Rules and policies serve as the foundation for how organizations function.

They create clarity by defining expectations, procedures, and responsibilities so everyone understands how things work. Policies help organizations operate consistently and fairly, ensuring similar situations are handled the same way regardless of who's involved. They also provide a framework for decision-making, giving leaders guidance when challenges arise and reducing the need to reinvent solutions each time an issue comes up.

Well-written policies can protect the organization legally, demonstrate compliance with regulations, and establish accountability. Clear rules help build trust within the organization and with outside stakeholders by showing that the group is transparent, organized, and committed to operating with integrity.

Perhaps most importantly, policies allow organizations to scale and sustain themselves over time—new leaders can step in, membership can change, and the organization can continue operating smoothly because the essential knowledge isn't just in people's heads but written down and accessible to everyone.

  • Many farmers markets have questions about free speech at markets, and in particular, what types of restrictions market rules can place on activities such as leafleting, political campaigning, or protesting. These activities can interfere with the operation of the market. Are farmers markets obligated to allow these types of activities as exercises of free speech under the First Amendment? The Farmers Market Legal Toolkit has the answers.

  • Sample weather policies showing how markets decide when to cancel and how they communicate those decisions to vendors and customers.

  • OFMA is making a collection of examples of policies from our state’s farmers markets. Email us if your market has one to share!

  • For a how-to on writing rules and protocol for vendors, check out the vendor handbooks section of OFMA's resource library.

Webinar Recordings

There’s lots of terms we see used to describe produce and other food items, like “organic”, “natural”, “sustainable”, “biodynamic”, “non-GMO” and more. What do they mean? As farmers market staff, it's essential to know the definitions of production and marketing terms so you accurately understand the nature of your vendors' farm and food businesses, and so you can be a trusted source of information to your customers.

OFMA has invited John Porter, Urban Agriculture Program Coordinator for Nebraska Extension, to help us all understand what messages our markets and vendors are sending when we use these terms.