Vendors

Join us with your farm-based products, garden plants, handmade crafts, and delicious foods.  The Owen County Farmers’ Market is based on vendors within a 100-mile radius of the Market. We desire to increase interest in local foods and artisans, but we need you to be a part of the Market and show all the great items available. We are excited about the market season, but it needs great vendors to make it a successful season. We want you to join us to expand our vendor base with more produce and value-added vendors.

Learn more about the type of vendors we support

Farm Vendors

Farmers are persons who raise produce (vegetables, fruits), herbs, flowers, or nursery crops from seed or plants and care for, cultivate, and harvest the crops offered for sale at the Market.  A farm vendor is anyone selling whole foods from their farm or garden.  Whole foods are foods that have not been changed from their original state such as produce and eggs.   The vendors’ areas of production must be within a 100-mile radius of the Owen County Farmers’ Market.

Home Based Vendor Foods must (according to the state) be prepared at the vendor’s residence, cannot be potentially hazardous (meaning they do not need refrigeration), and they can not be sold for resale

Prepared Foods are foods that are meant to be consumed at the Market such as coffee, tea, pastries, sandwiches, etc.

Artisan Vendors

Artisans are persons who craft with their own hands the products they offer for sale at the Market.  To qualify as an artisan, a majority of the tools and equipment used by the crafter to produce the products must require skills, personal handling, and/or guidance from the crafter.

The Board reserves the right to refuse admittance to any vendor that the Board feels does not meet the eligibility requirements or does not serve the market’s best interests. Work should be made by hand or with the appropriate tools, showing imagination, skill, and the mark of the artisan’s individuality.  All works should be executed without technical faults.

Items made from kits or mechanically mass-produced are not acceptable.

Youth Lemonade Stand Program

We support the Youth Lemonade Stand Program to encourage entrepreneurship in our local youth. This program allows one youth or youth group, ages 12 and under, to vend at a lemonade stand per Market.

In the spirit of actual business ownership, the stand can be reserved for $0.50 (due on the day of the event). The child or youth group has to make, Market, and sell their drinks at the stand from 10:00 am to 12:00pm or 8:30am to 12:00pm on Saturdays.

The Market will provide a stand with a board for signage. Youth are responsible for their booth to truly experience creating a farm stand. They can provide an additional table, chair, signage, or stand décor. A canopy is available from the market board. Security weights are required for safety if the youth bring their own canopy. This stand is for selling drinks only (no food or craft items). Drinks can be homemade or a mix.

This is great for fundraising or helping youth with money management skills. Sign up your child or youth group today!

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Vendor Booth Rental Fees

• Full Season (May-Sept) is $150.00.
• Daily is $15.00.  Due on or before the Saturday the booth is rented.  If the vendor decides after renting a booth for two days to participate in a full season, the rental fee will be applied to the total rental.
• Lemonade Stand for youth 12 and under is $0.50. Due on or before the Saturday the booth is rented.

Vendor Requirements & Rules

1. Before a vendor application will be approved, the following criteria must be met:
   • Applicant must reside within a one-hundred-mile radius of the Market.
   • Applicant must not have an outstanding fee or fine from the previous season.
   • If the applicant was a vendor the previous season, they must have been in good standing, abiding by the Rules & Policies of the Owen County Farmers’ Market.
   • No commercial, imported, or second-hand items shall be sold by any vendor at the Market.
2. The Market strives to provide a place where fresh and wholesome products are sold. The Market Manager cooperates with regulatory agencies to maintain quality control.
3. Minor children may be involved in displaying and selling items in a stall, provided a parent or guardian always supervises them.
4. No vending from trucks, vans, cars, etc., in the Market
5. Full and Seasonal vendors are asked to inform the Market Manager in advance of weeks they will be unable to attend the Market.  This information is helpful to our Market Manager for recording attendance,  planning the market day layout, and letting our customers know what will be available
6. For those wishing to rent space on a daily (week by week) basis, booth payments must be made before the start of the Market on the days of setting up. Vendors must contact the Market Manager at least 48 hrs before the Saturday you plan to attend so that we can assure you of a booth space.
7. Home-based vendors must “obtain a food handler certificate from a certificate issuer accredited by the American National Standards Institute” (ANSI). ServSafe Food Handler training fulfills this requirement. This certification is valid for three years. You have two training options to satisfy this requirement.

• The Purdue Extension Food Safety Team is preparing a series of in-person food handler training. Call your local Purdue Extension office or visit purdue.edu/servsafe/workshops to find classes as they are scheduled.
• For those who prefer an online option, the ServSafe Food Handler training can be taken online at servsafe.com

For complete market rules: 2024 OCFM Rules and Regulations

Stalls & Stall Assignment

A full stall will be 10’ X 10’. A vendor may pay for and use more than one stall. The Owen County Farmers’ Market reserves the right to limit the number of stalls each vendor has should the growth of the Market dictate that such a limitation is in the market’s best interest.

Canopy & Table: Set Up & Tear Down

1. All vendors are responsible for setting up and tearing down canopies, tables, and displays for their stalls.
   • Set up may begin an hour before the Market opens and must be completed before the Market opens
   • Tear-down may not begin before the end of the market hours (even if you sell out!)
2. All vendors erecting canopies at the Market must have their canopy sufficiently and safely anchored to the ground from when their canopy is put up to when it is taken down.  The Market requires a minimum of 24-pound weights on each of the four corners of the canopy.  Any vendor whom the Market Manager has found to have failed to anchor their canopy properly will have to:
   • Anchor their canopy appropriately or
   • Remove their canopy for that Market day or
   • Refrain from selling at the Market on that Market day.
3. All vendors are responsible for policing their stall areas after the tear-down and leaving the site clean. Vendors who do not police their area will not be allowed to sell at the next Market.

Parking

1. Vendors must park their vehicles away from the market site. No vending from trucks, vans, cars, etc., in the Market
2. The Owen County Farmers’ Market is not responsible for items left at the Market.

FAQ

When must contracts be submitted?
What is the scheduling requirement to vend?
Can anyone vend?
Do I need insurance?
If I am done vending before 1 pm, can I leave?
Can I sell mushrooms?
What licenses and permits are required?
Can I sell my farm-raised meats?

When must contracts be submitted?
Vendor applications must be received at least 48 hours before the first market date. Applications can be submitted online, emailed, or mailed to Owen County Farmers’ Market, PO Box 650, Spencer, IN 47460. Payments can be made by sending a check to Owen County Farmers Market, PO Box 650, Spencer, IN 47460, or given directly to the Market Manager.

What is the scheduling requirement to vend?
Full-season vendors are asked to contact the Market Manager when they cannot attend a particular Saturday.  This allows the Market Manager knowledge to fill in your space that week to keep a coherent flow to the Market. Reserved spaces not claimed before 8 am may be reassigned to another vendor for that day.

Seasonal vendors are asked to contact the Market Manager at least 48 hours before the Saturday you plan to attend so we can configure the Market for that week.

Daily vendors that have approved contracts must contact the Market Manager at least 48 hrs before the Saturday you plan to attend so that we can assure you of booth space.  Payment is required before setting up your booth.

Can anyone vend?

• Vendors must submit contracts before vendor for board approval.  The Board reserves the right to refuse admittance to any vendor that the Board feels does not meet the eligibility requirements or does not serve the market’s best interests.
• Artisan Vendors. All Artisan Vendors are subject to the craft jury process, and only those items approved by the jury may be sold at the Market.  Vendor booth rental spaces may be limited for Artisans depending on the response of contracts.
• The Board and Market Master reserves the right to inspect any kitchen or farm of participating market vendors. We may choose to make a visit when complaints have been made to the Market Master as we deem it necessary. If, following the initial inspection, the Board and Market Master feel it is needed, they may require a State inspection by the Owen County Board of Health.

Do I need insurance?
A certificate of Insurance with the minimum limits of 500/1M listing the “Owen County Farmers’ Market” as an additional insured is highly recommended but not required. Note: per Terms of Agreement, Owen County Farmers’ Market does not cover any liability claims made again individual vendors.

If I am done vending before 12:00 pm, can I leave?
Vendors are NOT permitted to close their booth before the conclusion of the market day for insurance liability reasons. Any vendor leaving the Market before the close of the day could be assessed a $50.00 fine, which is due before the next Market day.

Can I sell mushrooms?
Commercially raised mushrooms, including the common button mushroom, portabellas, shiitake, enoki, Bavarian, etc., must have documentation showing their source. Wild mushrooms, such as the morel or sponge mushroom, must be individually inspected and found to be safe by a certified mushroom identification expert, per 410 IAC 7-24-164. For more information, please visit:  https://www.in.gov/health/food-protection/wild-mushrooms/

What licenses and permits are required?

• Egg vendors MUST have a state egg license with a copy included with the contract and copy on site (Egg License Application Retail). **Egg licenses expire June 30. You will need to acquire a new license to complete the season.
• Indiana State Board of Animal Health Dairy Division permit to operate as a manufactured grade milk and/or milk processor is required with vendors intending to sell dairy products.
• A temporary Food Vendor Permit and/or Mobile Food Vending Permit from the Owen County Health Department is required.

Can I sell my farm-raised meats?
Selling farm-raised meats is allowed.  If  a vendor intends to sell frozen or preserved beef, pork, elk, rabbit, goat, poultry, lamb, or other meats at the Market, the following requirements must be met:

1. The vendor must have grown, bred, or raised all animals from which meat is sold at the Market;
2. All animals must have been in the Vendor’s immediate custody, care, and control for at least fifty percent (50%) of the live weight or for twelve months at slaughter;
3. Only products prepared in a licensed state-inspected facility may be sold at the Market.  Preparation includes slaughter, packaging, labeling, and freezing/preserving.  The product must have a “safe food handling” label on the package and be sold in the unaltered package it was placed in at the processing facility.  Processing plant receipts may be requested for verification of producer ship;
4. The vendor must maintain the product continuously in frozen/preserved condition from when it leaves the processing facility until it is sold at the Market.
5. Home butchered
   • Home butchered poultry (poultry defined as: chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, ratitae, and squabs) are accepted under the Indiana State Board of Health regulation if under 1000 birds are processed.
   • Vendor must include labeling stating “Home Butchered” with State labeling requirements.
   • Products must be sold in frozen condition from when they leave the processing facility until they are sold at the Market; fresh or thawed products are prohibited.
   • Home-butchered meats and wild game, other than poultry, are prohibited at the Market.
   • Check with the local board of health for the status of home-butchered rabbits.

Meet Our Vendors