Sunsetting the Metrics Software Pilot

FMC piloted its subscription software (Farmers Market Metrics) from 2016-2022 for market operators to collect and store data to then use for reporting via FMC’s widget and summary templates via an annual subscription of 252.00 along with an FMC membership of 40.00.)

In September of 2022, the staff and board of FMC made the decision to begin sunsetting the subscription software immediately, with no new users allowed to be added.

The main reasons for this decision was the heavy use of other software database programs currently available to markets.  FMC had always planned on this software as a short term project and had hoped other software companies would have enough functionality to do both database and internal and external reporting and allow FMC to cease its own pilot. We think that phase is ready to begin.

Current users will be able to use the site, download their data in spreadsheet form and in reporting form until April 30, 2023.

Past users (those without a current subscription but had been paid subscribers) can request a download of their past data from FMC via a spreadsheet sent via email until March 30, 2023. 

The Guide site (farmersmarketmetrics.guide) will remain available to all market operators, with new resources on metrics style evaluation added regularly and opportunities to learn about software that will serve both purposes of database management and reporting. 

Once the Metrics software is no longer in use, next steps for FMC include: 

Collaboration with markets and market partners on the design of more individual metric widgets and reports that tell the complete story of market organizations’ growth and impacts;

Supporting markets need for grantee program reporting tools on a case by case basis;

Customized data visualization contracted support to individual markets and to project partners; 

Multi-year licensing agreements with software partners to use FMC designed reporting resources with their users;

Ensuring the reporting functionality in all 3rd party software programs allows for aggregation of data (i.e. Excel downloads) while also advocating for data ownership by users;

To serve as a primary data aggregator analyst partner for market and network data;

To encourage software programs to include plug-ins for pushing data to social media as tested successfully by FMC in Metrics.

We sincerely thank all of our market accountholders and partners for sharing the journey of the Metrics pilot over the last 6 years and look forward to offering more focused assistance through templates and resource development for markets and their software partners.  

Please contact FMC at metrics@farmersmarketcoalition.org with any questions on the sunsetting of the software or with ideas for potential partnerships to develop metrics style functionality in your software platform.