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market-farming - RE: [Market-farming] "down home" imaging

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  • From: "Rick Williams" <mrfarm AT frontiernet.net>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: RE: [Market-farming] "down home" imaging
  • Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2003 20:36:38 -0600

Liz Pike wrote:
> I don't know what "yah den too" means, but speaking grammatically correct
> (as much as possible--I sure make my own mistakes) is the best
> way to make a
> first impression--and with market farming customers at a high premium, I
> sure want that impression to be positive--especially on a website
> promoting
> the farm because they see it before they see me. I don't write the way I
> talk, nor do people read the way they talk.

The term above is kind of an inside thing with Norwegians:) In Westby, WI,
some Norwegian is still spoken. Same thing in Houston ... Minnesota that is
for some Norwegians there. We live only a few miles from the point that WI,
MN, and IA come together. We even have Norwegians from Iowa ... they call
'em Iowegians:)

When I first worked in the area, a bit over 30 years ago, it would be very
common to go into a shop or business in Westby and nearby Coon Valley and
have people conversing in Norwegian. However, when you came in and they did
not know you ... they would stop. We have older farmers who do not use the
"J" sound and alveys say it vid a "Y". You know, guys like Yonny Yohnson who
lives down da crik.

Our area does have some colloquial speech patterns and they carry over into
the written word, but probably not that much different from other areas. You
are targeting a different audience than we are since we try to reach average
people in addition to the yuppies.

We probably tend to overcompensate a bit on our place for a particular
image. Especially, trying to keep odors to a minimum and the house
reasonably clean. We have too many dogs and if I know a customer is coming,
I turn on the air to air heat exchanger to try and get some of the smells
out of the house.

In fact, this is one reason that I think it would be difficult for dairy
farmers to easily market products from their farm. They just can not be that
presentable all the time on the farm. What was acceptable a few years ago is
no longer.

Sincerely,

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





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