Minnesota Farmers' Market Association

06/15/2026

The MN Cottage Foods Law (Minnesota Statute 28A.152) was first passed in 2015, allowing for "non-potentially hazardous foods" (baked foods; certain pickled or canned foods; jams, jellies, etc.) to be made in your home kitchen without a license, as long as the cottage food producer (CFP) successfully completes the mandated food safety training and registers with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

MFMA offers FREE Cottage Food classes through our Cottage Food Academy training program to all who are interested in making cottage food to sale. Completion of our classes meets the mandated food safety training. Check out the upcoming dates of trainings.

JUNE:
✅️Cottage Foods Tier 1 Training, Application, & Test: Sun, Jun 21, 1 - 3pm

JULY:
✅️Cottage Foods Tier 1 Training, Application, & Test: Thu, Jul 9, 1 - 3pm
✅️Cottage Foods Tier 1 Training, Application, & Test: Sat, Jul 18, 1 - 3pm
✅️Cottage Foods Tier 1 Training, Application, & Test: Sun, Jul 26, 1 -3pm

Register for these trainings & more here: https://www.mfma.org/Events

06/14/2026

There are so many beautiful markets across MN! And how cool is it to have one by the lake!

Where in MN is your favorite farmers market?! Let us know! We would love to highlight them!

06/09/2026

MFMA is pleased to welcome four dedicated leaders into new board officer roles. Their experience, passion, and commitment to strengthening farmers' markets and local food systems will help guide our organization as we continue supporting markets, farmers, and communities across Minnesota.

Please join us in welcoming:

✅Bonnie Muellerleile (Hennepin County, Metro Region) as Board President
✅Tessa Parks (Rice County, South Central Region) as Vice President
✅Laura Fredrickson-Gosewisch (Ramsey, Metro) as Treasurer
✅ Sarah Larsen (Dakota, Metro) as Secretary

They bring valuable perspectives, leadership experience, and a deep commitment to Minnesota's farmers' market community. Their service comes at an exciting time as MFMA continues to expand educational opportunities, strengthen market support services, and advocate for the important role farmers' markets play in local economies and healthy communities.

We are grateful for their willingness to serve and look forward to their leadership in helping advance our mission of supporting vibrant farmers' markets, successful vendors, and resilient local food systems throughout Minnesota.

Please join us in congratulating our new board officers on their new leadership roles and thanking them for their dedication to Minnesota's farmers' markets.

Learn more about our Board of Directors here: https://mfma.org/Board

06/05/2026

The Invisible Wounds Project is hosting the Friday Night North St. Paul Car Show this year and are adding a farmers & makers market to the lineup this year!

Dates are: June 5, June 19, July 17, July 31, August 14, August 28 and September 11. The fee for all 7 dates is $150. They are offering a 10x10 space. Vendors must be setup and ready to go by 5:45 at the latest. The market will be open from 6pm to 9-9:30pm, depending on the crowd and how long the vendor would like to stay.

Vendors interested in signing up, can do so via their website (click on Farmers/Markers Market): https://iwproject.org/north-st-paul-friday-night-car-show/

Please contact Laurie Blank at (855) HELP-IWP with any vending questions!

06/05/2026

We Want to Hear From You!

MFMA's e-newsletter weekly is designed to provide timely, relevant, and useful information to farmers, market vendors, market managers, and local food advocates across Minnesota and Tribal Nations. As we continue to grow and improve our communications, we'd love your feedback.

What topics, resources, or information would you find most valuable? Are there specific challenges you're facing or questions you'd like addressed? Whether it's pricing and profitability, market management, food safety, policy updates, marketing tips, funding opportunities, vendor success stories, or emerging industry trends, we want to hear from you.

To help us better understand your interests and needs, we invite you to complete our short survey. Your feedback will help shape future newsletters, educational resources, trainings, and technical assistance opportunities, ensuring that we provide content that is meaningful and useful to you and your business.

Take our quick survey here: https://forms.gle/LXG4iWpBCC2iK5XK8

06/01/2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Minnesota Farmers’ Market Association Announces Hiring of Pa Thao as Director of Communications & Operational Development

St.Paul, MN — June 1, 2026

The Minnesota Farmers’ Market Association (MFMA) is pleased to announce the hiring of Pa Thao as its new Director of Communications & Operational Development

Thao brings nearly two decades of experience in nonprofit leadership, grassroots organizing, communications, community engagement, and program development. She is widely recognized for her work building community power and advancing culturally rooted initiatives that strengthen local communities, civic participation, equitable access to resources, and regional food systems.

In her new role, Thao will support MFMA’s growing statewide network of farmers’ markets and local food partners through strategic communications, organizational operations, and community-centered outreach efforts. Her leadership will help advance MFMA’s mission of supporting vibrant farmers’ markets, strengthening local food systems, and expanding access to fresh, locally grown food across Minnesota and Tribal Nations.

“Pa brings a deep commitment to community, relationship building, and systems-level thinking,” said Kathy Zeman, Executive Director. “Her experience working alongside farmers, community organizations, and historically underrepresented communities makes her an incredible addition to our team during this exciting period of growth.”

Read the press release: https://bit.ly/ptatmfma

05/11/2026

We're excited to share the results of our farmers' markets farm products pricing report! The video below is 37 minutes and discusses the how/why of the project as well introducing the interactive dashboard.

The data in the dashboard was gathered at 61 farmers' markets in all 9 MFMA regions from 524 vendors on 39 different farm products in late summer 2025. Our survey crew visited the farmers' markets and wrote down prices of all the farm products sold at the market that day. Data was also collected on the market itself, including the number of total vendors, farmer vendors, day temperature and wind conditions. To jump directly to the dashboard, go here: https://mfma.org/Market-Prices-and-Field-Conditions/

05/09/2026

MFMA, farmers’ markets, farmers, food makers, the entire MN local foodshed, is so fortunate that Friendly is our advocate!!

"We are protectors of our community. We’re stronger together. We are trying to assert there is a different way of being. We can be a collective."

04/25/2026

MFMA Board Directors Laura Fredrickson-Gosewisch (Metro Region) and Angelica Pena (Central Region) are staffing our table at the 2026 Cottage FoodieCon held this weekend at the Hennepin Technical College in Eden Prairie. Over 130 cottage food producers are converging in EP to learn successful business practices.

Attendees can sign up to win a free water activity meter kit or a free pH meter kit. PLUS - we're introducing our new form that allows CFPs to ask our team to research if the foods they want to make will be eligible cottage foods in MN. An online form can be found on our Cottage Foods Academy page: https://forms.gle/BQEfRt8n6XETN3Yk7

02/02/2026

MFMA is happy to work alongside Adam Ulbricht of the Minnesota Bison Association, Rachel Sannerud of Pluck Flower Farm, and Brenda Hartkopf of the MN Elk Breeders Association on the Minnesota Grown Promotion Group. MGPG advises MDA on the Minnesota Grown program as we all promote Minnesota grown products.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Grown Promotion Group (MGPG) has elected new officers to its Board of Directors who will help guide the organization’s...