Why does Chicago need a farmers market collective? 

As the 3rd largest city in the country, Chicago has many farmers markets, all of which share the same general mission, to provide their shoppers with locally grown, nutritiously dense food products. Since we all have the same goal in mind, we might as well work together to achieve it! So, several times a year, we all get together to share best practices, advice, and solve problems to support our city's local food system.  We usually meet monthly, but during COVID-19, we have been meeting more frequently.

I'm a market manager and I want to join the collective. What is the process? 

Join our group! We send most of our updates through email. To join the group, ask the group a question, contact us here. Or have your question added to an upcoming meeting agenda by reaching out to us here. 

Is there an annual fee to be a member of the collective? 

Nope! No fee. This group is free and open to all market managers. The more the merrier!

I'm not from Chicago, but I want to be a part of this. Can I still join? 

Unfortunately, this group is meant for Chicago specifically. Do some digging in your area! See if a similar group already exits. If not, shoot us an email if you're interested in learning more about how we got started.