1. 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

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

3. 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)

4. 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

5. 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.

6. Results!

7. More Results!

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

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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

12. 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