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market-farming - Re: importance of local angle

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Subject: Market Farming

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  • From: "jay gee" <jgj23 AT mindspring.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: importance of local angle
  • Date: Thu, 17 Oct 2002 16:33:34 +0000


Liz Pike wrote:

>>>>
I understand what you're saying, really I do, but there's just something
here. Something I can't put my finger on. When I look real hard at it I
just don't see how we can nationalize a regional product.
<<<<

What is involved here is the branding of a process.
Processes can be uniform regardless of location, and
allow for local growing conditions as well.

"Organic" has been presumed to be a process as
well as a philosophy. The USDA took out the
philosophy and makes it a repeatable process.

We can do the same if there are enough willing
players. We have the ball, we control the game.


Liz also wrote:
>>>>
I know, I know. The good of many can help us each individually. I
understand--and can almost be persuaded to contribute, join, help, do
whatever (I'd already pictured big bold lips all over my veggies--what a
marketing ploy ; ))). But something inside says "hold on a minute." I got
into farming because I like that one-on-one contact with my customers. I
like digging in the dirt for that carrot I know is going to feed so & so's
little boy, or making sure each carton of eggs has at least one colorful
Aracauna egg in it (to drive mom crazy of course, "which kid gets the
colored egg this week?"). I don't want to have someone else's label on my
stuff. It's almost as if what I say isn't enough--I have to browbeat my
customers into believing me with a "label" from someone else, which is
exactly what I've run from all these years.
<<<<

If you use a standardized, branded process in producing your
farm output, adhere to standards of cleanliness and freshness,
and locality, you are selling your stuff. The label is the consumer's
assurance that you play by the rules of the association. You
don't have to spend time educating everyone who comes to
your table, roadside stand or farm to buy. The marketing
co-op has familiarized people with the brand and its benefits
through its web site, advertising, press releases and news
articles, interviews, forums, etc.

Nothing in the label denies you the right to drive your customers
nuts with colored eggs or otherwise. The practical benefit is that
although you and your farm are and stay "regional," customers
do not -- they move all the time. Why not make it easier for
the customer to adopt your product with a branded process?

McDonalds has done it for years.

We can do it too!

But it ain't free and it takes work. Any takers?


Jay Gee
not a farmer -- but interested in farming







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