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market-farming - Re: NY Times: Small Organic Farmers Pull Up Stakes

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Re: NY Times: Small Organic Farmers Pull Up Stakes

Chronological Thread  
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  • From: "jay gee" <jgj23 AT mindspring.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: NY Times: Small Organic Farmers Pull Up Stakes
  • Date: Tue, 15 Oct 2002 14:29:04 +0000

paul & barb - on the continental divide - wrote:

>>>>
Perhaps we need to admit first, that market farmers are going to use
whatever terminology they think best for their own market, and second, that
we need to give our buyers more credit for knowing what they want and
understanding what we have to sell. I'm not at all sure they need to be
educated to know what "grown without chemicals" means. A simple sign "we
don't use pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers" is pretty easy
to understand. And too, those who do use chemicals at some stage of growth
can easily customise their claims as need be. Those who grow locally
instead of reselling should say so loud and clear. I think it's going to be
a mixed bag and we have to live with it.
<<<<

Are any of you familiar with "The Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval,"
or "UL Approved"?

Unfortunately, everybody telling people different things may have
no real effect on your individual causes and actually work to further
the causes of those who have coopted the "organic" label.

From a branding (affecting the public consciousness) perspective,
you must coalesce around the concept of producing a term you
can all embrace, put up money to trademark and promote it and
protect it from dilution by those who see it as a threat.

This entails funding a non-profit corporation, or legally entitled
association, getting a board of directors and officers (all unpaid
for now) and going to work to decide how exactly you want
to proceed.

The logical starting point is for those of you who were certified
BC (before coopting) but have chosen not to be under the
new regs to get on with it now, so that you may have something
market by next spring.

I will donate copy writing and advertising advice to get this project
off the ground and into the air if others of you are interested in
doing the setup legwork and putting up money.

If you are seriously interested in proceeding, contact me off list
at this address:

jgj23 AT mindspring.com?subject=Next_Step

or

<html><head></head><body>
<a href="mailto:jgj23 AT mindspring.com?subject=Next_Step";>Click Here to Send
Mail</a>
</body></html>

and we'll see what we can do.


Jay Gee
not a farmer -- but interested in farming





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