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Subject: Market Farming

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  • From: "Dave Bennett" <dbennett AT micoks.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Local & Fresh & Promotions
  • Date: Mon, 15 May 2000 14:52:00 -0500


I think the taste & nutritional superiority of freshly harvested produce is
the biggest + a market farmer has.

Local is unimportant. Most people will not consume (all of) the food they
purchase at one time within 3 - 4 days. In fact, I doubt most people who do
not enjoy garden-fresh on a regular basis actually appreciate its superior
taste or nutritional value.

I do not believe anyone actually cares about "local". Or at least so few as
to make it meaningless. Look at the number of posts on this list about where
to buy this or that at the lowest price. Every business is just like a farm-
local. The people who work the are members of your community. Every time you
spend $ outside your community for something that could have been purchased
locally it is you against your neighbors. Remember, some people also shop
price for food; just as you may shop price for row covers, kelp meal, or
stakes.

Nutritionally speaking, most Americans eat way more food (quantity-wise) &
consume more of the necessary dietary requirements than the RDIs. And
generally they do not care. When you have no choice or control over a
situation (Where are the market farmers with the "good" stuff in the
winter?), you tend to not think too much about something. "That's why we have
the FDA to watch this stuff," is one statement I recently encountered.

Promotion-wise I think the battle is in the education of people in their
eating habits. I do not feel this is an "us vs. them" issue with grocery
stores. I think it is a team effort that takes everyone's efforts to reach
those consumers that can be reached. Some people are still going to buy
Cheetos or chocolate or (insert your favorite "yuck" here). Working together
with as many allies as possible is usually preferrable to fighting with
everyone.

Grocery stores are going to have an "Organic" section because it is a big
buzzword right now. Enlisting them as an ally in educating the public, no
matter how small you may feel their role or committment to be, is a good
thing to do. But you have to realize your own seasonality & the Store's
situation when they cannot get "fresh/local/organic" produce & Mrs. Jones
still wants to feed her family a salad in January in the Upper MidWest. The
"Store" is a business just like my farm; there is a profit motive. (It's just
that I feel that I get so much more out of my business endeavour than they
do!)

In 80 years of trying to get Americans to eat better with dietary
recommendations & RDAs & now RDIs, we are eating worse than ever. More
children are obese than at any time in the history of the President's Council
on Fitness. It is very understandable as to why selling the concept of
"organic" or "fresh" is more like hitting a brick wall than an uphill
struggle.

Promotions have to be realistic & appeal to what people _can_ do: "We realize
that no one can eat 100% healthy all of the time, but doesn't it make sense
to give your family the best nutritional impact for your $ when you can?"

Promotions that attack "Fresher than the grocery store" are not a good idea.
They put the store immediately into an "us vs. them" situation they most
likely never wanted & consumers in the middle, having to make a decision as
to who to believe (or be loyal to). And since you can't provide what they
need in the Winter, their decision is already tilted against you.



Dave




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