Farmer Direct Marketing Newsletter

Spring 2000

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       New Publication:  "Innovative Marketing Opportunities for Small Farmers:  Local Schools as Customers"

       New Publication:  "Direct Marketing Today:  Challenges and Opportunities"

       New Publication:  "Increasing Food Recovery From Farmers' Markets:  A Preliminary Analysis"

       2000 National Farmers Market Directory Available!

       Farm-to-School Marketing Outreach Workshop Held in Kentucky

       "Markets, Tools, and Opportunities for Limited Resource Farmers" - Workshop in California

Articles

       "Why Customers Like Stores Run by Farmers" (Canadian Farm Manager, January/February 2000)

         "Ontario Farm Manager Discovers the Joys of Retailing:  Turns 100-Year-Old Building into a Store"
         (Canadian Farm Manager, January/February 2000)

          Creating Innovative Newsletters to Reach Your Customers - Part I
         Presentation by Angie Eckert at the 2000 National Farmer's Direct Marketing Conference

         Creating Innovative Newsletters to Reach Your Customers - Part II
         Presentation by Jane Eckert at the 2000 National Farmer's Direct Marketing Conference

New in Print or on Video About Direct Marketing:

        North American Farmers Direct Marketing Association 2000 Conference Audio Tapes and Proceedings

        "Marketing Options for Commercial Vegetable Growers" (University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension)

        New England Vegetable and Berry Growers Conference 2000 Proceedings Available

        "The Farmers' Market Cookbook"

        ATTRA Publications

        John Ikerd's Sustainable Agriculture Publications On-Line

Return to Farmer Direct Marketing Newsletter Index to view previous editions

USDA Activities:

USDA Farmers Market Season Starts!

The USDA Farmers Market season kicked off with a special market on May 19.  The regular market season started on June 2 and will run until November.  The USDA Farmers Market, held at USDA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., is on Friday from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.   These markets feature fresh produce, baked goods, meat, honey and maple syrup, jellies and relishes, and more from 14 vendors from Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

Look for more details about the USDA Farmers Market soon! 

Information on vending at the USDA Farmers Market is available at http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets.

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New Publication:

"Innovative Market Opportunities for Small Farmers:  Local Schools as Customers"

"Innovative Market Opportunities for Small Farmers:  Local Schools as Customers" is now available in print and can be accessed on line (as a pdf document) at http://www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/tmpubs.htm.       

Summary:  "Small farmers in the United States are declining in number and experiencing economic difficulty.  Within that group, the number of African-American farmers has dramatically decreased since 1910, when 1 million African-American farmers owned 15 million acres of land.  In 1998, fewer than 20,000 African-American farmers owned 2 million acres. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the West Florida Resource Conservation and Development Council (WFRCDC), and the Small Farmer Outreach Training and Technical Assistance Project, Florida A&M University (FAMU) have worked together on this pilot project to create marketing opportunities for limited resource growers.  The cooperators used A Time to Act, the report produced by USDA's National Commission on Small Farms, as a guide.  A group of small farmers in the Florida Panhandle organized into the New North Florida Cooperative and established a location in Marianna, FL, 70 miles west of Tallahassee.  The Cooperative recognized a considerable opportunity in serving local school districts with fresh agricultural products.  This pilot project made substantial progress over the 1997/98 and 1998/99 school years.

The Cooperative overcame initial difficulties, including lack of organization, economic difficulties, social attitudes, existing customer preferences, and lack of equipment.  Realizing that effective organization was critical, these limited-resource growers formed a management team as a governing body.   The management team addressed problems and handled day-to-day business activities in a unified, methodical way.  The Cooperative acquired capital and purchased necessary startup equipment, such as a refrigerated trailer, cutting machines, and wash sinks.

The Cooperative developed a good working relationship with the food service director for the Gadsen County School District by providing high-quality produce, prompt deliveries, fair prices and courteous professionalism.  The vending experiences over the 1997/98 and 1998/99 school years were positive steps for the Cooperative in building a long-term, reputable business.   The Cooperative's main produce was fresh-cut, leafy greens, but watermelons, strawberries, blackberries, and muscadine grapes were also sold.  Word-of-mouth advertising has portrayed the Cooperative as a reputable vendor and opened doors of opportunity in other school districts, including Jackson, Leon, and Walton Counties."

For more information or to obtain a copy of the publication, contact Dan Schofer, USDA-AMS-TMP-MTA, Room 1207-S, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC  20250, tel. 202-690-1170, fax 202-690-3616, or e-mail Dan.Schofer@usda.gov.

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"Direct Marketing Today:   Challenges and Opportunities"

USDA - Wholesale and Alternative Markets has a new publication available - "Direct Marketing Today:  Challenges and Opportunities."  

The publication may be viewed in its entirety (as a pdf document) at http://www.ams.usda.gov/directmarketing/directmar2.pdf.  To order a print version, please email Velma Lakins at velma.lakins@usda.gov or call (202) 720-8317.

From the Executive Summary:

"The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) - Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) Farmer Direct Marketing Action Plan (August 1998) identified the need for public input on farmer direct marketing issues and opportunities.  A goal of this plan is to translate this participation into the development of an effective programmatic strategy for USDA-AMS that reflects the needs of the direct marketing community, promotes direct marketing alternatives, and improves market access for small farmers.  The first step toward gathering public comment was a farmers market forum in July 1998.  The second step was to expand the collection of information through focus group meetings with marketers and individuals who work with small farmers or support direct marketing (facilitators).

Five focus group meetings were held with marketers and facilitators in three locations (Sturbridge, MA; Grand Rapids, MI; Memphis, TN).  The diversity of locations afforded balanced contributions from a broad constituency and an opportunity to investigate regional differences in production and marketing strategies.  Forty direct marketing facilitators and 27 direct marketers from 34 States participated.

Direct Marketing Opportunities and Challenges

Pressing issues are producer perceptions of cost and returns, financial capacity of direct marketing businesses, availability of technical assistance and grants, and the overall regulatory environment faced by direct marketing firms.  Of lesser concern were the status of producer marketing skills, availability of insurance, and the status of information and networking in the direct marketing community.  Finally, relatively few focus group participants judged consumer interest to be a large problem for direct marketers.

Market facilitators and marketers do not always hold similar opinions.  A greater proportion of facilitators consider direct marketing success to be problematic, while marketers have a more buoyant attitude.  Marketers downgraded capacity issues related to producer marketing skills, while more than 60 percent of facilitators indicated that lack of these skills is a major impediment to direct marketing.  Both groups are wary of costs and returns associated with direct marketing but do not consider consumer interest a big problem in the direct marketing of farm products.  Facilitators assigned greater significance to problems stemming from lack of technical assistance or grants and the regulatory environment faced by the direct marketing community.

Implications for USDA-AMS Programs

Participants placed substantial emphasis on persuading USDA to expand data collection and applied research.  Facilitators seek information that enhances their efforts to assist marketers and documents the significance of direct marketing.  Marketers are looking for information that helps them make better business decisions and increase their income.  Another high priority for both groups is developing 'how to' manuals on a variety of direct marketing subjects.

Information needs that focus groups identified present program opportunities for USDA-AMS and for other USDA agencies. Although they agreed on the need for information, participants (especially marketers) voiced caution about 'government' involvement in direct marketing.  They also voice concern that the Federal Government not duplicate what the private sector or State agencies are doing, but that it become a partner in enhancing direct marketing efforts.  Facilitators, in particular, were interested in having USDA collaborate with or stimulate new initiatives through grants using existing expertise."

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"Increasing Food Recovery From Farmers' Markets:  A Preliminary Analysis"

by Charlene C. Price and J. Michael Harris

USDA - Economic Research Service

"Abstract: Collecting unsold food discarded at farmers’ markets has the potential to allow nonprofit food recovery and gleaning organizations to distribute significant quantities of wholesome, unsold fruits and vegetables to needy families.  Donations of this unsold produce by the participants at these markets can generate tangible benefits: increased private food assistance and better nutrition for lower income families.  The Geographical Information System (GIS) analysis presented in this study indicates that there is potential to strengthen the links between farmers’ markets and nonprofit food recovery and gleaning organizations in many areas of the United States."

The report can be downloaded at no cost at  http://www.ers.usda.gov/epubs/pdf/fanrr4/.  Information on how to order hard copies can also be found at this location.

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"2000 National Directory of Farmers Markets Available!"

USDA - Wholesale and Alternative Markets has finished collecting data for its 2000 National Directory of Farmers Markets.  Check the USDA Farmers Market Website (http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets) for updates to the website version!

A print version will be available later this summer.  E-mail Velma Lakins (velma.lakins@usda.gov) to order a copy. 

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"Farm-to-School Marketing Outreach Workshop Held in Kentucky"

On May 1, AMS partnered with USDA's Food and Nutrition Service, the University of Kentucky's Cooperative Extension Service, and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture to conduct an outreach workshop in Georgetown, KY, on farm-to-school marketing issues.  More than 180 participants attended the workshop, including school food service directors, farmers and representatives of farm cooperatives, Extension Service agents, government and university agricultural marketing specialists, and officials in charge of Federal and State school lunch procurement.  According to University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service officials, the workshop has already spawned a flurry of requests from school food service buyers eager to meet with local producer groups and identify which locally grown commodities are potentially available for use in their school feeding programs.  The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture plan several followup meetings throughout the State to match school food service customers with local agricultural producers.

AMS is developing an educational report summarizing "lessons learned" at the Georgetown, KY, outreach workshop and will maintain its current advisory role in a broad-based coalition seeking to sponsor additional farm-to-school outreach workshops in other locations.  (Coalition members include representatives of USDA's Food and Nutrition Service and Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service; the Coalition for Community Food Security; and university Cooperative Extension Service personnel.)

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"Markets, Tools, and Opportunities for Limited Resource Farmers"
Workshop in California

"Markets, Tools, and Opportunities for Limited Resource Farmers" will be held October 31-November 2 in Modesto, CA.  For more information call Karen Jameson, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service, at (202) 720-5731.

The purpose of this conference is to offer limited-resource farmers strategies for improving small farm business profitability.   Record keeping, how to apply for loans and grants, a marketing plan, interpreting market information, the importance of diversifying products, new products with potential for small-scale producers, value-added products, agro-tourism, and avenues for direct marketing will be covered in breakout sessions.  Small farm tours and demonstrations will present information on lucrative specialty markets.

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Articles:

"Why Customers Like Stores Run By Farmers"
(Canadian Farm Manager, January/February 2000)

Canadian Farm Manager is a bimonthly farm management newsletter published by the Canadian Farm Business Management Council.  To view the newsletter in its entirety, visit http://www.cfbmc.com/cfm-eng/jan2000/.

"Farm Managers who operate retail outlets say farm-owned stores are a big hit for a number of reasons:

- Competitive prices compared to commercial grocery stores.

- Homemade products and farm freshness are appealing to customers looking for natural produce.

- People in the community trust their farmers.

- Small stores take more care.  For example, Ontario Farm Manager Corry Martens has beef aged 20 days, making it much more tender than grocery store meat.

- Small community stores are also social meeting places where neighbours can get to know each other.

- People like to support local businesses."

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"Ontario Farm Manager Discovers the Joys of Retailing: 
Turns 100-Year-Old Building into a Store" 
(Canadian Farm Manager, January/February 2000)

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Angie Eckert
Eckert's Country Store and Farms
(618) 233-0513
angie@eckerts.com

"1. Develop a header / nameplate
        It gives your reader something they can recognize (this sets the tone of your newsletter)
        It needs to make an "impact" and convey your business type
        Include your company name in title or in subheader
        It does not need to say "Newsletter"

2. Develop a Framework
        Keep your style simple
        Create a template for your newsletter using Microsoft Word, PageMaker, QuarkXPress, or good old-fashioned pencil              and paper!
        Standard sizes are letter size and tabloids (tabloids are harder to design)
        Keep column size consistent (1-3 columns for letter size paper, 4-5 for tabloids)
        Select 2 font styles - 1 sans serif, 1 serif (maybe 1 accent font)
        Choose easy to read fonts with a variety of weights such as Times, Arial, Palatino, etc.
        Font size 11 point or larger (9 point or 8 point is miserable to read)
        Pick an alignment
        Ink color options:  1, 2, full color
        Paper color:  can add interest, but consider cost and effect of ink colors first
        Stick with your framework

3. Design Techniques
        Headlines:  importance determines size
        Don't underestimate the power of white space!
        Don't go overboard with clip art - less is more
        Highlight with boxes, gradations or screens for variety
        Background screens are excellent ways to highlight (20-60%, check with your printer)
        Reversed print and reversed graphics stand out well

4. A smile is worth 1000 words
        Picture needs to look fun and interesting
        Strive for more "people pictures" and fewer "scenic pictures"
        Use photos from your customers (have a photo contest)
        Use at least one per panel
        Photos can be enhanced to change backgrounds (Printers can drop photos in if you are inexperienced)

5. Create a formula for each newsletter
        An advance plan and outline will help you organize and stay on track (see ex. below)

6. Use your braggin' rights!
        Highlight what is unique to your business in every issue and do it well!

Marketing Strategies and Distribution
        1. Direct Mail (establish database)
        2. Distribute at your business
        3. Enclose in newspapers by zip code
        4. Distribute to local tourism offices, realtors, community centers, etc.
        5. Anywhere else they'll let you! - schools, home shows, YMCA, etc.

Eckert's Newsletter Elements
Front Page
    1. Attractive Header and Title
        Issue #, season, your tag-line or mission
    2. Seasonal front page stories
        Strawberry Season
        Garden Center
    3. New item highlight or another seasonal story
    4. Eckert's mailing address, hours, web address, etc.
    5. Mailing label space
    6. Photos
Center Spread
    1. Ripening calendar of fresh produce
    2. Event listing / Calendar in box
    3. New items in Country Store
    4. Custard Shop / Restaurant update
    5. Kids Fun Activity (crossword or riddle)
    6. Spring Special Event Details
        Gardening Expo
        Rodeo
    7. Photo contest information
    8. Photos
Back
    1. Map to the farm
    2. Web address
    3. Photo
    4. Company Picnic article
    5. School Tours offered"

Jane Eckert

I am a big proponent of farm newsletter because I think that it is an effective advertising method to reach your intended audience.  It certainly cannot replace all other forms of advertising in your budget but I strongly suggest that you consider its place in your overall advertising mix."

New in Print or on Audio/Video About Direct Marketing

Miss the North American Farmers Direct Marketing /Ohio Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference 2000?

Audio tapes are available for all presentations such as "Determining Your Farm Market's Potential," "Creating Attractive Displays and Signage at Farmers' Markets," "Using a Variety of Methods to Sell Herbs," "Locating and Designing Your Farm Market," "Organizing Farmers' Markets Along Turnpikes," and more.

For more information write to:

Audio Productions, Inc., 12127  7th Place, SE, Lake Stevens, WA  98258, or call 1-800-488-5455.

Proceedings are available for $10.00 and can be obtained by mailing a check (payable to the Ohio Fruit and Vegetable Growers Congress) to Ohio Fruit and Vegetable Growers Congress, P.O. Box 479, Columbus, OH  43216.

Recently, there were a number of links added to the section, On-line Articles and Publications about Direct Marketing, of this website.

The table compares six marketing options (direct, produce options, marketing cooperatives, local wholesalers, regional wholesalers, and processors/fresh-cut).   These six marketing options are compared in three categories (each with five subcategories):   production and marketing challenges, investments, time and money, and income and potential.  By rating the marketing options in each category, a producer can look at the table and assess what may be the better marketing option.

A publication with conference proceedings from the New England Vegetable and Berry Growers Conference in Sturbridge, MA, is now available.  Almost 1,000 growers attended this conference!

The publication (355 pages, bound) includes 101 presentations.  Categories include marketing to maximize income, farming on the Internet, herbs, specialty crops, strawberries, tomatoes, and more.

The proceedings from the 3-day conference cost $14.  To order, send a check payable to UMCE to Conference Proceedings, UMCE, P.O. Box 9300, Portland, ME  04104-9300.

"Why shop at a farmers' market:
...the produce tastes fresher because it is fresher.
...the stuff is reasonable in cost.
...the proprietor knows his product.  After all, it was he or she who raised it.  He can answer your questions.
...it helps the kids understand where food comes from.
...it's good for the local economy."   

(From back cover of "The Farmers' Market Cookbook.")

"The Farmers' Market Cookbook" gives recipes on "how to use those fresh goodies from your local farmers' market."  Recipe areas are "Appetizers and Beverages;" "Main Dishes;" "Salads;" "Soup;" "Pie;" "Cake;" "Cookies & Bars;" "Other Desserts;" and "Breads, Rolls, Muffins."

Author B. Carlson has also printed a series of regional cookbooks and books such as "Iowa Cookin'," "Midwest Small Town Cooking," and "Wisconsin's Roadkill Cookbook."   "The Farmers' Market Cookbook," as are all of the cookbooks, is available to organizations as a fundraiser. 

For information on how to order, write or call Hearts and Tummies Cookbook Company, 1854  345th Ave., Wever, IA   52658, call 1-800-571-2665, or email heartsntummies@hotmail.com

From the cookbook: Peach Pancakes

"This batter works well with all kinds of fruit and for corn pancakes, too.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 1/2 tsp. sugar
3 eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
4 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
1 cup chopped peaches - well drained

Sift dry ingredients.   Beat the eggs and add milk.  Add milk and egg mixture to dry ingredients stirring only enough to combine.  Add melted butter.  Fold in the fruit.

Heat 1/8 inch melted fat in skilled.  Spoon batter carefully into the hot fat.  (One-third cup of batter makes a three inch pancake.)  Fry until brown on one side, turn and fry until done.   Drain on paper toweling. 

Yield: 12 pancakes

Hint:  Other fresh, frozen or canned fruits may be used.  Be sure the fruit is well drained.  The same batter may be used with corn or cooked rice."

ATTRA (Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas) has many publications available on-line at http://www.attra.org.  ATTRA can be contacted by phone at 1-800-346-9140.

Their materials list includes publications on a range of topics.  Several of the publications in their "Marketing and Business Series" have been recently updated.  Titles in this series include:  "Community Supported Agriculture," "Direct Marketing," "Farmers' Markets," "Pick-Your-Own and Agri-Entertainment," and "Resources for Organic Marketing."

Visit ATTRA at http://www.attra.org to get your copies!

John Ikerd, Extension Professor and Co-coordinator of the Sustainable Agricultural Systems Program at the University of Missouri has written many publications, articles, and speeches on sustainable agriculture.  Dr. Ikerd is extremely popular with conference attendees.

His recent papers, such as "New Farmers for a New Century" and "Sustainable Farming and Rural Community Development," are available on-line at  http://www.ssu.missouri.edu/faculty/JIkerd/papers/default.htm.

His many publications are at  http://www.ssu.missouri.edu/faculty/JIkerd/pubs89-96/default.htm.

You can learn more about Dr. Ikerd's background at  http://www.ssu.missouri.edu/faculty/JIkerd/.