Kathleen Yetman’s leadership of Prescott Farmers Market is creating a legacy
At the core of Prescott Farmers Market (PFM) is Kathleen Yetman. A lifelong passion for gardening and food sustainability has shaped her journey from childhood gardens to her current role as executive director of PFM.
Yetman’s connection to food and farming runs deep. Raised in Prescott, she grew up in a family that prioritized home gardening, often working alongside her grandmother, a Master Gardener who introduced her to sustainable practices like composting and using ducks for natural pest control.
“It wasn’t until my 20s that I realized how privileged I was to have both the resources and encouragement to garden from such an early age,” she says. “Seeing how many people were disconnected from their food ignited a passion in me to share my love of gardening with others and advocate for food equity.” After earning a Bachelor of Arts in history at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, she moved to Tucson, where she started her own garden, embracing the challenge of cultivating food in the arid desert climate.
Her curiosity for sustainable food systems led her to the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, where she maintained school gardens and taught children about nutrition as a FoodCorps service member. “Through FoodCorps, I was introduced to the complexities and inequities of our food system, which fueled my desire to support community-based organizations that increase food security and advocate for food sovereignty.”
She later became an Arizona FoodCorps Fellow, which ultimately reconnected her with PFM when the market sought a service member to engage students in Prescott. In 2014, she was hired to manage the market while focusing on grants, community collaboration, and outreach. In 2016, she stepped into the role of executive director, overseeing the market’s continued growth and impact.
Under her leadership, PFM became more than a year-round market that connects residents with fresh, locally sourced produce and fosters a sense of community. Within three years, PFM launched several programs that demonstrate its mission to support and expand local agriculture, cultivate a healthy community, and increase access to affordable local food.
In 2020, PFM launched its Feed Your Neighbors (FYN) program, which purchases produce from local farms at full price and distributes it to food-insecure households, simultaneously providing essential revenue to small family farms and fresh produce to those who need it. Since it started, the program has paid more than $263,000 to Yavapai County farmers.
The Prescott Community Compost Program was launched in 2021. Through its weekly green bucket service and collection of food scraps at the market, PFM processes approximately one ton of food scraps, diverting waste from landfills and enriching local soil.
In the fall of 2023, PFM opened NoCo Community Kitchen, a shared commissary kitchen designed to support small food businesses like food trucks and caterers.
For Yetman, the market is more than just a workplace; it’s a way of life. She finds joy in raising her two young boys in an environment that prioritizes community, sustainability, and connection. Whether they’re counting change to pay for horchata, picking out their favorite carrots, or greeting vendors by name, her children are growing up with a firsthand appreciation for where their food comes from and the people who produce it.
“The market is such a unique and essential space, especially for kids,” says Yetman. “I love that my kids have the opportunity to order and pay for things in person at the market. It builds their social skills and a community where they feel like they belong.”
Prescott Farmers Market is located at 900 Iron Springs Road, operates year-round, and is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Visit prescottfarmersmarket.org to learn more about programs, volunteer opportunities, and ways to support their efforts.
