There are a number of creative ways to track and present information at your market – data collection doesn’t have to be boring! In our digital age, collecting data can be as easy as creating a Google Form survey and generating a QR code for shoppers to scan at your information booth, no paper required. Whatever you choose as the best practice for your market, we can help you design effective data collection tools and present that information to your customers and community in a meaningful way.

Here’s a great place to start to learn more about the different types of Farmers Market Data you can collect:

Farmers Market Coalition: Farmers Market Metrics & Resources:

• Market Day Report
• Food Access:
  • SNAP Eligible Goods
  • SNAP Eligible Goods Checklist
• Vendors:
  • Vendor Profile
  • Vendor Profile Questions
  • Vendor Sales Anonymous
  • Vendor Sales Reported
  • Vendor Sales Slip
  • Metrics Vendor Letter
• Visitor Count & Survey
  • Visitor Count
  • Visitor Count Zone Reports
  • Full Visitor Count Tally Metrics
  • All Entry Count Sheet
  • Visitor Survey
• Data Collection:
  • Metrics Table
  • Metrics Selection Guide
  • Population Impact Table
  • Metrics Data Collection Plan Worksheets

The How and Why of Collecting Data:

• Designing an effective, scalable data collection tool to measure farmers market impacts – Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (2018)
• Farmers Market Metrics: A Toolkit for Collecting & Using Data – Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont
• Collecting and implementing data at the market, as well as this resource on step by step tips for your market survey were authored by Colleen Donovan and Karen Kinney for the Washington Farmers Market Association Market Management Toolkit.
• Homer Farmers Market Customer Survey
• Homer Farmers Market Vendor Survey

Reporting Data:

• An example of a grant report from the Troy Farmers Market in Montana: Farmers Market Promotion Grant 2014-2016 Growth Report
• The Homer Farmers Market 2021 Annual Meeting is a fantastic example of how to report/present data: 2021 Homer Farmers Market Annual Meeting Slides
• This presentation from AFMA’s own Meghan Geary and Amber Pell created this data report in conjunction with the Alaska Division of Agriculture Alaska Grown Program to present farmers market data through the Meet Me At The Market program.