rankings of farmers markets in the top 20 for each of our four categories. What are the benefits for participating? • • • • •
Chance to win $3,000 in promotional and marketing value for your farmers market Increased exposure for your market to local offline and online media all summer long An opportunity to build your relationship with your customers, the media, and your farmers market’s existing stakeholders Greater awareness and excitement about farmers markets in your community A chance to learn what your customers think about the market. We share comments from voters that gave us permission to share their words with you!
Do large markets compete for votes with smaller markets? No. The America’s Favorite Farmers Markets™ contest has four categories for large, medium, small and boutique farmers markets. Market size is determined by how many vendors each market has. The size brackets are: • • • •
Boutique = 15 vendors or fewer Small = 16 – 30 Medium = 31 – 55 Large = 56+ vendors
Is it mandatory to donate to American Farmland Trust to participate? No, it is not mandatory for farmers markets participating in the contest to donate to American Farmland Trust. However, donating will help support our continuing efforts to support farmers and protect farmland. Will my customers receive email from American Farmland Trust or other organizations if they vote? Your customers will automatically receive an email confirmation from American Farmland Trust noting that we recorded their vote. Your customers will only receive our email communications if they opt-in to receive email from us by checking the box: “Yes, I would like to receive email communications from American Farmland Trust.” If the box is un-checked, your customers will not be subscribed to any email lists, and we NEVER share our email lists with other organizations or companies. For more information, please consult our Privacy Policy. How will people hear about America’s Favorite Farmers Markets? We will be conducting our own national outreach and engagement campaign throughout the summer by using social media tools like twitter and Facebook as well as reaching out to radio, television and print media. We will be consistently messaging about the contest and will provide you a national backdrop of enthusiasm for farmers markets while you conduct your own outreach campaign in your community. Check out the farmers market manager promotional toolbox for free tips and tools to get out the word! Visit www.farmland.org/marketmanager. When will you announce the top 20 farmers markets? We will not release the top 20 farmers markets until August 1st for the final push before the contest ends on August 31st at midnight. In the month of July we will be promoting the farmers markets
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participating in the contest to state and regional media and to key agriculture stakeholders such as your state department of agriculture. How can I get promotional materials for my market? We offer a variety of online and offline tools to help you promote the contest. From press release templates to social media tools and widgets for your website, we will help you get out the word this summer! Be sure to tune in to our three-part webinar series that kicked-off the contest this summer to learn more about what American Farmland Trust is doing to support farmers markets this year. To access the market manager’s promotional toolbox, go to www.farmland.org/marketmanager. NEW! Through our new partnership with the online green printing company, igreenprint, we are offering greener, cheaper and more customizable printed promotional items. Go to www.igreenprint.com to select from vote cards, flyers, or postcards to easily create customize materials to get out the word this summer! You can also order our No Farms No Food® bumper stickers in bulk! Go to www.farmland.org/shop. If my market participated in 2009, do we have to opt-in to participate in 2010? If you participated in the 2009 contest then you are already in our system of farmers markets that customers can vote for in the 2010 contest. If you would like to opt-out of the 2010 America’s Favorite Farmers Markets contest, then you can send an email to
[email protected]. What is the last day to register my famers market for the contest? Farmers markets can join throughout the contest. Farmers Markets that sign-up less than one week before the winners are announced will not be included in the 2010 contest, but will be added to the map and database for participation in the 2011 America’s Favorite Farmers Markets™ contest. Who is American Farmland Trust? American Farmland Trust is the leading national organization dedicated to saving America’s farm and ranch land, promoting healthy farming practices and supporting farms and farmers. As the vital link among farmers, conservationists and policy makers, we’re focused on ensuring the availability of fresh food, a healthy environment and strong local economies across the nation. Since our founding in 1980 by a group of farmers and citizens concerned about the rapid loss of farmland to development, we’ve helped save millions of acres of farmland from development and led the way for establishing sound environmental practices on millions more. Our vision for healthy farms, healthy food, and healthy communities is one of U.S. towns and cities surrounded by healthy farms with thriving networks and infrastructure in place to make fresh food from local farms a reality for everyone. Our strategy for success consists of two campaigns: sustaining farms and farmers and helping communities grow local. I have a question that isn’t answered here. Whom may I contact? If you have any further questions, you can contact Gretchen Hoffman by phone at (202) 378-1251 or by email at
[email protected].
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Calling All Farmers Market Managers! Join American Farmland Trust for another summer promoting farms, food and farmers markets! Sign up today: www.farmland.org/marketmanager Join American Farmland Trust this summer for the second annual America’s Favorite Farmers Markets contest. Together we can strengthen the local farm-to-fork connection and pledge our support for healthy farms, healthy food, and healthy communities. Market managers that did not participate in the contest in 2009 must enroll their market into the contest in order to participate. Enrollment is easy and free; simply go to www.farmland.org/marketmanager. Over the summer American Farmland Trust will be promoting farmers markets to local food enthusiasts in your community and beyond. For more information contact: Gretchen Hoffman Manager of Engagement and Communications
[email protected] or (202) 378-1251
www.farmland.org/vote
