Download Sell What you Grow

Reading Review
• Coleman suggests that quality is the “lynchpin” of a
small grower’s business. What are ways that producers
can communicate the quality of their food to
consumers?
• What are Enterprise Budgets? What type of information
is required to complete one?
• What type of decisions can growers make with a
completed Enterprise Budget ?
Whole Farm Plan Peer Review
• Highlight the areas in your own plan that you think need
further development or detail
• Exchange plans with a partner
• Take 10 minutes to read through the plan
• Come up with 3 strengths of the plan and 3 suggestions
for improvement
• Take 5 minutes to discuss each plan as a pair
Sell What
You Grow
10 Ways to Market your Products…
Locally and Regionally
Sustainable Small
Farming & Ranching
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
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
•
Direct Marketing Skills
• “Relationship
marketing” - need
people skills
• More intensive
management
• Produce the highest
quality of product
Direct Marketing Options
• Farmers’ markets
• Grocery stores,
Restaurant, Food Banks
• U-Pick
• Farm to School
• Farm stands
• Cooperatives or Food
Hubs
• Ag Tourism
• Internet
• Community supported
agriculture
(CSA)
• Custom sales
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 seek locally grown products
Market tips:
Colorful, layered displays of your products are
enhanced by signs and packaging.
Accepting other currencies:
•Credit Cards- Square
• https://squareup.com/
•Farmers Market Nutrition Coupons- WIC and Senior
• http://www.doh.wa.gov/YouandYourFamily/WIC/FarmersMarket
•EBT- through the market or separately (double up bucks too!)
To learn more about
farmers markets, visit:
www.wafarmersmarkets.com
seattlefarmersmarkets.org
www.bellinghamfarmers.org
www.mountvernonfarmersmarket.org/
U-Pick Operations
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
Agritourism
•http://www.outstandinginthefield.com/
•http://bowedisonfoodtrail.tumblr.com/
•http://www.festivaloffamilyfarms.com/
•http://www.bellewoodfarms.com/
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/
Farm to School
• USDA Pilot Project in Washington
• Requires Food Safety (GAP)
certification
• http://www.wafarmtoschool.org/
Direct Sales to Restaurants
Upscale restaurants and specialty stores pay top dollar
for quality produce and hard-to-get items.
Farmer Fisher Chef Connection,
March-Seattle
Farm to Table Trade Meeting
February-Bellingham
http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/cdpp/selldirect.pdf
Marketing to Restaurants February 2nd and 3rd, 2016
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
www.eatwellguide.org
www.farmigo.com
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
Puget Sound Food Hub
www.pugetsoundfoodhub.com
• Post what you have
• Drop off at agregation sites
• Requires Liability Insurance
www.campbellriskmanagement.com
Custom Meat Sales
Sell whole, half or quarter
animals
• Andle’s Meat
• Del Fox Meat
• Sylvana Meat
• Lynden meat
• Keiser meat, USDA
Mobile Meat Processing
• Mobile meat processing unit owned by Lopez
Community Land Trust
http://www.lopezclt.org/sard/mpu.html
• Mobile Poultry Processing NABC
http://www.agbizcenter.org/businessservices/mobile-poultry-processing-unit
Resources
 WSDA Greenbook
http://agr.wa.gov/marketing/smallfarm/greenb
ook/
USDA Farmer Direct Marketing
www.ams.usda.gov/directmarketing
 North American Farm Direct Marketing Assn.
www.nafdma.com
Introduction to Enterprise Budgets
1.
Refer to the information from Crop Production Section of Whole
Farm Template for one crop (choose one from your review group)
2.
Choose a sales outlet for that crop
3.
Compile a list of costs associated with that crop
4.
Create a list of labor tasks associated with that crop
5.
FOR THOSE THINGS YOU DO NOT KNOW, BRAINSTORM HOW YOU
WILL FIND THAT INFORMATION!!!!!
Upcoming Events
November 12th: Bean Threshing Party at Highland Farm West
10am-2pm
November 17th: Long Live Farms Film Event
6:30pm Lincoln Theatre
Meet out front to get your ticket
November 19th: Field Trip #2
10am-2pm
Reading for next week:
New Organic Grower Chapter 12 and 13
Whole Farm Plan: Marketing and Assessment Plan