Market Farming

["Brigette Leach" <afhg AT ctsmail.net>]



A little politics, more than a little marketing, not much science. No wonder consumers are confused. Agriculture as a whole, and critics of modern agriculture, has done a mighty fine job of muddling science, politics and marketing.

 

It is tempting to make the products we are offering seem better by denigrating other products/producers/methods, however, it is not a practice I think is wise. We consciously focus on the assets of our products to establish product differentiation rather than focusing on the shortcomings of others. It is the only way I can stay in business and sleep at night. Just my personal standards. If you can run someone else in the ground in order to sell your product or your belief system and still sleep, more power to you. I can't.  And I have already heard everything you can possibly think of to tell me how bad industrialized agriculture is, so just save it for now. For the time being I'd rather focus on how we treat each other from the perspective of a being business person, with the bulls on how you conduct yourself and not on how evil the other guy is. Customers don't want to hear you criticizing others. What some of you apparently view as "education" of customers, I view as denigrating other products. Tell them what you really know, how your product is produced. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

Besides not all the claims being made about size and methods are true...we have some very good large scale producers here, who focus on food safety and humane treatment of the birds, and diets that are more nutritionally sound than what most of the kids in this country get, diets tailored to specific uses...whether the eggs will be shipped (harder shells), or processed in a sterile room and packaged as liquid eggs (thinner shells that break properly without leaving shell in the eggs), certified organic, etc. We have some very good small scale producers, as well. Having actually toured more than one facility failing into each end of the size category, as opposed to reading about them or taking someone else's word, then comparing them and the controls in place compared to what my neighbor at the farmers market does on their farm,where the birds are left to the mercy of predators and automobiles, eat whatever they can find, and although I enjoy a good and fresh egg, I will take the ones from the larger facility, thank you. Size doesn't necessarily mean practices are good or bad, good management from start to finish is critical for all.

 

Couldn't resist commenting,

Brigette

SW Michigan

----- Original Message -----

From: MAsteveINE

To: Market Farming

Sent: Monday, January 17, 2011 12:41 PM

Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Egg prices

Maybe printing an article or 2 proving how much better this food is, and therefore the price is higher
Paula Mottshaw
 

 

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

 

This list has done so well at keeping those horrible politics out!

 

Sorry you had to go and do that!

 

MAsteveINE

 

 

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