Crawford County Farmers Markets Grow A Case Study in Rural Farmers Market Development Will cronin Community development educator University of Wisconsin-extension Crawford county 2017 Wisconsin local foods summit January 12, 2017, La crosse

Situation Crawford County Economic Development Corp. writes $100,000 USDA Farmers Market Promotion Program grant in 2014, for implementation in 2015-2016 CCEDC Director has to leave position, grant moves to UW-Extension Top Priorities: Implement work plan and conduct applied research

Crawford County Southwestern Wisconsin 573 Square Miles 11 Townships 9 Villages 1 City Population in 2010: 16,644 Population Estimate July 2015: 16,391 50.95% of the population (8,351) lives in the Prairie du Chien “Metro Area.” (ZIP 53821)

Work Plan Major Projects Challenges Complete Marketing Plan Implement EBT/Credit/Debit at all markets Purchase equipment Maintain paid market coordinator positions Lay groundwork for 4th market in the county Create a new organization? Challenges Three individual markets, one grant Liability insurance issues Financial management General lack of consistent technical assistance Unclear path to sustainability and growth

Marketing Plan Worked with Survey Research Center (SRC) at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls to develop a survey to identify the barriers preventing Crawford County residents from patronizing markets. 2-page survey to 1,815, randomly selected households in Crawford County. A total of 507 completed surveys were received, a 28% response rate.

Results!

More Results!

Marketing Strategies New website: crawfordfarmersmarkets.com Billboards Newspaper WPR – Major Success

EBT/Credit/Debit Process Issues Worked with MarketLink, a program of the National Association of Farmers Market Nutrition Programs (NAFMNP), to obtain no-cost EBT/Credit/Debit equipment Two of three markets operational Issues Needed to obtain cellular hotspots through another carrier. Can markets cover costs of use? One market chose not to pursue program for this reason.

A 501(c)3! Three very small markets with little internal capacity for… anything. Staff Donations Insurance Marketing What was going to happen when the grant ran out? Worked with county leaders to incorporate Crawford County Farmers Markets Grow as a nonprofit organization. Organization will be able to hire staff, take our insurance policies, get best bang-for-buck in ad buys and, most importantly, take tax-deductible donations.

Future Directions Ongoing planning for implementation of 501(c)3 Create a plan for sustainable funding of market coordinator positions Ensure markets can afford EBT/Credit/Debit fees in the long term Create a volunteer-driven fundraising program Continue targeted marketing as funding permits

Thank you! Comments or Questions? Will Cronin Community Resource Development Educator UW-Extension, Crawford County 225 N. Beaumont Suite 240 Prairie du Chien, WI 53821 608-326-0223 Will.cronin@ces.uwex.edu