PFM is proud to offer the market as a resource to other community-based nonprofits. Space is held for groups conducting educational outreach related to agriculture, sustainability and preservation of open space. There is no charge for tabling or using the market stage. No sales are permitted from community booths. Pre-approval from PFM staff is required.

Please note that in 2021, we implemented Pet Crossings at our PSU market as a way to provide a space for shoppers to keep their dogs away from market vendors and shopper walkways.

In the interests of health and safety, a farmers market is not the best place to bring a pet. If customers do choose to bring a pet, we ask them to abide by these six rules to make a pet’s visit to the market a good experience for everyone:

– Dogs must be kept on a short leash.
– Dogs must be under control and by the owner’s side at all times.
– Keep dogs away from product, plants and other food products.
– Dogs must be friendly with other dogs and children to earn the right to be at the market.
– Be considerate—not everyone loves dogs and some customers are allergic to animals.
– Don’t forget to clean up after your dog!
PFM management reserves the right to request that owners remove pets from the market.

Happy Tails!

PFM works with local social service agencies to establish the gleaning of food contributions at the end of each market day. These agencies are a great resource for distributing your unsold product to the local community in need.

Many of our farms donate to Urban Gleaners, a local non-profit, that efficiently distributes unsold produce and other products to the local community through emergency food relief agencies and food to schools programs.
Donation receipts are available directly from gleaners on request. Gleaners generally arrive at the market during the last hour and check in with vendors to find out if there are any donations for the day.

In 2021, Urban Gleaners picked up produce from some of our markets, including the PSU and King Farmers Markets. If you have produce and/or products to donate, call 503-226-8061 to schedule a pickup at the end of a market.

PFM recognizes the sensitivity around gross sales reporting by vendors, but believes the compiling of market sales statistics is essential to the financial management and efficient operation of the Market. In order to maintain the highest vendor confidentiality, PFM market staff follows these procedures:

Vendors are requested to submit completed gross sales forms by product:

Category for each market day attended and to represent themselves with honesty and integrity.
To avoid requiring vendors to tally sales at the market, forms are collected each week for the previous week.
Forms may be submitted anonymously.
Forms are collected in a closed container.
Only the Market Manager, Market Coordinator or Executive Director are privy to the original forms and they are not permitted to discuss the sales tallies for individual vendors.
Raw data is incorporated into a spreadsheet by category grouping and not by vendor name.
Forms are destroyed after they are compiled into a spreadsheet.

PFM sites that operate as a licensee of the City of Portland recognize the injunction entered by the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon in the case of Gathright vs. City of Portland that limits PFM authority to control the activities of members of the public attending the market. The text of this decision is available for review at the PFM information booth.

PFM’s Board of Directors is dedicated to consumer education as a critical component of building sales for local agriculture. Vendors’ fees at PFM cover the basic cost of operating the markets, including site rental, permits, advertising, insurance, and staffing. In order to keep vendors’ fees as low as possible and still fund educational outreach, PFM solicits sponsors for specific markets, events and programming. Sponsor candidates are evaluated on an individual basis to ensure there is not direct conflict with the Market’s mission. In addition, PFM receives numerous in-kind donations, benefits from the support of volunteers, and cultivates community partners.

On certain occasions PFM allows test sampling of new products. These products must meet strict criteria and align with the mission of the Market. They provide an additional fundraising opportunity for PFM. Items that directly compete with the regular market vendor’s products are not allowed. Sampling product booths are separated from the general traffic flow and are limited to one area of the market. Each of these vendors is limited to no more than one appearance at the market per month.