Farmer Direct Marketing Newsletter - August/September 1999
Please scroll down screen or click on topic of interest.
Contents:Merrigan Named Administrator of USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service 6/25/99)
Glickman Announces Summit, Action Plan for Community Food Security Initiative (8/19/99)
"Farmers' markets to hit every town in Britain" (Reuters, 8/16/99)
"Farmers try direct approach to marketing" (AP, 8/16/99)
Sustainable Development Challenge Grants (Environmental Protection Agency)
Small Farm Success Stories Wanted
National Organic Harvest Month
North Central Region SARE's Marketing Conference: Alternative
Agricultural Marketing:
Developing Skills for the New Millenium
Western SARE - Call for Grant Proposals
Northeast SARE - Call for Grant Proposals
New in Print or on Video about Direct Marketing
The Legal Guide for Direct Farm Marketing - Neil Hamilton, Drake University
Video: Farmers and Their Diversified Horticultural Marketing Strategies
Return to Farmer Direct Marketing Newsletter Index to view previous editions
Merrigan Named Administrator of USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service
Release No. AMS 177.99
AMS NEWS RELEASE
Demaris Kogut (202) 720-8998
demaris.kogut@usda.gov
Billy Cox (202) 720-8998
billy.cox@usda.gov
WASHINGTON, June 25, 1999--Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman today named Kathleen Ann Merrigan as the new administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service.
"I am very happy to announce the appointment of Ms. Merrigan to head AMS," Glickman said. "Her work in sustainable agriculture is known and respected worldwide. She brings with her an invaluable history of working successfully on cutting edge agricultural issues with federal and state agencies, as well as with industry and academic groups."
As AMS administrator, Merrigan has responsibility for facilitating the strategic marketing of agricultural products in domestic and international markets. Merrigan replaces Enrique Figueroa, now the USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs
Merrigan comes to USDA from the Henry A. Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture where she has been a senior analyst since 1994. She had her own consulting firm from 1992 until 1994, and was a senior staff member on the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture from 1987 until 1992.
Her experience also includes work with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Politechnika University in Krakow, Poland.
Merrigan has a master of public affairs degree from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin where she was a Fulbright Grant recipient, and a B.A. in English and political science from Williams College.
Glickman Announces Summit, Action Plan for Community Food Security Initiative (8/9/99)
Initiative Release No. 0325.99
Media Contact: Laura Trivers (202) 720-4623 - laura.trivers@usda.gov
Public Contact: Janna Paschal (202) 720-5402 - janna.paschal@usda.gov
GLICKMAN ANNOUNCES SUMMIT, ACTION PLAN FOR COMMUNITY FOOD SECURITY INITIATIVE
WASHINGTON, Aug. 9, 1999 In remarks today to the national anti-hunger organization Share Our Strength, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman unveiled a detailed plan of action for the USDA Community Food Security Initiative, including the announcement of the first-ever National CFS Summit, and the naming of CFS Liaisons in all 50 states.
The Initiative, launched in February, seeks to cut domestic hunger in half by the year 2015 through USDA partnerships with states, municipalities, nonprofit groups, and the private sector that strengthen local food systems.
"I want people to see this summit as a way to make government involvement in fighting hunger more effective through cooperative efforts with communities," Glickman said. "Just because government isn't the only answer doesn't mean government is not an important part of the solution. It most certainly is. I want to see communities become more adept at utilizing governments vast resources and extensive programs to further food security goals."
The National Summit on Community Food Security: Building Partnerships to End Hunger, will be held on October 15 in conjunction with the World Food Day observance, will take place at central site in Chicago, and will be broadcast by satellite to downlink sites around the country. The Summit will both highlight existing best practices already working to bolster food security, as well as mobilize new commitments to fight hunger from all sectors of society.
"Together, we can conquer hunger in America," Glickman said. "And with a Community Food Security Liaison-- a USDA employee in each state, we will be there to help you." Glickman said that the new Community Food Security Liaisons will provide"one-stop-shopping" for nonprofit groups and citizens who need to utilize USDA resources to bolster local food security efforts.
The Community Food Security Action Plan has as its primary goals: catalyzing the creation of new and expanding the capacity of existing local infrastructures; increasing economic and job security; strengthening the federal nutrition assistance safety net; improving community food production and marketing; bolstering supplemental food provided by nonprofit groups; boosting education and awareness; and improving research, monitoring, and evaluation.
Earlier today, USDA's Risk Management Agency announced new guidelines to encourage farmers covered under federal crop insurance programs to glean and donate to charitable organizations field crops that would otherwise go unused or be destroyed.
"Farmers' markets to hit every town in Britain" (Reuters, 8/16/99)
"LONDON, August 16, 1999 (Reuters) - Farmers are set to open traditional markets in every British town to sell their fresh produce direct to consumers, the National Farmers Union predicted on Monday.
It said the markets could provide a vital lifeline at a time when farm businesses are struggling.
A union survey showed 98 percent of farmers favoured the concept and it said in a statement: "There could soon be a market in every major town as farmers go 'back to the future' using this traditional route.
"Most farmers, particularly given the incredibly low prices and incomes being suffered at the moment would jump at the chance," said Union deputy President Tony Pexton.
The number of markets has shot up from single figures to around 75 in the last year alone, the union said. Farmers complain that while they are forced to accept low prices while selling their produce to supermarkets this is not reflected in the prices that supermarket customers have to pay."
"Farmers try direct approach to marketing" (AP, 8/16/99)
"KENNEWICK, Wash. (AP) - The Schwan's man has competition from Columbia Basin fruit companies.
Three brothers in Mesa trying to eke out a living in an era of depressed prices are taking their produce home-to-home in refrigerated trucks. By cutting out shippers and supermarkets, they are hoping to sell fruit for the same price as stores and reap more profits.
It's the farmers market concept pushed to the next level by dismal returns to growers despite a healthy national economy. The big question now is whether the experiment will work at a time when some farmers say their choices are to change or quit.
"We are trying to stay in business, and we are trying to find another way to be paid for our quality," said Nolan Empey, one of the brothers who created Fresh-2-U this spring. "If it wasn't for this, it's pretty depressing out there. We're all going broke. This is what gets me up in the morning."
The Empeys aren't alone in their diversification move.
Valicoff Fruit Co., a Yakima Valley farm that started as a produce stand almost 80 years ago, is selling direct on the Internet and plans to go door-to-door soon.
For Rob Valicoff, the return to the consumer focus is invigorating.
"As long as you can keep your head above water, it's more fun than it has ever been," said Valicoff, who has gone so far as to market his apples to fund-raiser groups as an alternative to candy bars and restaurant coupons.
"The survivors are looking for other avenues," he said. "There is going to be another niche for people who are going to step out and say, 'We are going to get out and hustle it ourselves.'"
That's just what Jess Smith of Richland is doing. Using an approach already taken by a few Mid-Columbia farmers, Smith is planning to build a fruit store off Highway 12 so he isn't limited to one or two days a week at farmers markets.
"There is a tremendous market for fresh product," said Smith, who farms strawberries near Burbank. "It's fantastic. It's unbelievable. People are just dying for fresh product".
Common among those venturing into direct marketing is a dissatisfaction with supermarkets, which farmers say aren't providing customers with the kind of produce that's made the Columbia Basin famous.
"I am appalled by the kind of fruit that is in here," Valicoff said. "We know we have the product, but the customer is not getting the apples they need to get."
Empey, who has long given away fruit to friends and neighbors, is little different.
"I finally got tired of hearing the phrase, 'Why can't I get these in the store?'" he said.
And there's plenty of resentment among farmers over how much grocers charge while growers fail. As the apple harvest nears, the record 1998 crop is selling at more than 99 cents a pound, of about $42 a box at many supermarkets.
Empey said he got about $2 a box for last year's fruit, and others lost money.
"Supermarkets are taking a huge margin on apples," said Steve Lutz, director of the Washington Apple Commission. "We need retailers because they move a tremendous amount of our products, but at the same time we are very vulnerable because at least for the domestic market, we still have all our eggs in one basket that is the retail grocery store."
Even enterprising farmers still have to rely on the highly developed distribution system that takes apples all over the world and has made Washington apples an international best seller. But they say it doesn't make sense for Basin fruit to be trucked to Seattle, handled by several people over days or weeks, shipped back, then let sit until it's sold.
Part of growers' frustration is the apple industry's longtime focus on quantity above quality. While internal quality standards are increasing, growers are paid for big red apples, not for taste.
The distribution chain isn't conducive to a good quality of apples," Empey said. "We've gotten the apples to look really pretty, but sometimes the condition suffers."
The Empeys - Nolan, Kim and Lance farm about 750 acres near Mesa that started at what was likely one of the first apple orchards in Franklin County. They recently purchased three refrigerated trucks and in June started delivering produce to homes, businesses and hotel snack bars.
"I am a farmer, not a marketer," Empey said. "So I am probably doing it all wrong. I have to take a product that is really good and let the product speak for itself."
The Valicoffs, too, are going slowly into an uncharted area.
"There is really nobody who's laid the groundwork yet, and it takes a tremendous amount of money and time," Valicoff said.
The Empey's home-delivered apples cost $4.50 for 5 pounds, Walla Wall onions are $4 to $5 for 10 pounds, and apricots are $1 a pound.
Other produce include potatoes, raspberries and asparagus, though the menu changes with the seasons.
The Tri-Cities is the Empeys' first big push, followed by Othello, Walla Walla and Moses Lake.
Eventually they want to serve every major town within a day's drive and expand offerings to include out-of-state produce such as Texas grapefruit.
After gaining support in Eastern Washington, the goal is to get to Puget Sound and Portland, where the concentration of people and money could soak up large volumes of fruit.
Empey figures once he starts driving trucks to the west side of the Cascades, he can return with raspberries and blueberries grown there.
To set themselves apart from grocers, Fresh-2-U and ApplesOnline guarantee their products with phrases such as "highest quality or your money back."
"You can be sure I am going to give them the best fruit I've got because I don't want to have to replace it," Valicoff said. "If you give people a good piece of fruit, they are going to buy more.""
Editor's note: Valicoff's "ApplesOnline" Website can be viewed at http://www.applesonline.com (Please note that external sites are not endorsed by USDA.)
Sustainable Development Challenge Grants
NOTE: This summary is provided to help users understand the contents of the full document. Please see the full text of the Federal Register notice (published July 1, 1999) for complete information about applying for a Sustainable Development Challenge Grant.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY[FRL-6370-4]Sustainable Development Challenge Grant Program
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) is soliciting proposals for the combined FY1999/2000 Sustainable Development Challenge Grant(SDCG) program, one of President Clinton's "high priority" actions described in the March 16, 1995 report, "Reinventing Environmental Regulation." EPA also is soliciting comments on the SDCG program's overall design. The EPA anticipates that approximately $9.4 million will be available for the SDCG program in FY 1999/2000. This includes $4.7 million already authorized by Congress for FY 1999 and an additional $4.7 million requested for the program in the President's FY 2000 Budget Request and subject to Congressional authorization.
The SDCG program challenges communities to invest in a sustainable future that links environmental protection, economic prosperity and community well-being. It provides an opportunity to develop place-based approaches to problem solving that can be replicated in other communities. The SDCG program strongly encourages community members, business and government entities to work cooperatively to develop flexible, locally-oriented approaches that link place-based environmental management and quality of life activities with sustainable development and revitalization. These grants are intended to catalyze community-based projects to promote environmentally and economically sustainable development; build partnerships which increase a community's capacity to take steps that will ensure the long-term health of ecosystems and humans, economic vitality, and community well-being; and leverage public and private investments to enhance environmental quality by enabling community efforts to continue beyond the period of EPA funding.
EPA will select projects on a competitive basis using the criteria outlined in the section titled "SDCG Program Criteria." Applicants may compete for funding from EPA in two ranges for FY 1999/2000: (1) requesting $30,000 to $100,000 with a total project budget of $125,000 or less and (2) requesting between $100,001 and $250,000 with no limit on the total project budget amount. Proposals will compete with other proposals in the same range (i.e., a proposal for $30,000-$100,000 will not compete with a proposal requesting $100,001-$250,000). Applicants in each category are required to provide a minimum 20% match from non- federal funding sources.
DATES: The period for submission of proposals for FY 1999/2000 will begin upon publication of this Federal Register document. Project proposals must be postmarked by September 29, 1999 to be considered for funding.
More information is available on the Internet at: http://www.epa.gov/ecocommunity/sdcg/
Back to Contents
Small Farm Success Stories Wanted
As received from conference organizers:
"If you would like to share a success story on small farm endeavors, please send a one-page write-up in a 12 font-type so it can be shared at the Second National Small Farm Conference to be held in St. Louis, October 12-15, 1999 at the Regal Riverfront Hotel.
In 1996, at the First National Small Farm Conference, we had a 37-page report that was shared at the conference, and the title was Small Farms: Success Stories/Impacts. Each submission was one page and we had several feedbacks from many states. We need reports on small farm efforts that have made a difference in the economic, social, or technical performance of the small farm community such as increase in income level, higher standard of living, adoption of alternative practices, adoption of new crops, improvements in recordkeeping, farm management, marketing strategies, etc. In your write-up, please identify the problem addressed by the project, the methods used to address the problem/challenge, and the changes that came about as a result of the activity or activities. It will also be helpful if you can identify specific elements or methods that contributed to the outcome of the project.
Any questions concerning the format of the write-up can be directed to me, Denis Ebodaghe at 202-401-4385, e-mail: debodaghe@reeusda.gov or to Nelson Escobar at 202-401-4900, e-mail: eescobar@reeusda.gov
Please send your write-up by fax or e-mail. Please do not send it as an attachment. Title of write-up should be on the first line of the page, followed by name, and contact information of sender such as mailing address, phone, fax and e-mail, then your write-up all on the same page."
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: SEPTEMBER 17, 1999
PLEASE SEND YOUR SUBMISSIONS TO:
CSREES Small Farm Program
Fax: 202-401-5179
E-mail: sfp@reeusda.gov
Mailing address:
Stop 2220
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250-2220
Thanks,
Denis Ebodaghe, National Program Leader for Small Farms USDA-CSREES
Phone: 202-401-4385
Fax: 202-401-5179
E-mail: debodaghe@reeusda.gov
CSREES Website: www.reeusda.gov/smallfarm
National Organic Harvest Month
The following was received from the Organic Consumers Association (a nonprofit organization):September is National Organic Harvest Month and also called Organic Food Celebration Month!
"We are asking all of our members and supporters to consider writing a letter to the editor in your local paper or better yet, contact your local paper and talk to the editor about your doing a point-of-view and/or guest editorial column in support of organic farming and the organic movement that is sweeping our country. We encourage you to share your personal views and why eating organic food is important to you and your family. In your letter or guest editorial, please encourage people to check out our Website at www.organicconsumers.org and the Campaign for Food Safety's Website at www.purefood.org. Send us a copy when the paper runs it. Thanks!"
Facts: There are over 1,000 CSA's - Community Supported Agriculture Programs in the U.S., 15 years ago, there were zero. (note: the first known CSA's were started in 1985-6.) There are over 10,000 Organic Farms in the U.S. US sales of organic foods have grown between 20 - 25% annually for the last 7 years, with overall sales of between $3.5 and $4.2 billion.
For more information contact:
Debbie Dunbar Ortman, National Field Organizer, Organic Consumers Association, 3547 Haines Rd., Duluth, MN 55811 (218) 726-1443 Fax: (218) 726-1446 Email: safefood@cp.duluth.mn.us Web: http://www.organicconsumers.org
Back to ContentsNorth Central Region SARE's Marketing Conference:
"Lincoln, NE -- As corporate concentration, global economics, and faltering markets have presented producers with a pessimistic vision for the future of family farms, the North Central Region (NCR) Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program is offering hope through a hands-on, alternative marketing conference, to be held on November 19-20, 1999, in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The conference will help farmers and ranchers develop skills and supportive relationships that will allow them to create and sustain successful new marketing ventures. Producers, educators, nonprofit groups, retail and wholesale food representatives, food processors, restauranteurs, and general consumers will share information on making more direct connections between farm gates and dinner plates to support healthier people, farms and communities.
"The North Central SARE program has made concerted efforts to promote community connections necessary for integrated local food systems," said Jim Goodman, farmer, NCR SARE administrative council member and conference planner. "This conference is not only a culmination of NCR SARE's efforts to this point, but also an event that we hope will catalyze community food initiatives region wide."
On Friday, Nov. 19, participants are invited to a video production on alternative marketing and a marketing innovations panel discussion. After a "locally grown" dinner and entertainment from folk singer Ann Zimmerman, participants can visit poster sessions and displays and talk one-on-one with project coordinators.
Saturday, Nov. 20, will feature two keynote speakers: Kansas rancher Diana Endicott, who direct markets her cooperatively produced "natural beef" to Kansas City grocery stores; and Wisconsin farmer Richard DeWilde, who sells horticultural products through community-supported agriculture, farmers' markets, and other high-value, innovative marketing avenues.
The conference's second day will also showcase innovative alternative marketing strategies through workshops and poster and display sessions. Farmers, researchers, representatives of the retail food sector, and other "experts" will direct workshops on topics such as business planning for successful marketing, market research, working cooperatively with other farmers, educating consumers about agriculture, selling directly to retail food markets, on-farm processing, value-added agriculture, marketing meat products, and legal issues in direct marketing, among others.
Conference participants will receive a legal guide for direct farm marketing and a marketing resource notebook with registration. The author of the legal guide, Neil Hamilton, will also conduct a workshop on legal issues in direct marketing.
"We want farmers and ranchers to learn and share marketing skills at this conference," Goodman said. "But we also want to build bridges between those producing products in sustainable agricultural systems and those people and businesses interested in using the products. This results in higher profits for farmers and a healthier food system."
A call for exhibitors is now available. A limited number of travel scholarships will be available for farmers.
Contact Lisa Bauer at 402-472-0265 or lbauer2@unl.edu to put your name on a mailing list to receive registration information.
Updated conference information, including registration forms will be available at http://www.unl.edu/conted/acpp/sare
SARE, which works to increase knowledge about and help farmers and ranchers adopt sustainable farming practices and systems, oversees a competitive grants program that has funded 1,400 projects nationwide since 1988. The national SARE program in Washington, D.C., is co-sponsor of the marketing conference.
North Central Region SARE including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin has funded more than $13 million-worth of projects, including more than 40 projects focusing on marketing issues. In 1995, NCR SARE began a quest to learn more about and help farmers' overcome obstacles to successful alternative marketing. A NCR SARE Marketing Committee met with producers and developed a special call for marketing projects. This committee also catalyzed funding of a national marketing curriculum, which will be featured at the marketing conference."
Western SARE - Call for Grant Proposals As received from Kristen Kelleher (Western SARE Contact):
"News FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 1, 1999
For application materials, CONTACT:
Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (Western SARE)
Utah State University, (435) 797-2257 or wsare@mendel.usu.edu
*Calls for Proposals Available in July for First Sustainable
Agriculture Grants of the Year 2000*
Logan, UT - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Western Region Sustainable Agriculture
Research and Education (Western SARE) program releases its calls for proposals for
research, education and professional development efforts the first week of July. With
applications due in the fall, and subsequent technical review in Winter 2000, selected
projects will be the first grantees of the new century.
(Western SARE's grant effort for producer-led research projects will issue its call for
proposals in October 1999.)
The program continues to look for educational or research projects that consider
sustainable farming and ranching systems, or how elements of a system affect the whole.
There is also a heightened emphasis on potential outcomes of project work.
"After more than a decade of funded work and substantive gains in the adoption of
sustainable practices, it's time to evaluate our accomplishments and also expect potential
grantees to plan for how they will measure or account for their outcomes," said Phil
Rasmussen, regional coordinator of Western SARE and a soil scientist at Utah State
University.
Building on the strong reporting structure already in place, the regional Professional
Development Program has revised its application by asking for evaluative planning up
front, as part of the proposal process.
The research and education (also known as SARE) call for proposal is also adding language
about the importance of timely and thorough impact reporting.
Specific Grant Programs and Deadlines
SARE grants are for research and education projects that have a whole-systems approach and
increase the understanding and adoption of sustainable agriculture. Viable SARE projects
will address the interactions of whole systems, consider weak links in a whole system, or
assess the effects of different components of agricultural systems. The U.S. EPA
contributes some funds to the effort (which are matched by the USDA) to support studies
and outreach efforts that mitigate agricultural pollution. SARE proposals are due on
September 30, 1999 (at the Western SARE headquarters at Utah State University by 4:00 p.m.
Mountain Standard Time).
Professional Development Program (PDP) grants provide funding for efforts to help
Cooperative Extension, Natural Resources Conservation Service and other agricultural
professionals expand their knowledge of sustainable agriculture. Project subjects can deal
with any agricultural endeavor, and may consider the effects of sustainable practices on
the quality of life for farmers, ranchers and rural communities. Projects can be designed
for professionals working in production agriculture, 4-H/youth development or other areas.
PDP proposals are due on November 19, 1999 (at the PDP office at the University of Wyoming
by 4:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time).
Contact Western SARE at Utah State University at (435) 797-2257 or wsare@mendel.usu.edu to add your name to the
distribution list for calls for proposals, or to request application materials. Calls for
proposals are also available on-line after July 15, 1999 at http://wsare.usu.edu/
About Western SARE
The national SARE effort, which was mandated by Congress in the 1990 and 1996 Farm Bills,
is implemented by four regional councils in cooperation with the USDA Cooperative State
Research, Education and Extension Service. Western SARE is coordinated by Utah State
University soil scientist V. Philip Rasmussen and led by an Administrative Council that
represents diverse agricultural and public interests.
The Western Region includes Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam,
Hawaii, Idaho, Micronesia, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, N. Mariana Islands, Oregon, Utah,
Washington and Wyoming.
Kristen Kelleher
Senior Public Information Rep/ Communications Specialist
Western SARE
Mail and contact information:
SARE
University of California
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616-8716
(530) 752-5987
(530) 754-8550
kkelleher@ucdavis.edu
FOR UPS, FED-X, or other priority mail:
SARE, University of California
DANR Bldg, Hopkins Rd.
Davis, CA 95616"
Northeast SARE - Call for Grant Proposals Northeast SARE Announces Grant Opportunities for 2000
The Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (Northeast SARE) program has set the grant application schedule for the year 2000. For more information about all grants, call 802/656-0471, or go to www.uvm.edu/~nesare
Farmer/Grower Grants: Supports innovative efforts by producers to explore and develop sustainable techniques that are profitable, environmentally sound, and beneficial to the community. Applicants must be commercial farmers in the Northeast region. Proposals must be postmarked no later than December 6, 1999. For more information, contact Northeast SARE at 802/656-0471. For samples of some of our past Farmer/Grower projects, visit our web site at www.uvm.edu/~nesare
Research and Education Grants: Supports integrated, whole-system projects that address sustainability. Applicants can be institutions, nonprofits, researchers, and others in the agricultural community. Projects in livestock management (including small non-dairy livestock such as chickens) and forage crops should use a separate application; call 802/656-0471 for more information and for both types of applications. Proposals must be received by January 20, 2000. For samples of some of our past research and education grants, visit our web site, address above.
Professional Development Grants: Supports sustainable agriculture training for Cooperative Extension personnel. Applicants can be educators, producers, nonprofits, or others with training expertise. Proposals must be received by January 27, 2000. For samples of some of our past past professional development projects, visit our web site, address above.
The
Northeast SARE region includes Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. Back to Contents
New in Print - Publications about Direct Marketing
The Legal Guide for Direct Farm Marketing - Neil Hamilton, Drake University
The much anticipated book by Neil Hamilton was published in June and has recently become available to the farm direct marketing community!The work was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service under a SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) Professional Development Program grant.
The book begins with an "Introduction to Direct Farm Marketing and the Law," describing the book's purpose, how to use the book, and what the book contains. The author notes that, "[the] book was written to serve two main categories of readers involved in the exciting process of direct farm marketing...farmers...[and] advisors." The book provides valuable insights to both groups. It provides practical answers to commonly asked questions in every chapter.. In chapter 2, Hamilton discusses "How Law Relates to Direct Farm Marketing." He describes how the law can have an impact on farm direct marketing. For example, "selling processed food items may raise food safety concerns" or "forming unique marketing relations, such as subscription sales or home deliveries, may raise questions about payment and business relations." He goes on to show the value, responsibilities, benefits, and risks of farm direct marketing. Chapters 3 and 4 cover, respectively, "An Introduction to the Common Forms of Direct Farm Marketing: State and Federal Policies to Promote Direct Farm Marketing" and "Farmers' Markets: Organizing, Managing, and Participating in America's Favorite Way to Buy Food." Chapters 5 through 7 provide an in-depth look at specific areas of interest. Chapter 5 explains "Organizing and Operating a Direct Farm Marketing Business: Selecting a Form, Licenses, and Taxation." Chapter 6 covers "Contracts, Food Stamps, and Getting Paid: Financial Issues in Direct Farm Marketing." Throughout the book, sidebars and highlighted blocks note important details and provide hints and checklists. For example, in chapter 7, "Marketing Your Products: Advertising, Organic Certification, Eco-Labels, and Other Claims," a sidebar notes "Eight Steps to Consider When Making Special Claims." Chapter 8 raises issues regarding "Land Use and Property Law: Zoning, Leases, Farmland Protection, and Pesticide Drift," and chapter 9 deals with "Labor and Employment: Who is an Employee, Workers Compensation, and Internships." As in other sections of the book, Hamilton cites important cases/judgements, codes, and provisions in the areas addressed. For instance, Chapter 10 describes "Insurance and Liability: How to Protect Your Farm from the Risk of Being Sued." In answering the question, "Under what circumstances can a pick-your-own operation be held liable if a customer gets injured falling from a ladder?" the author describes cases in Missouri and New York and gives practical advice as a result of these rulings. Again, highlighted blocks, such as "Ten Questions to Ask Your Agent About Your Insurance Coverage," are provided. The book concludes with chapters on "Marketing High Value Products and Processed Foods: Inspection, Licensing, and Food Safety" and "Marketing Meat, Poultry, Eggs, and Dairy Products: Inspections, Exemptions, and other Legal Issues." The appendix includes more than 25 pages of State direct farm marketing resources. An index allows the reader to easily locate topics of interest. Copies can be purchased for $20.00 from:
Video: "Farmers and their Diversified Horticultural Marketing Strategies"
A new educational video on innovative marketing is available called "Farmers and their Diversified Horticultural Marketing Strategies."
This 49-minute video features descriptions of eight successful farms in Massachusetts, Maine, New York, and Vermont that employ a variety of approaches to selling their products.
The marketing methods covered are: roadside stand, farmers market, large-scale community supported agriculture, Internet sales, pick-your-own, restaurant sales, and wholesale cooperative.
Funded in part by the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (SARE), the video can be ordered from:
Center for Sustainable Agriculture
University of Vermont
590 Main St.
Burlington, VT 05405-0059.
The cost per video is $15 including postage within the continental U.S.
Orders must be prepaid with a check or money order made to "UVM." When ordering, please provide your complete mailing address and a daytime telephone number, and indicate your primary occupation (farmer, extension, etc.).
For more information call (802) 656-5459 or e-mail susagctr@zoo.uvm.edu
Back to Contents