Expanding, Enhancing and Diversifying Sales with Team Farmer Marketing

Expanding, Enhancing and Diversifying Sales with Team Farmer Marketing

Summary

In Minnesota, direct marketing of farmer goods is a successful and growing market. Expansion is necessary, though, to continue supplying the current consumer demand.

Objective: To model an eco-agricultural system by providing healthy, wholesome farm-raised meat, milk, and vegetable or fruit produce to local consumers.

The producer raised awareness of her marketing cooperative through media packets containing brochures, videos, and recipes. Radio, television and print media outlets, civic and community centers, and consumers received these packets.

The cooperative advertised their products to restaurants, health food cooperatives, consumer associations, and churches. The producer also created a website to promote the cooperative, www.ourfarmtoyou.com.

The cooperative also made improvements to their farms, such as installing a U-pick herb area and landscaping for aesthetic value.

Results: The cooperative increased its lamb and beef sales to ethnic restaurants from 150 lambs annually to 500 lambs and 100 beef calves a year.

Within the on-farm store, the cooperative increased its product line from lamb and beef cuts and eggs to turkeys, butter, cheeses, organic flour, bacon, maple syrup, wool blankets, organic teas, homemade soaps, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, ducks, geese, and honey. Another on-farm activity is children's tours.

The cooperative improved its store's landscaping, adding boulders, perennial flowers and shrubs, and ponds with fountains. The producer installed billboards and an open/closed sign.