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Boyne City RMA Successful! Michigan State University and the Michigan Association of Farmers Markets (MIFMA) undertook its first Rapid Market Assessment (RMA) of 2008 this past Saturday, July 26, at the Boyne City Farmers Market. The weather was beautiful, the team enthusiastic, the market welcoming and the customers having a wonderful experience! Assessment team members included Kelli Joyce, market manager for the new Canton Township Farmers Market in Southeast Michigan; Danielle Welke, MIFMA member and market enthusiast who works within MSU's College of Veterinary Medicine: Lesley Atwood, MSU CARRS graduate student; Patricia Alameda, MSU CARRS undergraduate; and Monika Kothari, Plymouth Canton High School senior and MSU Multicultural Apprenticeship Program participant. They all did a FANTASTIC job! Susan Smalley, Director of MSU's C.S. Mott Group for Community Food Systems was the team leader and Jen Lewis, Boyne City Farmers Market Manager, handled local arrangements. A draft report is being prepared this week for sharing with the team and host market before finalizing. Volunteers are still needed for these upcoming market assessments: Saturday, August 2: 8:00 AM 2:00 PM Frankenmuth Farmers Market Saturday, August 9: 9:00 AM 1:00 PM Empire & Suttons Bay Farmers Markets (We'll be covering two Leelanau County Farmers markets on the same day so we'll need extra team members here.) We invite current and potential farmers market managers, sponsors, vendors, friends, MSU students and Extension educators to join us as an assessment team member. It's a great opportunity to experience a different farmers market and to learn more about markets in general. You will learn how to use some simple tools that can help you conduct research at your own market and in other public venues. You will meet great people, sample some wonderful food, and have fun! If you live near MSU, we can arrange for you to ride with our campus team to the market sites. If you live near one of the markets hosting an assessment, we can arrange to meet you there. If you can help, we'd love to hear from you. Please send me an email response, and I'll be back in touch to work out details. Susan *** Susan Smalley, PhD Director C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at Michigan State University 302A Natural Resources Building East Lansing, MI 48824-1222 [log in to unmask] 517.432.0049 voice 517.353.3834 fax If you would like to access previous postings to the Mich-Organic listserv you can copy and paste the following URL into your browser address bar http://list.msu.edu/archives/mich-organic.html