New vendors are always welcome, however participation is limited to Florida growers only. All items offered for sale at the market must have been grown(or produced primarily from ingredients grown)by the person or business selling them.

New growers are always welcome at the Alachua County Farmers' Market, but participation is limited to Florida farmers only. All items offered for sale at the market must have been grown by the person selling them or by their relatives or business partners. Costs | Market Rules includes Membership Application and Fee Receipt (in pdf format) | Growers Permit and Growers List (in pdf format) | Prepare to Sell | Selling Requirements In order to read the pdf files, you need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader . Selling requirements Before growers are permitted to rent a selling space at the market, they must meet a few simple conditions. Each grower is required to have:
  • Nursery Growers need to get their certificate from the Division of Plant Industry.
  • Food vendors are required to have a "Certified Kitchen" with the state of Florida.
    • New copies of these documents must be provided each market year, which begins April 1st. All new farmers will be inspected at least once to assure compliance with the rules. See these links for older copy of the Growers Permit from Alachua County Extension Agent and a Growers List. Membership Application and Fee Receipt.

    What it costs

    There are three kinds of fees: membership dues, selling space fees, and inspection fees. All fees must be paid and the required documents submitted before being allowed to sell at the market. There are 2 types of memberships at the market. The first is a daily membership. A daily membership is a good choice for growers whose products are available only for a short season. It may also help those who want to see how well they do at the market before committing to selling there every week. A daily member pays three fees; an inspection fee, a membership fee and a daily rental fee. Daily sellers must be inspected and pay the annual $30 inspection fee. Daily sellers also pay annual membership dues of $10 per day with a maximum of $20 per year. The final fee, is the space rental, which varies from $10 - $15 per day, depending on the season. The second type of membership is an annual membership. Each grower renting an annual space at the market must pay annual membership dues of $125. In addition, there is an initiall inspection fee of $30 for all new growers in Alachua County. Outside the county, the fee is $30 plus time and mileage for the inspector to visit the farm. Selling space fees range from $200 to $275 per year depending on the space selected. All spaces are about 350 sq ft . Members leasing spaces on an annual basis may renew their existing assigned spaces or participate in a lottery for any unassigned spaces. Annual members may also choose to take an unassigned selling space for $150 per year. Annual membership is a good option for growers who anticipate having crops to sell almost every week year round.

    Prepare to sell

    Growers who are interested in selling at the ACFM are advised to visit the market before they apply. Get a feel for what it is like. Observe the booths of the growers selling here now. Notice the ways the goods are displayed and look at the signs showing the prices. See how the growers interact with the customers. Produce doesn't sell itself. Growers have to display and market it in an appealing manner. If you just flip down the tailgate of your truck and get back into the cab, your chances of selling what you grew are small. Food vendors may only sell items which are made from their own products. They are required to have a "Certified Kitchen" with the state of Florida and must carry a liability insurance policy. The ACFM wants you to succeed. You can get help in making signs and coming up with ideas for displaying your produce. Marketing produce requires energy and creativity, just like planting and harvesting your crops do.