Bring the Farm Stop model to your community!
The Farm Stop model has transformed many communities' access to local food. Over the past eleven years, Argus Farm Stop has grown to three locations in Ann Arbor, with an online business and a weekly produce box. We have returned over $30 million directly back to Michigan local farms and food producers. With high interest across the US and Canada, we are excited to share our knowledge and connect with other local food advocates! We need innovative models to connect consumers to locally farmed goods!
Farm Stop Conference:
February 12-15, 2026
We held the third annual, national Farm Stop Conference with 247 attendees from 36 states.
See the speakers, schedule, and sign up for the conference newsletter on the conference site, farmstops.net.
Events included:
Opening Reception, Thursday, February 12
Farm Stop Conference, Friday and Saturday, February 13-14
Farm Stop School, Sunday February 15
Learn more and join the newsletter by clicking the button below!
Welcome to Argus Farm Stop 1 Hour Webinar- Free!
Join us for a fun 1 hour overview of the history of Argus Farm Stop, the Farm Stop business model, and the impact we’ve seen on the local food and farming community here in SE Michigan. We share the reasons that we started Argus Farm Stop, facts about our agricultural ecosystem, and some of the impacts on our community.
Our webinars are typically offered on the last Tuesday of the month, here are the dates for the next few months:
Please note: the starting time is Eastern Standard Time!
The next webinars will be at the following times:
April 28, 10 am
May 26, 1 pm
June 30, 10 am
Click the button to register for free!
How to Start a Farm Stop 3 Day Online Course
$595 per seat
Interested in what it really takes to open a Farm Stop in your community? Spend three days learning from Argus managers! This course runs for 3 hour blocks for three days from 12 -3 pm EST.
Gain an in-depth understanding of why Farm Stops are needed, how to work with local producers, and what it really takes to fund, open, and operate one. We openly share our experiences and lessons learned to best help accelerate this model taking root in your community. All aspects of opening and operating a farm stop are covered, including: financial forecasting and funding, site selection, build out, marketing, establishing and maintaining farmer relationships, staffing, store culture and HR, point of sale selection, consignment accounting, and inventory management.
Please note: the starting time is Eastern Standard Time!.
Click the links below to register for one of our next course offerings!
Consignment Crash Course: Merchandising
1.5-hour online workshop | $75 per seat
In this course, learn traditional tools for merchandising, with tried-and-true techniques tailored specifically for selling local food in a consignment model local grocery store. We’ll teach you how to increase sales through building intuitive shopping experiences for customers while stewarding products from all producers.
This is a remote training course for anyone interested in applying great merchandising concepts to a wide range of products with specific focus on merchandising seasonal local produce and local meat.
Please note: the starting time is Eastern Standard Time!.
Click the link below to learn more and register for our next course offering!
Online Operations: How to Sell Local Food Online
1.5-hour online workshop | $75 per seat
Join Laura Matney, our General Manager to learn how we manage a robust online marketplace for local food.
We offer online groceries via pick-up and delivery service, a year-round weekly produce box, a monthly meat subscription, a seasonal flower subscription, and seasonal special events. We also sell directly to restaurants and other institutional customers.
Get a detailed overview of these operations and important lessons learned. Topics covered will include logistical operations, producer communications, inventory management, staffing, customer service, and software.
Click the link below to learn more and register for our next course offering!
Shadow at Argus Farm Stop
1 day in person training at Argus Farm Stop | $450 per seat, maximum 3 participants
In this one day, in-person training, learn the overview of Argus Farm Stop’s successful systems for managing direct relationships with local producers within a consignment model local food grocery store. We’ll provide you with a hands-on learning experience working within our systems for communication with producers including product ordering, delivery intake processes, point of sale system, and consignment payouts.
This is an in-person training course for participants interested in working hands-on with our systems and operations. Participants will be required to follow food safety procedures to participate and will be engaged in standing, bending and lifting during the training. Accommodations are able to be made with advance notice.
Click the link below to learn more and register for our next course offering!
Private Consulting
Our hourly private consulting can take many forms and flavors, depending on your needs and where you are in the process of opening/operating a Farm Stop or similar business model. Work with our Training Manager to plan and schedule time with the appropriate Argus Farm Stop staff member(s). It could be a phone call, Zoom meeting, or in-person site visit. Some areas where we can help:
Financial forecasting and pro forma review
Store design and layout
Developing relationships with farmers
Setting up your point-of-sales system
Local produce handling & merchandizing
Online sales of local food
How farm stops can support food access initiatives
Visits to your site
Host you for in person training at Argus Farm Stop
Questions? Ready to plan? Don’t quite see what you’re looking for? Please contact us to get the conversation started. Simply fill out this form or email [email protected].