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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] twilley seed

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  • From: "David Inglis" <mhcsa AT verizon.net>
  • To: "'Market Farming'" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] twilley seed
  • Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 09:23:27 -0400

You have as much right to be there as anyone. There are no territories. However if you wish to cultivate good relations try the following;

If sharers come to you that would be better served by another CSA in the area then send them there and ask that they let the other CSA know you sent them.

Do not set your prices lower than the other CSA’s.

Never comment on another CSA even if they are badmouthing you for some reason; focus on your own operation.

Cultivate in yourself an attitude that this is not a zero sum gain but a cooperative effort on the part of the CSA’s in your area to increase the total pool of people who get their food this way.

Look carefully at sharers that have come from another CSA. More than likely they are what we call shoppers and will dump you after a season or have created problems were they came from. Remember you are looking to build a long term loyal base of support that will, to some extent, call your place “our Farm’ not ‘the farm’; shoppers should go to shops.

Give the prior CSA’s public recognition that they have already done some of your groundwork by introducing the concept in the area.

Ask an established CSA grower from the area to speak at a gathering of your sharers.

If you find yourself with surpluses of one or another type of crop offer them to the other CSA’s preferably at no cost; you will get the value back in other ways.

Buy products you do not produce from other farms to sell to your sharers and identify them as such.

Do a good job yourself so as not to drag down the reputation of CSA’s in general.

Good luck.

David

Mahaiwe Harvest CSA [ since 1986 ]

PS there is a danger in having a huge market available i.e. you might mistake the fact that you sell out each year for success. The measure of success should be retention. After you have taken out the sharers that have moved, got divorced or lost their job you should loose no more than 5% of your membership each season and most of them should be first season sharers who have found out it did not work for them.

 

 

 

. I also have a question about running a CSA in the same city as other people who do it.  I am slowly putting my field in order and planning out how to best use it for cropping.  My concern is that even though I live in a city of a couple million people I would imagine, ( Phoenix ) , how do I best operate without stepping on others territory as far as the customer base?  I have e-mailed the other person ( Kelly ) who is also on this list, and she is very friendly and states that she is way open to free enterprise.  I check out her awsome website on occaision and she seems to have all of her shares taken quickly but I never want to interfere with anothers livelyhood.  Look at me ! I'm talking like I'm a a real farming threat !!!!!!!!  LOL !  But seriously I want to remain friendly with all who are interested in quality produce.  I am supposing that my entry into this will be at the farmers market level until I am sure that I can maintain production to meet demand.  I love this list !!  You guys are great people and I rush home daily to read all the wisdom from you first thing from work.  Joe Useldinger




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