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  • From: "Rick Williams" <mrfarm AT frontiernet.net>
  • To: "market-farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Customer Information Sign Questions
  • Date: Sun, 1 Dec 2002 15:27:31 -0600

We have had a "Grass-Fed Beef" sign since last fall. We now have developed a
more sophisticated farm sign that has the permanent header "Misty Ridge
Farm" and a permanent lower sign with "Rick & Judy Williams", and in between
is an area that allows for the insertion and removal of temporary signs such
as "ASPARAGUS" or "RASPBERRIES".

Just above our name is the new "GRASS-FED BEEF" insert that will likely be
kept as a permanent sign except maybe in rare cases that we need more space.

We get very few customers to stop off to purchase either produce or beef,
but we do get a few to make it worth it I think. We are on a State Highway
with moderate traffic levels. Most of our customers come from selling at the
Farmer's Market. Some have been fairly regular for nearly two years now. But
nowhere near as many as we would like.

Here are the things that we have questions about:

1. When we do have berries in season, we have had a few people do pick your
own. We only had a little extra that could be picked so it is not that we
need to sell more than a few dozen pounds a week in season. So we are
thinking of including a sign for those days that we are open for picking by
the public.

Have many of you had much good luck with just putting up such as sign?

What kind of sign do you think is most successful in attracting customers:
"PICK YOUR OWN," or "PICK UR OWN," or "U-PICK," or "U-PIK," or any other
suggestion?

2. Judy has a lot of contacts with people in our county due to her volunteer
and other interests. Recently, when she mentions our farm, it is common for
many of these folks to know where it is because of the sign we put up and
many of them go past our farm due to its location. But even with the
"GRASS-FED BEEF" sign, she has found that many, if not most of them,
appeared surprised that we actually sold the beef from the farm. They
assumed the sign meant that they could buy halves, etc. of beef. (NOTE: they
are still not rushing to buy off the farm even though they now know:)

So any thoughts on making it clear that we are actually selling the beef
from the farm? How have you folks done this? Any adding signage with "ON
FARM SALES" or something to that effect?

Have you had luck with people just driving by who stopped off to buy beef?

Or do you recommend some other kind of sign?

Have any tried using a quick-on, quick-off attached sign that says "OPEN"
when you are available at the farm?

By the way, the signs were easier to make that I thought by using cedar 1"
dimensional lumber and just routing the letters that are traced with carbon
paper on the wood from the letters created from Microsoft Word using the
outline command for the fonts. By routing about 1/8" it seems adequate.

Then we paint the letters first and finish by painting a contrasting color
for the remainder of the wood. Eventually I will have to shoot a picture and
put it on our web site.

Sincerely,

Rick Williams
Misty Ridge Farm
Dairy heifers and dairy beef graziers
Viroqua, WI

www.mistyridgefarm.com







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