Strengthening Rural Communities Through Direct Marketing

All of the information obtained from the surveys and the attendance counts have been given to the farmers, vendors, the market manager and coordinator at the market. From the consumer questionnaire it is apparent that farmers and vendors are selling to predominantly two person households. Although many of these people have been coming to the market for fifteen years or more, it is clear they are not purchasing in vast quantities, suggesting they might not be eating or cooking at home as often. This information was provided to the farmers to help with packaging and unit size for selling purposes. Source for Fresh Produce Respondents were asked where they obtain their fresh produce in the summer months. Clearly from the purposive sampling technique used, it is not surprising to learn from this selective group that 92% rely on farmers markets for their fresh produce. When consumers ranked the advantages of this particular market as a place to purchase their fresh produce their first preference was for freshness (33%), supporting a local economy (26%), and the quality of the product (24%). Advertising came up in a number places on all three questionnaires. Consumers reported overwhelmingly that they learned of the farmers market by word of mouth. This suggested that placing ads in local papers, radio, t.v. and having stories on the market farmers and vendors would go a long way in increasing the awareness of this farmers market. Ads were put on the radio, t.v. and local farm and farmers markets stories made it into the paper with the goal of increasing consumer attendance. As noted above attendance increased substantially during this project. Education is another area in which the market could become more pro-active. Educational activities could be designed on a monthly or bi-weekly basis. For example, a disadvantage consumers noted of the market was the seasonality of products. Why did so many people see “limited to what is in season” as a disadvantage at a farmers market? If consumers were made more aware of the seasonality or growing cycles of food, they might not see seasonality as a limitation but an exciting opportunity to eat fresh, local produce. While attending Veggie Fest 2004 and observing those who sampled local tomatoes and homemade gazpacho, it was interesting to note all the questions on cooking. Although recipes were available more people were interested in purchasing the pre-made gazpacho than making their own. Could more cooking demonstrations with seasonal products get more people to eat and cook seasonally? Could a demonstration kitchen aid in this effort? Making the reports available to farmer family members and friends of the market has been helpful in maintaining support for this farmers market. Strategies for modifying the market have emerged from increased communication with farmers, vendors, market visitors and farmers market managers. There have been several key accomplishments from this project. The farmers market board members have been active and have helped to make significant changes in the market. Increased communication among the farmers, vendors and board members has helped to identify the needs of the market. They have succeeded in getting electricity available to all of the booths. They have been able to make most of the farmers stay until closing 6:00 am-12:00 for the Saturday market day. They have changed their weekday market hours from Tuesday and Thursdays 2:00pm-6:00pm to Wednesdays 7:00 am to 1:00 pm. The new Wednesday morning market started with ten farmers and is now up to 32 vendors. Consumer attendance needs to increase some, but farmers claim to be making enough thus far to warrant staying there for a while longer. Saturday Day events were highlighted for the seasonality of fresh produce. For example: Veggie Fest A vegetable festival was held celebrating the vegetables that were available for that particular Saturday. Many hundreds of pounds of tomatoes were sold on this day. Moreover the public learned of many heritage varieties that were unfamiliar to them before. A successful tasting day enjoyed by all the farmers who contributed tomatoes and the sampling public. Tomato Fest A tomato tasting day was held for the public to sample tomatoes that were at market. A wide range of tomatoes were donated by the farmers that day. The market coordinator was able to tell the consumer where they could locate the particular tomato the taster wanted to purchase. Farmer Appreciation Day The Third Annual Farmer Appreciation Day was held to honor farmers and vendors attending the market. Farmers and vendors received a free breakfast made from North Carolina grits, local Reese’s sausage, and a fresh biscuit from a local bakery Simple Kneads Bakery. In addition, farmers brought in displays of tobacco leaves, the local dairy sold fresh ice cream, and a number of local organizations set up display tables. The planning for the fourth Annual Farmer Appreciation Day is underway and will be guided by an emerging group from the market. Actually two groups have formed. One is comprised of loyal supporters of the market. They call their group, “Friends of the Market.” The group is made of farmers, vendors, and the public. They help in generating ideas for market promotion, advertising and a range of other things in support of the market. One of the exciting things has been the irregular “farmers breakfasts” held at the market. One Saturday one of the vendors made a free breakfast for all the farmers and vendors (scrambled eggs, biscuits, sausage and gravy). The customers were a bit envious thus another breakfast day was created on “Strawberry Day.” Fresh pancakes were made and garnished with local strawberries and whipped cream. This breakfast morning was a huge success. Over 500 people were served! A third successful breakfast day was held on “Blueberry Day” where again, pancakes were served. Both Strawberry Day Breakfast and the Blueberry Day Breakfast were advertised in the local paper resulting in an increased number of visitors to the market which has been sustained in the weeks that followed. The Friends of the Market will be organizing the fourth Annual Farmer Appreciation Day for 2005. Another group also developed from this market and others in the area. Greensboro now has its own Slow Food Convivium. Farmers and market supports are very active in this program. They have linked several farmers markets to restaurants, provided on farm demonstrations, and are gearing up for an Autumn Slow Food Symposium. The community spirit and attendance in these activities has been incredible. One of the suggestions from the consumers has been for picnic tables to be made available for use in the summer time. It looks like the City is going to assist the market by providing several tables for the rest of the summer. Market voices are being heard. Lastly, new farmers have come to the market. In 2005 there have been six new farmers attend the Saturday market. Four of them are diversified and have been able to attend weekly for the last 20 weeks while other two have been limited by the products they raise and bring (blueberries and peaches). Overall, the farmers and vendors who have been there more than the last two years are excited with the increase in number of new consumers. The farmers are selling out, going home with empty trucks and fuller pockets. One Saturday two farmers in their late seventies nearly skipped out of the market because they sold out of what they brought. One of them said, “me, me, I sold out, and all we brought was onions!” I had never seen this farmer and his sister so happy and light footed.