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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] consumer perceptions, was free range

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Subject: Market Farming

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  • From: "Debbie Moore" <caverdjmoore AT hotmail.com>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] consumer perceptions, was free range
  • Date: Thu, 17 May 2007 21:59:28 +0000

I think it's important to know your cost for production and to know when to quit trying to sell something with little/no demand.

<and>

I think consumer perceptions are the biggest challenge for local growers.

The biggest issue for vendors is the demographics for the area they are trying to sell in. I read somewhere once about the "typical" farmers market consumer. They are well educated and financially comfortable, white, and I forget the age. Following close on those heels are the perceptions of the local population, who aren't going to be bothered to be a consumer.

The "typical" FM consumer does not describe my county, except for the white part. It does, however, describe some of the counties surrounding us. So what we have done is take a regional approach to advertising and marketing. Our county, strangely enough, is well-represented at Whole Foods which is more than an hour's drive. I approached those farmers and was successful in getting them to be at our market, even on just a random basis, and plan to use that in the marketing and advertising to bring in even more customers from other areas.

I will be very happy when local people start breaking that $1/dozen-for-eggs barrier. When we had the opportunity to visit the Pike's Place Market in Seattle last summer, I sought out the rumored 50 cents for an ear for corn. (Ours sell for $1.50 to $2.50 a dozen and nobody cares about organic.) I'll tell you what, this country girl wouldn't sell for less than .50 cents an ear considering what it takes to get to PPM. It's a ten minute drive across country roads to my market and my cost of living is ridiculously lower. And believe me, we could not give away Queen Anne's Lace, let alone sell it in floral arrangements, like what was being done at PPM.

Debbie
west central Ohio
in the heart of an aging commodity crop area (the tone of this email is meant to be frustrated, not snotty)

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