AGRICULTURE FACT SHEET
June 2014
Food & Agriculture
Selling Successfully
at a Farmers Market
Nada Haddad, UNH Cooperative Extension Food and Agriculture Field Specialist
F
or growers, it’s a place to sell their products, be
part of the community, meet new customers and
build a strong, loyal relationship with them.
Customers visit and shop at farmers markets to buy
locally grown produce, experience new products, get
to know and interact with the growers and support
local farm family businesses.
e following guidelines will help you get organized,
and allow you to continue improving your display,
making your farmers market trip successful and
enjoyable for your customers.
First Steps
Talk with your insurance agent well in advance of
the market season opening. Prepare a list of your
products to let your agent know of your business
plans. Most markets will ask you to provide
evidence of farm or commercial liability insurance
when you apply to be a vendor at the market. Your
agent can put the appropriate liability coverage
in place and provide evidence of insurance
(commonly called a “certicate of insurance”).
Depending on the size of your operation you may
also want to discuss farm personal property, farm
use auto and workers compensation coverage with
your agent.
Have a farm name and register it. Registration
will ensure that you haven’t chosen a business
name already in use in New Hampshire, and will
give you the exclusive legal right to use it. Your
name is or will become an invaluable asset to your
agricultural business enterprise, so give it careful
thought. Before spending money on promotional
materials, register your business with the Secretary
of State’s Corporation Division in your state.
(See addendum.)
Check and stay informed of federal, state,
and local regulations as well as individual
farmers-market best practices and guidelines.
Rules and regulations vary from state to state
and from one municipality to another. Rules
and regulations also vary with the products you
produce and sell. (See addendum.)
Bring Your
Best Product to
Market
Quality, Quality,
Quality! Your produce
has to look and taste
its best. Bring only
your highest-quality
products harvested
at their optimum
maturity and
freshness.
For produce and
herbs, quality equals
freshness, avor,
texture, look, color cleanliness, and aroma. Study the
photos in seed catalogs and check out the produce
section of gourmet markets to familiarize yourself
with the dierent varieties of vegetables and fruits,
and most importantly their optimum harvest size.
Many harvest-guide resources are available.
Quality is a must.
Maintain Product Quality
Keep produce and other perishable products out of
direct sun. Several times during each market day,
inspect your products and remove any that look poor.
For leafy greens that wilt quickly, keep them fresh
by displaying them
on a bed of ice or
by misting them
frequently with
drinkable water.
Display only enough
produce to create an
attractive display,
especially on
extremely hot days.
Keep the overow out
of the sun in coolers
in your truck.
Whether you call
it product quality
or good service,
customers expect to get home with wholesome,
quality products. Help them achieve it.
Use plastic clamshell containers for your delicate fruits
and vegetables, to make sure your customers will
get home with unbruised raspberries or blueberries.
Invest in sturdy plastic and/or paper bags that won’t
break when lled.
Dene Your Sales Area
Use a canopy at the farmers market to dene your
sales area, so people nd you among the many
vendors. A tent is the most popular type of canopy
used at markets. e many brands of tents come in
dierent forms, colors, shapes, and grades and degrees
of sturdiness.
Consult with manufacturers, your market manager,
and other experienced vendors before you invest
in a new canopy. As you choose one, think of the
following:
Size: Well before the market season starts, ask
the market manager about the booth-space size. A
typical farmers market booth space is about 10 feet
by 10 feet.
Color: Go with white. A white tent will absorb
less heat in the summer, lter light, and allow your
produce to show its true colors; a blue, green, or
red tent will discolor or make the produce look
dull and sometimes unripe.
Poles: Get a tent with straight poles, as angled
poles with tie-downs can create a tripping hazard.
Weight: Look for a canopy or tent that’s
lightweight and easily erected, yet sturdy and
stable. Check the next section about tent safety.
Waterproong: Some new tent materials are now
waterproof to allow for breathability and repel
light rain. After it has rained, when you get home,
open your tent to let it dry to prevent any mildew
forming before your next market.
Setup: How many people are needed to set up the
tent? A few days before the rst market, practice
erecting the tent and taking it down. It will prevent
surprises and save you time and aggravation on
market day.
Make Your Sales Area Safe for You,
Your Customers, Other Vendors,
and Your Products
Seasonal outdoor markets are subject to all sorts of
unpredictable weather.
Always secure the tent or other canopy sufciently
to the ground.
UNH COOPERATIVE EXTENSION - Food & Agriculture 2
Quality: freshness, look, cleanliness,
color, avor, and aroma.
Clamshell containers will protect
so fruits during transportation.
At the corner of every
pole, rmly attach
sufcient weight
to the ground to
prevent the pole from
swinging or creating
another hazard. Use
manufactured canopy
weights lled with
sand or pea gravel, or
make your own with
PVC pipe lled with
concrete and capped.
(See photo example
to right.) Strap the
weights to the bottom
of each leg, tethered with a bungee cord to the top
corner of the canopy, or by hanging weights by a
chain from the canopy frame.
Downpours can and do happen. Prevent water
from pooling on top of the canopy by tapping
gently on the edges of the tent with a long-handled
broom or a long stick.
Create a Display that Sells Itself
It takes customers less than 10 seconds to form a rst
impression, and a good presentation will motivate
them to stop and buy from you.
Display products so all customers, including
the physically challenged, can see and reach
them without stretching, bending, or stooping.
Displaying products from waist level to about
six inches above the head gives customers more
chances to see, grab, and buy them.
Make your display no more than an arm’s length
in depth.
Tilting containers forward at about a 15-degree
angle will let people see from a distance what’s
on display, and will give an impression of greater
abundance.
Use some false ller (clean shredded paper or
straw) at the bottom of partially full containers.
Give customers a sense of bounty at all times,
whether you have a diversity of products or a
single niche product.
Check the booth throughout the day. Bring a
range of different-sized containers so you can
put your products into smaller containers as
quantities diminish.
Keep your display clean to increase its appeal.
Make sure to keep dirt, debris, and trash away
from your entire display and its surroundings.
Make Good Use of Vertical Space
To create the appearance of abundance and engage the
customer’s eye, build
your display vertically
by using sturdy,
portable xtures that
allow customers to
see the product from
elbow to eye level.
Some examples are
wall racks, at-top
tables, shelving, step
displays, wooden
or plastic benches,
sawhorses, bins and
crates.
Display products at
several levels to create
interest. Multi-leveling helps keep dierent products
better organized.
Tables and Covers
ere’s no rule that tables or other portable xtures
must be covered, but in some instances, a clean
tablecloth could play a functional role, hiding bags
and other supplies you store under the table.
Some growers use tablecloths to accentuate the
products, relying on the color wheel to choose a
color that will complement their major product(s).
Using burlap gives a display a natural look.
No matter its material, style, or color, whatever
you use to cover your table should be clean and
wrinkle-free.
UNH COOPERATIVE EXTENSION - Food & Agriculture 3
Secure the tent with enough weight.
Make use of vertical space
by multilevelling.
Create Flow and Ease of Movement
Around Your Booth
Avoid bottlenecks at your booth. Be organized and
set up a service system so customers don’t have to
wait too long. Be generous with plastic and paper
bags, and have them visible in more than one spot at
the booth.
If your booth gets very busy, consider having a
checkout or cash register in more than one location.
Acknowledge customers waiting in line: “I’ll be with
you in a moment.” You may have to consider having
more sta to help you.
Price Your Products:
Consider the Following
To set a fair price, you have to know your
production and marketing costs.
You have to pay yourself a fair salary and include
a decent prot margin so you stay in business.
Also stay aware of the prices charged by other
farm operations and local markets.
The best selling price is more than what you
need to cover costs, but still within the range that
customers are willing to pay. Final prices depend
on competitors’ prices and customers’ demand.
Farmers market customers are looking for high
quality rst. Price comes next.
Remember, you’re selling more than the
“product.” You’re selling freshness, avor,
texture, quality, experience, and all the benets
associated with local, family-farm-grown
products. All these attributes differentiate you
from your mainstream competitors.
Volume pricing lets you charge a per-pound price
and then a lower price for larger purchases:
e.g., $1/lb or 3 lbs/$2.50.
During canning/freezing season, and if you have
a bumper crop, customers will appreciate volume
pricing.
Additionally, check the Division of Weights
and Measures price-posting and labeling
requirements. For information, contact the
Division at (603) 271-3700 or (603) 271-2894,
or go to http://www.agriculture.nh.gov/divisions/
weights-measures/index.htm
Highlight Your Products’ Uniqueness
Descriptions such as “fresh-picked this morning,” “old
English heirloom variety,” “children love these!” will
add emotional appeal to your product and help build
customer loyalty based on attributes other than price.
Find as many ways as possible to help your customers
understand that the open, inviting “working
landscapes” of our state
will survive only as long
as working farms like
yours stay in business.
Prepare your price and
product signs ahead of
time
Price and product signs
are essential. Whether
the signage is done
professionally, or on
your computer, or by
hand, all signs should be
noticeable and readable
from about ve feet away.
Use a clear, simple, consistent font or handwriting.
Check the spelling, and don’t always rely on
computer spell-check.
Display individual signs neatly above the produce
or products they identify, using either a clothespin
attached to dowel, a three-pronged oral stake, or
a clear plastic frame
or on a sandwich
board for produce
that attract your
customers.
UNH COOPERATIVE EXTENSION - Food & Agriculture 4
Let customers know
what’s in season .
Combined products/single price sign.
Price and product are
clearly marked on a piece of slate.
Hot peppers sold by unit.
Individual signs can be made of small chalkboards,
slate, wood or heavy paper/cardboard. If using heavy
stock paper, waterproof the signs so they last all
season. Black or other very dark lettering on a white
or bu background will provide good contrast, so the
text will be easy to read.
If you sell only a handful of products, you could use
one large whiteboard or chalkboard that lists items in
alphabetical order, or lists them under their respective
categories (vegetables, fruits, herbs, cut owers,
meat products, baked goods, etc.).
Use Your Farm Name on Signs
Having your farm name or logo on each sign
maintains your identity throughout the booth and
helps customers with name recognition.
You should
have a farm
sign displayed
at every single
market. Make
your farm sign
from plastic,
fabric, wood, or
other material,
or mount it as a
banner that runs
across the back
of your booth
or across the
front top section
of the tent. You
could even have
it printed on the top of the tent.
A sign can also be homemade on laminated stock
paper. In addition to your farm name, the sign could
also mention your town, state, and website if you
have one.
People should be able to read your farm sign from
50 feet away.
Avoid putting signs in front of the table or on the
ground, as people may not see the sign, creating a
tripping hazard.
Provide Information through Signage
Signs can communicate with your customers about
your values and business practices: e.g., grass-fed
beef, eggs from free-
range hens, USDA-
certied organic. e
information should
be concise, truthful,
and consistent with
all federal/state/
local regulatory
requirements that
may apply.
Your signs should
inform your customers,
so you don’t nd
yourself answering the
same questions over
and over. Signs should
engage customers,
encouraging them
not only to buy, prepare, and cook meals using your
fresh, natural ingredients, but also to become repeat
customers, loyal to your brand.
Create a Positive Farm Image
Your farm name (and logo) will give your farm an
identity and will help your customers remember you.
Customers can become powerful word-of-mouth
marketers to their family and friends.
Your product quality, reliability and consistency, and
the values that you share with customers become part
of your farm image and brand.
UNH COOPERATIVE EXTENSION - Food & Agriculture 5
Display the farm name on
a visually distinctive banner.
Communicate your farm’s
business practices.
Brand your farm: logo, name, consistent color.
Your farm’s name and logo should appear on all your
signs, T-shirts, hats, aprons, recipe cards, brochures,
business cards, promotional iers, receipts or any
other material in your booth.
Engage with Your Customers
Besides providing a marketing venue, a farmers
market allows vendors to build good relationships
with customers. If you have (or plan to have) other
market outlets for your products, loyal customers will
eventually patronize your Pick-Your-Own operation,
your CSA, or your farmstand.
Excellent customer
service should
prevail at all
times, regardless
of the weather or
business level at
your booth. Delight
your customers,
anticipate and
meet their needs,
and infect them
with your cheerful
attitude.
Be ready to
answer customers’
questions about
the varieties, shelf
life, and use of your
products. Come prepared with information about how
to store, prepare, and enjoy any product you sell. Make
sure that your entire sales crew is educated and ready
to answer customers’ questions, too!
Sell by Weight,
Unit (Count), or Volume
In New Hampshire, you can sell produce by weight,
measure, count, or a combination, depending on
the product.
Examples:
By weight: Apples, 50¢ per pound
By measure: Strawberries, $4 per quart,
or $2.50 per pint
By unit (count): Cucumbers, 6 for $3,
or Cilantro, 50¢ per bunch
If you choose to sell by weight, you will need a legal-
for-trade scale that is suitable for the intended
purpose. (See addendum.) e scale must be
inspected, certied, and licensed annually by the
N.H. Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food,
Division of Weights and Measures. You can nd a list
of licensed New Hampshire service technicians on the
website at: www.agriculture.nh.gov.
Check with the Division of Weights and Measures for
more information, or contact the Division at
(603) 271-3700 or (603) 271-2894.
UNH COOPERATIVE EXTENSION - Food & Agriculture 6
Sample business card.
Mushrooms: a fun and
educational display.
Help customers visualize how much
a bunch of asparagus weighs.
Inspire Customers
to Try Something New at Home
Provide simple recipes that use only two or three
steps/ingredients or just suggest how to eat a
particular food. Printed recipe cards or signs will
inspire your
customers, from
kitchen novices to
experienced cooks,
to try something
new every week.
Be sure your
farm name/logo
is printed on the
card so customers
will remember
where the recipes came from and come back for more
ingredients and more cooking ideas! Make sure you
try the recipe beforehand.
Train the Sales Crew
Your customers want and expect a good product and
outstanding service, and your sales crew can help
deliver on those expectations. Make sure to tell your
crew what you expect from them and why.
Every member of your crew should be friendly,
courteous, and outgoing. ey should enjoy
interacting with all kinds of people. Tell them they will
be multi-tasking, and insist on good hygiene practices
such as washing their hands aer using the bathroom.
A few days before the new season opens, make a dry
run with the crew to set up the display. Review the
task checklist: Where and how to place the signs, greet
and make eye contact with customers, keep produce
fresh, use the credit card machine, verify the written
information on checks, make correct change, and treat
customers with respect.
Don’t forget to familiarize the crew with the farm
business, its history, philosophy, products and
practices.
Keep a notepad on hand, so the sales crew can relay to
you any questions they couldn’t answer. Ask them to
write down observations or ideas for ways you and the
team could improve the booth for the next market day.
Stand Up!
Standing in the elements for hours will stress your
joints and muscles. However, sitting on a chair in your
booth might suggest to passing customers that you’re
not open for business.
As an alternative, bring a three-foot stool, so during
slow times you can lean or sit on it, while remaining at
the same eye level as your prospective customers.
Sampling
Does your market allow you to dispense samples to
taste on site? Do local and state regulations allow it?
Regulations vary by market location. ere are
numerous health, safety, and liability issues
associated with onsite food consumption,
especially since sampling can create opportunities
for food contamination.
Consider providing some samples of your products
carefully and only aer checking with all authorities.
Oering samples will encourage shoppers to try a new
product and hopefully keep them coming back for
more of it.
Follow good hygiene by having clean hands at all
times and keeping the sampling area clean. Use
disposable food-service gloves; cover the samples
to prevent contamination by customers and
environmental issues such as bugs and windblown
dirt. Use toothpicks, plastic forks, or cups for
single servings.
Perishable samples should be iced at all times to
maintain the temperature required to keep the
specic food item safe. Also provide a clearly marked
spot for trash.
You could also hand out samples directly. is lets you
control how the samples are handled, and allows you
to interact directly with customers, and perhaps give a
hesitant or loyal customer a new variety to take home
and try. Next week, they may show up at your booth
to buy.
UNH COOPERATIVE EXTENSION - Food & Agriculture 7
Suggest use of products.
Clean Clothes, Clean Hands
You and your sales crew should wear clean clothes,
and shirts, aprons, and/or caps with farm logos.
Look neat and well groomed, with clean hands and
nails. Wash your hands oen. Set up a portable hand
washing station so you can wash your hands when
needed. Braid or tie back long hair.
Leave Your Pet(s)
at Home or Out of Sight
Your big, friendly, yellow lab may attract customers
to your booth, but aer petting it, customers may
move on to sample treats without being able to wash
their hands.
Use Food-Safety Reminders
rough signs and labels, urge customers to
thoroughly rinse all produce (that’s right, even yours)
in cool running water before consumption.
Consider printing some cards containing basic
information about safe food handling and preparation.
Tuck one into every bag of products you sell (or ask
customers if they’d like one).
is will help identify you as someone knowledgeable
about every aspect of food from farm to fork, and
as someone who cares about every aspect of your
customers’ experience with the food you sell.
Track Your Market Sales and Costs
Keep records of
What and how much of each product you brought
to the market.
How much you sold.
The unit prices charged for each product.
How much you brought back from the market.
All expenses associated with the market: Mileage
and travel time to and from market; wages; market
and cooperative advertising fees, permitting
or licensing fees if applicable; equipment, and
containers and packaging. Although your time may
not be a tax-deductible expense, it is important to
keep track of the hours you spend at the market.
This will help determine if your returns are worth
your time and effort.
Start a Farmers Market Journal
e farmers market is a great place to engage with
customers, ask them questions and listen to them.
rough conversation you’ll learn what they like and
don’t like, ways you could improve your presentation
and packaging, and what kinds of written information
they might like you to have on hand. is will help
you plan for the future.
Ask about the size or appearance of a unit purchase
that works best for them: A one- or two-inch bunch
of parsley? Cherry tomatoes on the stem or in a box?
“Baby” or full-sized carrots?
Your customers will be attered when you ask for their
feedback/input, and you’ll be surprised by how much
you can learn from them. When you get home, record
what you’ve learned. Congratulations! You just started
a farmers market journal you’ll nd invaluable for
planning your next season.
Photos: Bring Your Farm
and Fields to Market
Enlarge a couple of your best farm photos and display
them at your booth. Photos are a great way to engage
customers emotionally and give them a chance to get
acquainted with your farm.
Photos can be especially useful if you are selling
perishable products that must be stored in a cooler,
where they won’t be immediately visible. Photos of
the luscious products growing in your elds at harvest
time allow customers to see and relate to your farm,
your work, and your products.
Photos inform customers of the availability
of perishable products stored in cooler/freezer
(e.g., eggs, meat, cheese).
UNH COOPERATIVE EXTENSION - Food & Agriculture 8
Pack the Essential Extras
Don’t forget to bring your rain gear and a warm
sweatshirt to keep you comfortable if the weather
changes. Also pack enough drinking water and quick,
nourishing snacks to last you and your crew all day.
But remember not to eat while you are handling
produce. Wash your hands before and aer eating.
Watch Your Money and Prevent e
is seems obvious, but set your cash register/box in a
place where you can keep an eye on it, especially when
things get busy. Don’t leave the cash box or register
open, and keep it out of plain sight of visitors.
Explore the Possibilities
of Alternative Payments
Look into the possibilities for accepting credit cards
and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP) EBT cards in addition to cash and checks.
(See addendum.)
Check with the market manager, as the market may
already accept EBT cards collectively.
Build a Mailing List
of Your Customers
Will you be selling only at farmers markets, or
are you exploring the possibilities for expanding
into community supported agriculture (CSA), a
farmstand, a harvest-your-own operation, or through
restaurant sales?
Don’t miss the expansion opportunities that might
come from creating a mailing list of your farmers
market customers. Capture both email and physical
addresses.
The list will allow you to stay in touch with your
customers during the o-season, wish them a
Happy New Year, inform them of a new product
you’re planning to oer, or announce the opening of
a new market.
Plan Ahead
Visit other markets and vendors to get some new
ideas. Ask your customers to visualize their ideal
farmers market vendor, and take notes of what
they say.
ink how your display will look at the beginning
of the season and how much produce you’ll have at
dierent times as the season progresses. en mock
up your booth by using graph or tracing paper for
drawing your display and how you’ll arrange the
various products you plan to sell.
Give Customers Your Full Attention
Catch up on your reading at home; stay away
from your book, magazine, or Internet research
on market day.
Balance your checkbook and manage your
accounts later in the day or at night.
Use your cell phone only for urgent situations.
Listen to your iTunes some other time.
Keep the conversations with your neighbors short.
Converse with your customers, but keep it short
when other customers are waiting.
Leave your cigarettes, cigars, and chewing
gum at home.
Leave your personal problems and your
political views out of your sales booth.
Train your sales crew to follow these rules, too.
UNH COOPERATIVE EXTENSION - Food & Agriculture 9
Even in midsummer customers
will shop for gis.
This material is based upon work supported by
USDA/NIFA under Award Number 2010-49200-06201.
ank you to all the growers who let me photograph
their market booth to share with farmers market
growers, vendors, and market managers.
ank you to my colleagues at the University of New
Hampshire Cooperative Extension, the New Department
of Agriculture, Markets & Food, the New Hampshire
Department of Health and Human Services - Food
Protection Section, and the New Hampshire Farmers
Market Association for their help reviewing this
publication.
e University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension programs
and policies are consistent with pertinent Federal and State laws
and regulations on non-discrimination regarding race, color,
national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, handicap or veteran’s
status.
Oer Gi Certicates: Extend Your
Sales Beyond Your Loyal Customers
Oering gi certicates at your booth will encourage
your customers to buy them for friends and family
members. It’s a way to acquire new customers who
might not otherwise visit your booth, farmstand, or
Pick-Your-Own operation.
Be Open to Suggestions and Feedback
Kale isn’t selling? Why? Heirloom tomatoes not
moving? How come?
If people aren’t buying one of your high-quality
products, nd out why before you decide not to grow
it again.
Engage your customers in conversation about what
they like and don’t like. Take notes. If someone seems
unfamiliar with a product, describe its virtues (avor,
versatility, nutritional value), and hand out a couple
of recipe cards that suggest how to include it in family
meals.
Make sure to include your farm’s name, logo, and
contact information on the card. You might also oer
a sample to take home and try.
In addition, have a suggestion or feedback box and a
notepad and pen. You might be surprised at what you
learn when customers comment anonymously. For
example, they might write, “I don’t know how to use
kale,” but wouldn’t admit their ignorance out loud.
Follow Good Social and
Social-Media Manners
Practice your best manners. Oer a quick greeting to
those customers waiting in line. Learn the names of
your frequent customers. Tweet or post to Facebook/
Instagram or other social-media platforms to increase
trac to your booth only during slow times or while
other sta are waiting on customers.
Stay Connected!
Inform your customers with a poster or through
informal conversation about what you’ll be harvesting
and bringing with you the following week.
Stay connected with your customers throughout the
week (and during the o season, too) on your website,
blog, and social media. Tweet photos of what’s going
on at your farm and in your elds, or post them to
your Facebook page. Consider setting up a Pinterest
board linking to various articles on the health benets
of the products you sell, or recipes on exciting new
ways to prepare them.
Build that connection and get your customers hooked
for the next visit…and the next season.
© 2014 University of New Hampshire.
All Rights Reserved.
Cooperative Extension, extension.unh.edu
University of New Hampshire grants permissions for
this publication to be downloaded only. Please contact
Nada Haddad at [email protected] if interested
in any other use of this publication or any of its
elements.
UNH COOPERATIVE EXTENSION - Food & Agriculture 10
Crushed ice or spray bottle with drinkable
water to keep crops such as lettuce,
mesclun, and broccoli looking fresh.
Drinking-quality water for misting
vegetables, for drinking, and for washing
your hands.
Coolers or ice chests to ensure safe
storage of individual products such as
meat, poultry, eggs, cheese and other
perishables.
An appliance thermometer in the cooler
to monitor and maintain temperature at
41° Fahrenheit or below.
Paper towels and soap.
Price and product signs.
Farm business sign.
Canopy and canopy weights.
Portable display.
Tablecloths.
Clean, undamaged containers.
Fabric or plastic container liners to keep
fruits and vegetables free of bruises.
Cash box or register with adequate change
and small bills.
Calculator, receipt book, tablet to record
your transactions.
Licensed scale, if you sell by weight.
Cellophane or plastic and rubber bands to
cover small fruit containers.
Florist sleeves if you are in the cut-ower
business.
Bakery boxes for fruit or poultry pies.
Shopping baskets, a great convenience
for customers, allowing them to purchase
more products from you.
Promotional iers, business cards, recipe
cards or printed information with the
farm contact information.
Anti-fatigue mats, a tall stool if you need
some support.
Clipboard, extra paper.
Heavy stock paper and marker pens for
making new signs if needed.
First aid kit.
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
At the end of each market day, pack all your
supplies, signs, and other equipment neatly into
one or two containers, ready for the next trip
to market.
Before You Head Out:
Consult Your Market Checklist!
Prepare and consult a checklist with items you need to bring with
you on the market day. Items on your list should include:
UNH COOPERATIVE EXTENSION - Food & Agriculture Market Checklist - 11
Selling Successfully
at a Farmers Market - Addendum
Nada Haddad, UNH Cooperative Extension Food and Agriculture Field Specialist
Here are some resources for New Hampshire growers,
farmers, and food processors. Make sure you check
the latest rules and regulations.
To register your business, check with the New
Hampshire Secretary of State’s Corporation Division:
http://sos.nh.gov/corp_div.aspx, (603) 271-3246 or
Corporation Division, corpora[email protected].nh.us
If you sell apples, cider, eggs, maple products,
or honey, look for the rules and regulations at the
Division of Regulatory Services, New Hampshire
Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food
(NHDAMF): (603) 271-3685 or http://agriculture.
nh.gov/divisions/regulatory-services/farm-
commodity-regulation.htm
If you sell pet treats, look for the rules and
regulations at the Division of Regulatory Services,
NHDAMF: (603) 271-3685 or http://agriculture.
nh.gov/divisions/regulatory-services/product-
registration.htm
To learn about organic certication, check with
NHDAMF, a USDA Accredited Certier, which allows
the Division of Regulatory Services at (603) 271-3685
to implement the organic certication program with
oversight by the USDA National Organic Program
(NOP) or http://agriculture.nh.gov/divisions/
regulatory-services/organic.htm
NH Seal of Quality Program: A voluntary program
that provides enhanced quality standards for farm
products. For more information contact the Division
of Regulatory Services, NHDAMF (603) 271-3685
or http://agriculture.nh.gov/divisions/regulatory-
services/seal-of-quality.htm
Labelling and correct use of the terms local, native,
or certied organic: check with the Division of
Regulatory Services at NHDAMF (603) 271-3685 or
http://www.agriculture.nh.gov/publications-forms/
documents/local-labeling.pdf
If you sell by weight or measure, check with the
Division of Weights and Measures at NHDAMF,
whose responsibilities include licensing commercial
scales and ensuring that consumers receive accurate
quantities. Contact the Division at (603) 271-3700
or 271-2894 or http://agriculture.nh.gov/divisions/
weights-measures/index.htm
If you use pesticides, either as a conventional or an
organic grower, contact the NH Division of Pesticide
Control at NHDAMF at (603) 271-3550 or http://
agriculture.nh.gov/divisions/pesticide-control/index.
htm
AGRICULTURE FACT SHEET - ADDENDUM
June 2014
Food & Agriculture
Other regulations may apply under the following
divisions of NHDAMF. Check with the appropriate
division to see if any apply to you.
Division of Plant Industry http://agriculture.
nh.gov/divisions/plant-industry/index.htm or
(603) 271-2561
Division of Animal Industry http://agriculture.
nh.gov/divisions/animal-industry/index.htm
or (603) 271-2404
Food Safety is regulated by the N.H. Department of
Health and Human Services’ Food Protection section
http://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/fp/
If you produce and/or sell dairy products, contact
the Dairy Sanitation Program Beverages & Bottled
Water at (603) 271-4673 foodprotection@dhhs.
state.nh.us or http://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/fp/
dairy/index.htm
For food processing in a homestead kitchen http://
www
.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/fp/homestead.htm
For jam, jellies, pickles, relishes, salsa, BBQ
sauce, and hot sauces http://www.dhhs.nh.gov/
dphs/fp/homestead.htm (603) 271-4589 or
For meat and poultry, contact (603) 271-4589 or
Forshellfishinspections,contact(603)271-4589,
[email protected] or http://www.
dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/fp/shellfish/index.htm
Several N.H. municipalities have additional local
regulations or ordinances. Check with the local
healthofficeronthelist:http://www.dhhs.nh.gov/
dphs/fp/documents/selfinspect.pdf
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP) EBT cards: For general information, check
http://www.fns.usda.gov/ebt/learn-about-snap-
benets-farmers-markets
MarketLink http://marketlink.org/: A USDA Food
and Nutrition Service contractor that assists
farmers and markets in getting set up to take
EBT cards. Contact [email protected]g or
443-212-8084.
e University of New Hampshire Cooperative
Extension oers many programs http://extension.unh.
edu/. Check the websites periodically for the latest
research, workshops, and other timely information.
Agriculture
http://extension.unh.edu/topics/Agriculture-
Horticulture
Agriculture Business
https://extension.unh.edu/programs/
Agricultural-Business-Management
Food Safety
http://extension.unh.edu/programs/Food-Safety-
Modernization-Act-FSMA
e Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). e
federal government is in the process of creating new
federal food-safety guidelines, which they currently
plan to finalize in fall 2015. For updates check http://
extension.unh.edu/programs/Food-Safety-
Modernization-Act-FSMA
NH Farmers Market Association http://www.nhfma.
org/ has a lot of useful information for market vendors
and prospective vendors.
This material is based upon work supported by
USDA/NIFA under Award Number 2010-49200-06201.
ank you to my colleagues at the University of New
Hampshire Cooperative Extension, the New Department
of Agriculture, Markets & Food, the New Hampshire
Department of Health and Human Services - Food
Protection Section, and the New Hampshire Farmers
Market Association for their help reviewing this
publication.
e University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension programs
and policies are consistent with pertinent Federal and State laws
and regulations on non-discrimination regarding race, color,
national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, handicap or veteran’s
status.
UNH COOPERATIVE EXTENSION - Food & Agriculture Addendum - 2
