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market-farming - RE: [Market-farming] What are your best crops and/or products?

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  • From: "Rick Williams" <mrfarm AT frontiernet.net>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: RE: [Market-farming] What are your best crops and/or products?
  • Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2003 18:51:54 -0600

Lucy Goodman wrote:
> Rick we have tried to sell non food items but have found at farmer's
> markets folks come to buy food not crafts. We usually have some
> earrings, framed photographs, gourd crafts (birdhouses mainly), pretty
> crystals and mineral samples and lithic projectile points (arrowheads)
> my husband knaps. I doubt we have ever sold more than $250 of such items
> in a year. When we go to craft shows or flea markets than such things do
> sell a lot better than at a farmer's market.

Judy likes to have a variety of things to sell and in the spring it is not
easy to have a lot of produce so she was thinking about other things that
don't tend to have a shelf life and also can be made during the slow winter
months for later sale. We are not going to have as much of a problem this
year since we will have the beef products with us at the market at all times
and that is a lot different than last year with some rhubarb, asparagus,
etc.

We have a "Farmer's Market" in Viroqua, and now the new one we are forming
with a core group in nearby Westby that historically has had about 1/3
crafters. Our area is becoming an escape from the city region and so
sometimes crafts do OK. But I know that some craft people do not do anywhere
near as well as they do at a craft fair.

One of the most prominent seller's are local Amish families. One family
makes small tables and cabinets, another makes all kinds of woven baskets.
The tourists actually are more attracted to these products at times than the
produce:) We do have some that have jewelry and some that make and sell
clothing items.

With your framed photographs, are you selling your own work? What kind of
photos, etc.? How do they sell?

Since I am semi-pro with photography for quite some time, I do shoot some
nature and have a specialty in shooting back lit nature subjects with
reduced level fill flash (Galen Rowell's clever technique, may he RIP). And
finally got the new photo quality printer somewhat profiled in the last week
so are starting to turn out reasonable quality as long as I stay with matte
printing.

Sincerely,

Rick Williams
Misty Ridge Farm
Direct marketed dairy beef and produce
(also dairy heifers and beef stockers)
Viroqua, WI





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