July 09 Newsletter:

We want to hear from you! Send your articles, events, and feedback to WVFMA, Rt. 4 Box 43, Bruceton Mills, WV 26525 or to wvfma@wvfarmers.org

• State Farmers Market Vendor Guide
• Our Buy Fresh Buy Local® WV Chapter
• Ready for National Farmers Market Week?
• Are you using your WVFMA-created web page?
• Visit us at the WVU Organic Farm Field Day and at the WV State Fair.
• WVFMA member application
• WVFMA's statewide farmers market census
• Wasn't that Great?

State Farmers Market Vendor Guide
has been finalized. It can be downloaded at http://www.wvdhhr.org/phs/food/Farmers%20Market%20Brochure.pdf As members of the WV Dept. of Health & Human Resources Food Safety & Defense Task Force, WVFMA represented you at the table. The guide also includes an example of a do-it-yourself handwashing station for use at markets offering samples and/or doing cooking demos.Back to top

Our Buy Fresh Buy Local® WV Chapter
tieing into the FoodRoutes Network efforts nationwide, is up and running as a project of the WVFMA to educate consumers about the benefits of eating locally. We are asking current market members of WVFMA to join now for $15 to be able to use the trademarked graphics and tag line for one year from when you join. Download the application for farmers markets from http://www.wvfarmers.org/buylocalwv/partner.html. If individual farmers at your market want to use the materials, they will also need to join ($10) and fill out a different section of the same application. Those gorgeous bumper stickers can also be purchased on-line through PayPal. See complete details at http://www.wvfarmers.org/buylocalwv/ (Thank you to first restaurant partner, Lot 12 Public House in Berkeley Springs, Betsy & Damian Heath, co-owners & chef; first farmers market partner, Doddridge County Farmers Market in West Union; first supporter Beth Gillian Raps, Berkeley Springs, in honor of Betsy Heath; and first sponsors, the Agriculture and Natural Resources Program & WV Small Farm Center of the West Virginia University Extension Service.) Back to top

Ready for National Farmers Market Week?
In celebration of this 10th annual event (August 2-8th), the national Farmers Market Coalition is sharing "Markets Are Up!," a campaign designed to provide tools you can use (any time of year) at the local level to talk about the many benefits of farmers markets. Using three messages-- Healthy Investment, Green Economy, and Market Value, these resources will help you reinforce the message of farmers markets being good for farmers, for consumers, and for communities... and members of the WVFMA get 20% off all printed materials! Go to http://www.farmersmarketcoalition.org/ for more information.Back to top

Are you using your WVFMA-created web page?
When you join WVFMA we make a page for your market, based on information you send. Check out your ilisting at http://www.wvfarmers.org/members.html and let us know if anything needs to be updated. (Likewise, if you already have a web site, we link to it, so tell us when that address changes.) Our newest market member is Doddridge Co. Farmers Market and most recent farmer to renew is Paul Mock of Mock's Greenhouse.Back to top

Visit us at the WVU Organic Farm Field Day and at the WV State Fair. WVFMA/Buy Fresh Buy Local® WV will be represented at the annual field day in Morgantown Wed, August 5. For more info about that event, contact Jim Kotcon at jkotcon@mail.wvu.edu If you can't make it there, WVFMA/Buy Fresh Buy Local® WV will have information for and talk to state fairgoers about where their food comes from. Stop by to say hello--we'll have a banner in the Gus R. Douglass Building and the WVU Building August 14-22. Helping out will be Cheryl Brown, Jack Dunbar, Larry Lower, Jay Mahoney and Susan Sauter. This is a huge committment by all of them with help from the WV Dept. of Agriculture and WVU Extension Service. When you see any of the above people, tell them "Thanks!"Back to top

WVFMA member application:
Updated/redesigned for easier use. Pass one on to other markets to join! Downloadable at http://www.wvfarmers.org/WVFMAApp.pdf

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WVFMA's statewide farmers market census located nearly 70 markets this spring--find them at http://www.wvfarmers.org/buylocalwv/WVFMAWestVirginiaFarmersMarkets2009.pdf This work was done by our board at the request of the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the USDA. Let us know if something is missing.
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Wasn't that Great?

The WVFMA's first annual Winter Blues Farmers Market, an indoor statewide farmers market (held in Morgantown in conjunction with another event, the WV Small Farm Conference) brought farm income in February to 30 farmers. Plan NOW to participate again this winter! New date: Monday, March 1, 2010, day before the conference starts) Back to top

The WVFMA was formed with guidance from the WVU Extension Service and the Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences and through a WV Department of Agriculture Specialty Crops GrantBack to top

• Jack Dunbar jadun@earthlink.net Breezy Heights Farm, Sinks Grove (on-farm market)
• Larry Lower larrylower@yahoo.com Berkeley Springs Farm Market
• Katy Orr info@orrsfarmmarket.com Orr's Farm Market, Martinsburg (on-farm market)
• Bill Reebel pepperking@suddenlink.net Mason County Farmers Markets .
• Susan Sauter stsauter@frontiernet.net Morgantown Farmers Market Growers Assn
• Joel Wolpert scherzandocorrendo@gmail.com Elkins Farm Market

 

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