In honor of National Farmer’s Market week, we did several interviews with local market farmers, and folks from the National Farmer’s Market Coalition. You can listen to the shorter episode first (below), with clips from a couple different interviews centered on farmers markets and their importance. Then, tune into the longer interview between Hannah Fuller and editor Jessica Mitchell about the Farmers Market Coalition.
Jill Elmers is a role-model for how to go for what you want, get older, change goals, and then go for that. With a degree in engineering and music, Jill landed a job designing sound reinforcement systems, and eventually became a partner with Avant Acoustics. But after 20 years, she’d had enough and quit – without another job lined up. Her leap into the unknown led her to working at Wakarusa Valley Farm and learning how to become a farmer. While she admits that the transition from a corporate desk job to an outdoors job was hard, she has no regrets.
Jill now continues to consult with Avant, but her heart is in farming. She is now chair of the Lawrence Farmers Market, serves on the Food Policy Council, and works with Farm-to-School programs. Jill, and a handful of employees, take care of her farm Moon on the Meadow.
Emily Lysen is the director of development for the Lawrence Farmers’ Market and their grant writer. With a background in Environmental Science and a love of coordinating others around gardening and sustainability, Emily brings her low-key, but fierce self to advocate for food security everywhere.
Hannah Fuller (she/her/hers) joined Farmers Market Coalition in July of 2020 and now serves as FMC’s Communications Manager. Hannah is a strong believer in the power of collective action in changing our food system. She holds a dual degree from Cornell University in Plant Sciences and International Agriculture & Rural Development, with a minor in Community Food Systems. She has experience working in food systems all over the globe, from upstate New York, to India, Belize, and Patagonia. Before joining FMC she worked for Oregon State Extension Service as a SNAP Educator and working on issues of rural food security and food systems development in Oregon. Currently based in Washington, DC, Hannah manages all aspects of FMC’s communications channels and collaborates with FMC Staff to share their work and promote farmers markets around the country.
Additional Resources:
Farmer’s Market Coalition
Lawrence Farmers’ Market
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)
Our Podcast Team:
Carla Tilghman and Jessica Mitchell
Music: “Good 2BU” Jason Shaw
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