Project Type: Farmer/Rancher
Funds awarded in 2025: $29,840.00
Projected End Date: 02/15/2026
Grant Recipient:
Grace Place Farm & Gardens
Region: North Central
State: South Dakota
Project Coordinator:
Mason Prescott
Grace Place Farm & Gardens
Description:
In this 12-episode educational series, follow the team at Grace Place Farm & Gardens as we document the full lifecycle of designing, building, and operating a professional on-farm marketplace. Our motto is "Farm to Family," and this project explores how small-scale farmers can use modern technology and on-farm retail to reconnect their communities with fresh, nutritionally dense food.
This series is designed to be a practical, "how we did it" guide sharing our real-world wins, losses, and lessons learned while transitioning from a once-weekly farmers market to a year-round, profitable retail outlet.
What we cover in this series:
1. Why a Farm Store? (Farmers Markets vs. Farm Stores)
2. Permitting & Zoning (Demystifying the bureaucracy)
3. The Foundation (Materials and site prep)
4. Structure, Electrical, & HVAC (Building for extreme climates)
5. Finishing the Interior (Insulation, lighting, and layout)
6. Equipment, Appliances, & Furnishings (Commercial refrigeration specs)
7. Stock & Merchandise (Value-added goods and cottage food laws)
8. Square POS & Customer Database (Approachable tech and inventory)
9. Marketing (A dual-technology approach to reach neighbors)
10. The Grand Opening (Gameday preparation and giveaways)
11. Day-to-Day Management (Stewardship and customer interaction)
12. Recap & Lessons Learned (Final results and future opportunities)
Stay Connected with Grace Place Farm:
Website: GracePlaceFarm.com
Instagram: @GracePlaceFarm
This series is designed to be a practical, "how we did it" guide sharing our real-world wins, losses, and lessons learned while transitioning from a once-weekly farmers market to a year-round, profitable retail outlet.
What we cover in this series:
1. Why a Farm Store? (Farmers Markets vs. Farm Stores)
2. Permitting & Zoning (Demystifying the bureaucracy)
3. The Foundation (Materials and site prep)
4. Structure, Electrical, & HVAC (Building for extreme climates)
5. Finishing the Interior (Insulation, lighting, and layout)
6. Equipment, Appliances, & Furnishings (Commercial refrigeration specs)
7. Stock & Merchandise (Value-added goods and cottage food laws)
8. Square POS & Customer Database (Approachable tech and inventory)
9. Marketing (A dual-technology approach to reach neighbors)
10. The Grand Opening (Gameday preparation and giveaways)
11. Day-to-Day Management (Stewardship and customer interaction)
12. Recap & Lessons Learned (Final results and future opportunities)
Stay Connected with Grace Place Farm:
Website: GracePlaceFarm.com
Instagram: @GracePlaceFarm
Type:
Video
Transcript Embedded:
Yes
Target audiences:
Farmers/Ranchers; Educators; Researchers; Consumers
Ordering info:
This product is associated with the project "Measuring the Impact of Marketing & Social Technology in Driving Support for Small-Scale Farms in Suburban Areas"
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.