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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Info?

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Subject: Market Farming

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: "SHEILA PAYNE" <srp75 AT msn.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Info?
  • Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2007 14:16:03 -0600

see my comments imbedded in your e-mail
----- Original Message -----
From: Joe Seals
Sent: Monday, July 30, 2007 9:24 AM
Subject: [Market-farming] Info?

Hi.  I'm Joe and I'm new to this list.  I hope it's an active one.
 
I'm a teacher and former FM'er.  We're putting together a class for this fall to cover the business and growing aspects of market farming and farmers' markets.  I have a couple of good books.
 
I'll go through the archives soon but I was hoping to ask some general questions right away.
 
These are BIG questions; I hope you don't mind.  I'd really like to know this stuff.  I've used them in a survey of local growers/marketers and I'd like to compare their notes to national thinking.  My questions:
 
 
1.  What is your primary market(s) (if it isn’t farmers’ markets)?   Farmer's Market
 
2.  What do you think is the most important thing(s) that new farmers’ market sellers need to know to succeed? 
 
What the customers want.  I've sold at two different markets -- upscale, trendy Boulder and downhome, folksy Longmont -- what sells at Boulder (an interesting, spicy mesclun mix, for example) will not sell at Longmont.  Organic is strong at Boulder, Longmont has more interest in price.  In this list serve you see a lot of comments go by about this kind of thing.
 
 
How to price your products, how to display them, keep them fresh on hot days, how to hold down your tent and where to get a good deal on a tent, etc., etc. -- the logistics of being at the market itself in other words. 
 
3.  If you were to take a class on farmers’ market selling, what subject(s) would you find to be most helpful?
 
the topics I mentioned above and food safety
 
4.  To what do you credit your success in the FM business? 
 
having a great market at which to sell, having customers willing to buy the unusual (I'm a small grower and as an example, don't compete with bushel baskets of pickling cucmbers, I sell asian or armenian cucumbers instead), being friendly, smiling, laughing and being next to the Peach Guy and the Coffee Guy -- Smiley emoticon
 
 
Thanks,
Joe


Joseph L. Seals
Landscape Architect - Horticultural Consultant
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
Home/Office:  805-556-0103
Cell:  805-550-9272
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