Missouri Alternatives Center's "AG OPPORTUNITIES" Bimonthly Electronic Newsletter September-October (Vol. 12, No 2) 800-433-3704 * Small Farms * New Family Farms * Agricultural Alternatives Effective Displays Can Help Capture Customer Attention (By Thomas B. Murphy, The Vegetable Growers News, Volume 34, October 2000) During visits at direct marketing locations during the last 12 months, one of the most asked or obvious questions was what could be done to increase consumer awareness of the marketer's offerings. Although a response is different depending where the business is located, how big it is, what it's advertising budget is, and what products are being offered for sale, some general considerations can be illustrated. Even with all the emphasis placed on advertising as a necessary part of direct marketing, many still rely on the adage that "if I grow it, produce it, build it, etc...they will come." While this makes for great story lines in movies, it is rarely effective in business unless you have an incredibly unusual product or a to-die-for location. More often than not, most markets are not blessed with either (as perceived by the buying public). Because of this, many efforts must be made to allow the seller the chance to convince the consumer to stop, buy and then return for more. So whether you are selling ornamentals in the fall, free-range chicken, or apples from the orchard, you need to have a great appeal that outshines your competitors. While not trying to downplay the importance of quality, good customer service, or variety of product, creating an attractive display can capture the attention of customers. Often signage is used to focus on what the buyer is being offered. Without a doubt, this is a critical piece of the marketing equation but by no means all of it. Signs tell the buyer what you have, what it will cost them, and possibly why they need it or how they can use it. All these are crucial to a sell. But someone on a quest for pumpkins for their kids want to "see" you have them and know whether they will have a great selection. It's September, you have a roadside stand and raise pumpkins for sale, so put them out front for the world to see, not in the area on the side or behind the store. Put them up on straw bales, mixed in with corn stalks, or up on top of hay wagons. Mix in groups of hardy mums, shrubs and trees for fall planting and you have the beginnings of a good display. Be careful not to create chaos. The point is to create eye appeal, especially from the road. But when the customer goes through the display looking for something, there should be no questions about whether or not it's for sale or display purposes, what it cost, and that it is of excellent quality. And don't look at displays as something to be changed only with the seasons. Moving larger storefront displays may take some time but seeing the same items in very different arrangements can be an effective marketing tool and capture someone's attention driving past. With the same thought in mind, locating an outdoor display, near your sign will give people a new look at a sign they may have stopped seeing because of familiarity. In-store displays should receive the same amount of attention, as should those on your tables if you're a member of a farmers' market. Attractive displays can easily be made with items you have for sale at the moment. Even perishable items such as fresh meats in a cooler can be arranged or prepared to entice a purchase. In this case, possibly the addition of marinated products or pre-cut shish kabobs on a stick can be added to get the customer to purchase something they might have not considered on a previous trip along with something they will now tell others you are offering. At a few farm market tables, highlight new items in a central location where you commonly see people look first or near a hot seasonal seller and offer samples if possible. If you're selling a food product, offer recipes or give written planting instructions for trees and shrubs. Always attempt to give the customer the impression of bounty so they don't feel they are purchasing the last of something and use containers that compliment your facility. If you sell locally grown tomatoes don't display them in recycled California produce boxes. This gives the customer mixed messages and distracts from your market appeal. Along with creating new displays and changing them to draw and maintain interest, keep track of comments, customer reactions, and sales responses that can be traced to your display efforts. Even the best displays can be made better. Use the information you gather to give you new ideas and to gauge what the customer is looking for . Too often, in the haste of day-to-day business, it is easy to forget what draws the customer to your product. But with the numbers of direct marketing businesses now over 5,000 in Pennsylvania and growing rapidly, your customers have plenty of choices and can easily visit someone else. Keep the display ideas fresh, make them easy and attractive to look at, and be innovative in your use of materials. Direct Marketing: Seven Basic Roles Farmers thinking about direct marketing a food product can consider several basic work roles that are part of getting a food from the farm to the consumer. Doing the necessary tasks for all these roles is likely to require teamwork, says Wright County educator Maribel Fernandez of the University of Minnesota Extension Service. Fernandez cites seven basic work roles for persons doing direct marketing, as identified by consultant Pete Reese. They are: - Vision and planning: Identify opportunities, draft a purpose statement, write clear long- and short-term goals, create a financial plan, recruit team members, lead an effort to come up with a brand. Also, help negotiate deals with suppliers and customers, build relationships with others involved in a similar enterprise, monitor and evaluate results and make adjustments or implement changes. - Organization and administration: Assess strengths of each contributing person, create a task list, set up an office, keep financial records, help negotiate with suppliers and customers. - Production and Management: Turn goals into a realistic production flowchart, write resource requirements for major steps (people, machinery, facilities, supplies), recruit workers, make sure the work gets done, keep production records, look for ways to improve the product and make the process more efficient. - Sales management and customer relations: Determine how to best spend sales energy and money, keep sales records, meet with large customers personally, supervise other people helping with sales and advertising, help negotiate major deals. - Advertising and public relations: Identify how best to reach customers (flyers, signs, etc.), calculate a budget to support sales, implement development of a label with the brand and that meets legal requirements. Also, write sales materials and a telephone message, talk with local newspaper and newsletter editors to get articles written and published, keep a file of other people's sales ideas. - Financial Management: Support a financial planning process; select a financial institution and be the contact person; select a bookkeeper or accountant; manage the checkbook, savings account and investments; track and pay bills; be in charge of taxes, payroll and insurance; look for opportunities to save money. - Regulatory compliance: Research labor, environmental, transportation, personnel and product safety and liability issues; build relationships with regulatory agencies; recruit legal or consulting help when needed; maintain all certification records, correspondence, and documentation. "Most likely you won't be able or want to take care of all of these areas on your own," says Fernandez. "One person may take care of one or two areas, but in the long run it is better to allow people to do the work that fits them best." Fernandez recommends writing down your purpose for getting into direct marketing and what you want to sell. Then write down all possible steps you can think of between the raw product from the farm and the final product on the customer's table. (from American Pastured Poultry Producers Association, Issue #16) Hybrid Mulch System Lou Lego of Elderberry Pond Country Foods in Auburn, NY, has come up with a new system of cover crops and plastic mulches that may just offer the best of both worlds. Lou alternates strips of living cover crops with strips of plastic mulch in a system that increases plant yield and quality while reducing the amount of labor and plastic waste associated with plastic mulch. In fall, Lou seeds his fields with rye, then lays strips of plastic mulch where he wants his veggies to grow the next year. The rye germinates between the strips of plastic, but is suppressed beneath them. It grows a few inches tall in fall, holding the plastic in place and preventing winter erosion. In spring, the rye begins to grow rapidly, reaching about a foot in height in time to transplant into the plastic mulch. The grain reduces the amount of sunlight that reaches the plastic mulch, extending its life. It also creates a sheltered environment for the new plants. In mid-June, when the rye is starting to form seed, Lou cuts it with a walk-behind sickle bar mower. The cover crop falls onto the plastic, further protecting it from the sun. In fall or early the next spring, he cleans up the rye mulch from the plastic and reseeds between the beds. A second crop from a different family can be planted in the plastic mulch. Ideally, the plastic can be used for up to three seasons with this system. Lou cautions that soil needs to be in good shape, with plenty of organic matter and good fertility because it will be covered for several years. Lou received a SARE grant last year for his hybrid mulch system. You can obtain a copy of his report from him at Ilego@baldcom.net or 315-252-3977. (Growing for Market, July 2001) The Impact of Agriculture on Children at Risk in Rural Missouri Decades of research have identified agriculture as a key ingredient in rural development (Green 1985; Heffernan 1982; Labao et al. 1993). These studies have linked the structure of agriculture to the quality of economic and social conditions within a community. First, it was found that higher percentages of the population engaged in agriculture as a primary occupation resulted in lower children at risk scores in 2000. This finding lends support to the Goldschmidt Hypothesis, which states that communities composed mainly of family farms are more socially developed than those composed mainly of industrial farms. Second, increases in the interaction between percent population with college degree and per capita income lowered children at risk scores in 2000. There is strong evidence that communities with higher levels of education are more likely to have a lower incidence of children at risk (Ellwood 2000; Nord 1997). This may be attributable to differences in occupation and income, both of which are tied to educational attainment. Third, persistently poor counties had higher children at risk scores in 2000. There is strong evidence that poverty increases the incidence of children at risk in both rural and urban areas (Findes and Jensen 1998; Nord 1997). Therefore, areas with historically high levels of poverty would produce an at risk environment for children. Lastly, higher percentages of workers employed in corporate agriculture resulted in higher children at risk scores in 2000. Again, this finding lends support to the Goldschmidt Hypothesis, which states that communities composed mainly of industrial farms are less socially developed than those composed mainly of family farms. Interestingly, it appears that concentrations of workers employed in other traditional rural industries did not affect social conditions in rural Missouri. The results of this analysis indicate that agricultural structure, education and income play a significant role in explaining the incidence of children at risk in rural Missouri. For the full report on the web go to http://www.ded.state.mo.us/research/ 2001 National Small Farm Trade Show and Conference Nov 1-3, 2001- Boone County Fairgrounds, Columbia, MO 1-800-633-2535 -- http://www.smallfarmtoday.com (for the exact times) Features of this year's show include: Seminars-Family Friendly Farming; Handspinning Wool from Rare Breeds; Produce Auction; Solar Corridor for Your Corn; Flowers and Vegetables in Cold Frames; Diversify Your Crops; Agri-tourism and Events; Elk; Cooperative Hog Marketing; Succeeding with Meta Goats; Homeopathic Treatment of Alpacas; Food Circles; Using Weeder Geese; Genetics of Meat Goats; Free Range Turkeys; Agroforestry; Poultry Short courses-Ewe Go: Sheep and Turkeys; Small Farm Apple Production; Pizza Farming; Farm and Ranch Beef Co-op; Intensive Vegetable and Flower Production for Local Markets Demonstrations; exhibitions; panels; association meetings and more... Farmers forum-This event showcases Missouri farmers presenting 20 minutes of in-depth information on many different topics which include: Thursday 1. Seed Saving Techniques 2. What's in it for Kids? 3. Using Kaolin Film Particle as a Component of IPM/Organic Apple Production 4. Organic Apples 5. Developing Missouri's Organic Program 6. How to Add Minerals and Nutrients Back to Your Soil 7. Chestnut Production in Missouri Friday 1. Alternative Uses for Your Goat Milk 2. Making Goat Cheese 3. Cooking Demonstrations at Farmers Markets 4. How to Sell to Chefs 5. Asian Vegetables at the Farmers Market 6. Better Results with Bush Cherries 7. Organic Berry Production 8. Controlling Diseases in Wine Grapes with Compost Tea 9. Adding Nutrition to Poor Quality Hay 10. Marketing to the Birdseed Market 12. Gourds 13. Electric Fencing for Predator Control in Raising Pastured Poultry 13. Taking you to the NxLeveL by Tilling the Soil of Opportunity 14. Appropriate Sized Equipment for Small Farms Saturday 1. Creating a Local Foods Store 2. Preserving Diversity through Sand Hill Preservation Center 3. SPAN meeting 4. Light the Way with Soybean Wax Candles 5. Farmer Network: Missouri Chile Pepper Producers 6. MOA meeting 7. Selling Meat Goats over the Internet 8. Organic Beef Production 9. Raising Small Cattle to Match Consumer Appetites 10. Controlled Grazing of Field Crops 11. Appropriate Sized Equipment for Small Farms Green Hills Farm Project Tours The Green Hills Farm Project is a small group of farming families in Northern MO, who banded together to insure survival on the farm, maintain and improve the ecological viability of their land and enhance their overall quality of life. The biggest part is being willing to share. Being willing to open up to others. Willing to learn, share, and help. This is what the group means to us. Please be prompt to the tours. All tours include a potluck meal. Bring a side dish. Host will provide the main dish and drink. Sept 20-David Schafer & Alice Dobbs, Jamesport, MO-homesteading, marketing meat, cattle and chickens. Call 660-359-6545. Oct 18-Stephen Helpingstine, Ethel, MO-cattle. Call 660-486-3305. Nov 15-Jim & Dawn Gerrish, Brookfield, MO-MIG cattle system. Call 660-895-5121. *** In the News *** The Southwest Research Center in Mount Vernon, MO will have a major role in the newly formed Community Food Systems and Sustainable Agriculture (CFSSA) program. The CFSSA is a University Outreach and Extension program that uses a diverse set of initiatives to forge consumer-producer linkages, promotes and enhances sustainable agriculture across MO and assists groups interested in sustainable food and farming systems. A grant from the Outreach Development Fund will provide for a full time Research Outreach Coordinator to be located at the Southwest Center. (Ruminations, Vol 7 No3) Looking for a little variety in your red and black raspberry production? Try growing a yellow cultivar. Yellow raspberries are slowly becoming hot commodities as gourmet or specialty items, and they are not any more difficult to grow than other raspberry varieties. It takes a while for people to get used to the site of a yellow raspberry. But the fruit is becoming somewhat of a specialty item for bakeries and markets that may use the berry to decorate cakes and pastries or promote unusual jam. Yellow raspberry varieties produce size and taste qualities to rival black and red raspberry varieties. (The Vegetable Grower News, July 2001) Organic Farming: The reluctance of much of the agricultural sector to adopt "organic" procedures-the production of crops and livestock without recourse to inorganic fertilizers and synthetic pesticides-stems from fear of increased costs over those of "conventional" farming. Letourneau and Goldstein have studied tomato production on 18 commercial farms (half of them managed organically) in the Central Valley of California; they find that the withdrawal of synthetic insecticides does not lead to increased crop losses as a result of pest damage. The arthropod communities on the organic farms contained a greater diversity of species and a greater abundance of natural enemies (predators and parasitoids) of pest species. Particular arthropod groups were affected more strongly by surrounding habitat and fallow practice than by insecticides. Overall, these results suggest that the use of pesticides in this system does not lead to a net economic benefit and that organic procedures can promote biodiversity and may sustain productivity. (J. Appl. Ecol. 38, 557 (2001). A study of apple farming published in Nature (April 19, 2001) found that organic orchards can be more profitable, produce tastier fruit at similar yields compared to conventional farming, and be better for the environment. Researchers at Washington State University farmed three experimental plots of golden delicious apples using organic, conventional, and integrated growing methods. "Although the organic system took longer to reach profitability, it ranked first in terms of environmental sustainability, profitability, and energy efficiency by the end of the six-year study," according to a Nature Science Update account of the study. "What's more, untrained tasters rated the organic apples the sweetest." WSU Researcher John Reganold told the Associated Press, "The bottom line is that organic outperforms the others." Large and very large family farms, which produced 53 percent of the value of agricultural production in 1998, were viable economic businesses, while most small farms did not report adequate income to cover expenses in 1998, according to a new USDA Economic Research Service analysis of the structure of family farms. "Although small family farms are often unprofitable, they still are important to U.S. agriculture," the report said. "Because of their sheer numbers (91 percent of all farms), they also accounted for a large share of assets owned by farms (69 percent) including land (68 percent). As custodians and managers of the bulk of farm assets, small farms play a major role in natural resource and environmental policy. Retirement farms alone accounted for 29 percent of the land in the Conservation Reserve Program in 1998." The report, "Structural and Financial Characteristics of U.S. Farms: 2001 Family Farm Report," is available on the Internet at http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/aib768/. Strong market signals for organic agricultural products, along with increasing public and private support for organic farming systems, "make it likely that organic farming will remain a fast-growing segment of U.S. agriculture," according to a report released last month by the USDA's Economic Research Service. Certified organic farming systems were used on 1.35 million acres of cropland and pasture in 49 states in 1997, representing a doubling of organic acreage since 1992; the egg and dairy sectors grew even faster, according to the report. Obstacles to organic farming include "large managerial costs and risks of shifting to a new way of farming, limited awareness of organic farming systems, lack of marketing and technical infrastructure, and inability to capture marketing economies," the report concluded. "U.S. Organic Farming Emerges in the 1990s: Adoption of Certified Systems" is available on the Internet at www.ers.usda.gov/publications/aib770/aib770.pdf. *** In Print * * * *The Winter-Harvest Manual* A booklet on commercial greenhouse production of fresh vegetables in cold winter climates without supplementary heating. Available from Four Season Farm, RR Box 14, Harborside ME 04642, $15.00. *The New Farmers' Market: Farm-Fresh Ideas for Producers, Managers, and Communities* is $24.95 plus $4.50 shipping/handling from New World Publishing, 11543 Quartz Dr. # 1, Auburn, CA 95602; 530-823-3886, or 1-888-281-5170. *List of Alternative Crops and Enterprises for Small Farm Diversification* available on the web from the Alternative Farming Systems Information Center at www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/AFSIC_pubs/altlist.htm or from AFSIC, 301-504-6559, mgold@nal.usda.gov. *** On the Calendar *** Sept 27-Grower to Grower: Large-scale Production Systems Workshop, Norway, IA. Call 800-729-5422 x 1373. Sept 27-Herb Disease and Insect Problems Workshop, Norway, IA. Call 800-729-5422 x 1373. Sept 28-Forming an Herb Cooperative Workshop, Norway, IA. Call 800-729-5422 x 1373. Oct 5-7-Ozark Fall Farmfest, Springfield, MO. Call 800-356-8255. Oct 12-Agroforestry Field Day, Fayetteville, AR. Call 417-466-2148. Oct 15-17-Sustainable Livestock Production Conference, Fayetteville, AR. Call 501-442-9824. Oct 20-Passive Solar Greenhouse Growing Workshop, Smiths Grove, KY. Call 270-749-4600. Nov 1-3-National Small Farm Today Trade Show and Conference, Columbia MO. Call 800-633-2535. Nov 3-APPPA Annual Meeting (American Pastured Poultry Producers Assn), Columbia, MO. Nov 3-SPAN Annual Meeting (Sustaining People through Agriculture Network), Columbia, MO. Nov 3-MO Organic Assn Annual Meeting, Columbia, MO. Nov 3-2001 Central Region Woodland Stewardship Conference, Nebraska City, NE. Call 573-751-4115. Nov 5-6-MO Forage and Grassland Council Annual Meeting, Lake Ozark, MO. Call 573-499-0886. Nov 12-14-Farming on the Edge: Conservation, Community and Commerce, St Charles, IL. Call 413-586-9330 x 27, http://www.farmland.org. Dec 1-Northeast Missouri Livestock Symposium, Kirksville, MO. Call 660-665-9866. Dec 7-9-3rd Northeast Community Supported Agriculture Conference, Claryville, NY. Email bholtzma@together.net or http://www.csacenter.org Dec 16-18-Governor's Conference on Agriculture, Tan-Tar-A. Jan 4-5-Great Plains Vegetable Conference, St Joseph, MO. Call 816-279-1691. Jan 25-26-St Joseph Ag & Farm Expo, St Joseph, MO. Call 816-378-2449 Jan 25-27-MO Assn of Fairs & Festivals Convention, Columbia, MO Feb 2-4-Midwest Regional Grape and Wine Conference, Tan-Tar-A Feb 23-25-Western Farm Show, Kansas City, MO. University Outreach and Extension does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability or status as a Vietnam-era veteran in employment or programs.