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  • From: KAKerby AT aol.com
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Need Help with Sales
  • Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 18:06:22 -0400 (EDT)

One thing I just remembered, after these various recommendations have already come through.  An acquaintance of mine used a marketing technique that I've not seen mentioned yet.  They had a CSA that was sort of struggling to get altitude.  So instead of paying for advertising, she contacted various schools around the area and suggested to the science teachers that they could load up the kids and bring them for a tour to learn about how science is used in everyday life.  Most of the schools she contacted jumped at that chance.  While she and I were talking about that, I commented that sounded like a heckuva lot of wear and tear, herding kids around all day.  She said two standing rules made it decent - a $5/head cover charge (dang, and that adds up FAST), and a requirement that every 10 kids had a chaperone or adult to keep them under control at all times.  Not only did those school buses turn into cash cows, but those kids went home, told Mom and Dad about the really neat farm they went to, and then the parents rang up a few days later and asked about their CSA.  It was really a slam dunk for that farm.  So, if you're even remotely interested in having a gaggle of school kids show up, that might be an option for you to try.  I have to admit, now I look at farm tours in a whole new light.
Kathryn Kerby
frogchorusfarm.com
Snohomish, WA
 
In a message dated 8/21/2010 2:20:14 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, barkingcatfarm AT mindspring.com writes:


Hi Mark,

You've gotten quite a bit of good advice from the list so far. We're also in Texas, but in a far different market - we're just outside Dallas so marketing our produce isn't an issue. I do have a suggestion or two, though. I looked for your farm name on localharvest.org and didn't find it. Of course, not knowing your town name may have obscured it. But if you are not listed yet on localharvest.org, I suggest you do that. We get so many referrals from them that we decided to donate money as well. Which, also bumps your listing up on the search list.

You might consider offering to conduct a workshop or speak informally to local groups either through your County Extension office or library. Offer tours of your farm, perhaps. Workshops, tours & demonstrations are labor intensive, but they can be effective marketing tools. Identifying your target customer is key. Do you grow organically or naturally? That opens up a specific subset of folks. Are home gardens fairly common in your area? If so, locally grown may be a tough sell for you.

Kim
Barking Cat Farm
NE Texas

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