The first Dane County Farmers' Market was held on Monona Avenue (now known as Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard) in Madison, Wisconsin, on Saturday, September 30, 1972, with less than a dozen vendors. By the following week, the number of vendors had increased to almost ninety in order to meet demand, and the market spilled over to the Capitol Square. It ran every Saturday in its first season from 7:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. until October 21, 1972.
The following year, the market opened on June 16 with over 200 vendors. In 1974, 300 vendors served 200,000 customers. A Wednesday market began in 1975, and a Growers' Council that acted in an advisory capacity was established the same year. In 1985 the market season expanded to an April to November schedule. Later improvements included the establishment of a rules, penalties, and appeals system (late 1980s), a seniority ranking whereby vendors arrived on Saturday morning and received spots based on their status (1990), the honing of rules regarding production and allowable categories of goods sold (early 1990s), and establishment of a winter market (2001).
Initially supported by Dane County Extension Service, the City of Madison, and the Central Madison Committee, the market became a non-profit, membership corporation with an appointed Board of Directors by the early 1980s. By 1985 the elected Growers' Council replaced the appointed board members. Members must meet a specified ownership stake in the farm/business, directly participate in daily operation of the farm/business, and be present at the market to sell and interact with customers. Seniority in turn determines eligibility and position on waiting lists for a season stall with a fixed location, and priority for daily stalls if space permits. A waiting list for new memberships began in the mid-1990s, with the wait taking up to three years. A community, cultural, and tourist attraction, the DCFM holds the distinction as the nation's largest producer-only farmers' market.
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Market Manager(s)
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Term of Office
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| Jonathan Barry |
1972-1976 |
| Dan and Judy Peterson |
1976-1979 |
| Paul and Jo Prust |
1980-1983 |
| Mary Walters |
1984-1989 |
| Mary Carpenter |
1989-2000 |
| Bill Warner and Judy Hageman |
2001-2002 |
| Larry Johnson |
2003-2014 |
| Bill Lubing |
2014-2015 |
| Sarah Elliott |
2016- |
For further information, see the DCFM website.
