Transcript Sell What you Grow - cultivatingsuccess.org

Sell What
You Grow
Sustainable Small
Farming & Ranching
“10 Ways to Market your Products…
Locally and Regionally”
The Basics of Direct Marketing
 Capture
more of
the profit
 Reduce
agricultural risk
 Develop unique
product identity
www.sare.org
“Direct to Consumer” Connection
 This
works to the advantage of
both
develop relationship – TRUST
 Producer can provide fresh product
tailored to customer needs
 Customers can provide input to grower
and refine the product line based on what
they purchase
 Both
Direct Marketing Skills
“Relationship
marketing” - need
people skills
 More intensive
management
 Produce the
highest quality of
product

Marketing Strategies
Click on image to start video
10 Ways to Market your Products
 Farmers’
markets
 U-Pick
 Farm
 Ag
stands
Tourism
 Community
(CSA)
supported agriculture
10 ways…continued
 Grocery
stores
 Restaurant
sales
 Cooperatives

Mail order catalogs/ Internet

Custom sales
Direct Marketing
Click on image to start video
Farmers Markets

One of the most common
methods of getting your
product to the people
who want to buy it

Good starting point – can
help develop customer
base for other methods
such as subscription
sales (CSA).
People are seeking out
locally grown products.
Farmers’ Market Growth
Increasing in popularity in US. Numbers
of markets have increased and sales have
increased.
In 1994,
there were
1,755
markets.
In 2009,
there were
5,274
markets.
Market tips:
Colorful, layered displays of your products
are enhanced by signs and packaging.
Market Tips:
Click on image to start video
Market Tips:
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Market tips:
Prices in round numbers to speed sales and
eliminate problems making change
To learn more about
farmers markets, visit:
www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets
Marketing Tips: packaging,
increasing
customer base, and bringing people to the farm
Click on image to start video
U-Pick Operations
“People don’t come all
the way out here to get
cheap food. They come
because it’s fun and
the berries are
absolutely fresh.”
-- Ernie Bohner,
Persimmon Hill Berry
Farm
Producers considering
pick-your-own will need:

Liability insurance

Space for parking

Ability to supervise customers

Farmside manners
The success of pick-your-own
is in the details:
 Good
signage location
 Targeted
advertisement
 Effective
answering machine message
 Creating
a pleasant and safe setting
for families
Farm Stands
Customers develop
loyalty to the farm
Consider costs to
build your “stand”
structure
No transportation
cost
Farm Stands
 Feature high-demand items, such as
fresh-picked sweet corn
 Pick locations near busy roads
 Familiarize yourself with regulations
governing food products
Ag Tourism

Agri-tourism or
Entertainment farming

Great diversity in what
farms can offer

Provides an “on-farm”
experience
Ag Tourism
http://www.10000trails.com/agritourism/
Entertainment Farming Tips
 Producers need good “people” skills
 Tourism offices can help bring
customers
 Contact the state Dept. of
Agriculture for help with farm
festivals and other events
If considering an Ag Tourism
enterprise…
Natural
Resources
Conservation
Services
(NRCS) has
an excellent
publication
www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/ress/altenterprise/
Community Supported Agriculture
 Subscription
farming
 What?
 How
often?
 Where?
 Cost?
 Requires
advanced planning
 Experience in production
Community Supported
Agriculture
“We want our customers to be more
sensitive to the farm situation. The more
they understand the connection of family
farms to healthy communities, the better
for us.”
-- Molly Bartlett, CSA farmer, Hiram, OH
Check out
Helsing Junction Farm at
http://www.helsingfarmcsa.com
When evaluating CSA, consider:
 Proximity to customers
 Willingness to give customers
something extra
 Variety of products
 Ability to distribute produce
CSA information
 For
more information and to view the
directory visit the “Robyn Van En
Center for CSA Resources”
http://www.csacenter.org/
Cooperative Marketing
 Group
of farmers pool their products
to meet a demand for a specialized
product
 Legal
cooperatives or collaborative
agreements
 Someone
to lead the marketing and
management efforts
Cooperative Marketing
One
successful
example:
Oregon
Country
Beef
“… Individual family ranchers are
directly responsible to the meat
manager and end customer for both
eating quality and claims on growing
practices.”
- Quote from the Oregon Country Beef web site
http://www.oregoncountrybeef.com/
More information on rural
cooperatives:
 Visit USDA Rural
Development site
www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs

Do adequate market research and business
planning

Join a marketing club or networking group
to pool skills

To learn more about cooperatives, visit the
National Cooperative Business Association
at: http://www.ncba.org/
Wholesale Marketing
Click on image to start video
Direct Sales to Restaurants
Upscale
restaurants
and specialty
stores pay top
dollar for
quality produce
and hard-toget items.
http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/cdpp/selldirect.pdf
Mail Order/Internet
Develop a plan before
you start
What is the purpose?
How will you manage
the site?
How will you ship the
products?
Let the Internet work for you

Promote your products and availability

Sell your products

Have your own web site or get listed in a online
guide or directory
www.localharvest.org and www.eatwellguide.org
Custom Meat Sales

Sell whole, half or
quarter animals

Use custom meat
packing places in
your location
Meat Processing Issues

When you get higher
volume and/or want to sell
by the cuts – you will need
to find a local processing
facility.

Mobile meat processing
unit owned by Lopez
Community Land Trust
http://www.lopezclt.org/sard/mpu.html
For more information about meat processing
regulations in Idaho:
Idaho Health and Welfare
http://www.healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/
Look under “Health” and then “Food Protection” –
go to “Food Safety” for a link to local health
district
Resources:
 USDA Sustainable Agriculture
Research and Education (SARE)
www.sare.org / (301) 504-5230
 Alternative Technology Transfer for
Rural Areas (ATTRA)
www.attra.org / (800) 346-9140
Resources (continued):
 USDA Farmer Direct Marketing
www.ams.usda.gov/directmarketing
 North American Farm Direct Marketing
Assn. www.nafdma.com
Credits
Presentation developed by Cultivating SuccessTM: Sustainable
Small Farms Education. Photos provided by Cultivating Success
staff, unless otherwise noted.
Video segments taken from:
“Affinity Farm: A Small-Acreage Farm Shares Strategies” produced
by Ben Troka, University of Idaho College of Agriculture and Life
Sciences. Copywrite 2005, University of Idaho.
“Meadowlark Farm: A Case Study of a Small-Acreage Farm”
produced by Ben Troka, University of Idaho College of Agriculture
and Life Sciences. Copywrite 2005, University of Idaho.
“Riley Creek Blueberry Farm: A Case Study of a Small-Acreage
Farm” produced by Ben Troka, University of Idaho College of
Agriculture and Life Sciences. Copywrite 2002, University of Idaho
Extension.
“Nothing But Herbs: A Case Study of a Small-Acreage Farm”
produced by Ben Troka, University of Idaho College of Agriculture
and Life Sciences. Copywrite 2001, University of Idaho Extension.