BC farmers’ markets will have a chance to catch up with their own success at the 2013 BC Association of Farmers’ Markets (BCAFM) Annual Conference & Annual General Meeting in Kamloops, March 1 - 3, 2013. Farmers, small scale food processors, crafters, market managers and market board members are all invited to join the annual gathering of the B.C. farmers’ market community.
The BCAFM is pleased to announce that the keynote speaker will be Michael Ableman, farmer, author of “Fields of Plenty”, photographer and founder of SOLE Food and Foxglove Farm, home of The Center for Arts, Ecology & Agriculture (Salt Spring Island).
The event kicks off on Friday with a “A Taste of Kamloops“ reception at Terra Restaurant with Chef David Tombs. The Conference will feature sessions on public relations and risk management, using social media to promote farmers’ markets and vendor businesses, advocacy and the BC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Coupon Program, as well as special round tables for market vendors, managers and board members.
Elizabeth Quinn, BCAFM Executive Director, says the conference offers farmers’ markets across B.C. an opportunity to build on their successes. Results from the recent 2012 Economic and Social Benefits of Farmers’ Markets Study found that total direct sales at farmers’ markets increased 147 per cent between 2006 and 2012, from $46 million to $113 million. “Farmers’ markets continue to grow, creating new opportunities, as well as new challenges,” says Quinn. “The annual conference is a great time for everyone involved in farmers’ markets to learn from each other about how to best move forward.”
The conference will take place at Hotel 540 in Kamloops. This year’s conference is supported by the BC Ministry of Agriculture, Thompson Country Community Futures, the BC Association of Farmers’ Markets and the Kamloops Farmers’ Market. For more information and on-line registration, interested participants are welcome to visit the BCAFM website at www.bcfarmersmarket.org or call 604-734-9797.