You know that guy at farmer's market who sits on the tailgate of his pickup truck, looking down at the ground with his arms crossed? How much effort are you going to put into going up to him and buying his vegetables?
Nobody's obligated to buy from you. Wal-Mart has organic and local produce now. Yes, you work hard. Yes, you take good care of the earth. Yes, you suffer through droughts and floods and plagues of locusts, but that just doesn't matter. Your competition isn't asking for a break, and that means your customers aren't going to give you one.
I try to patronize local businesses, but I'm often greeted with an attitude that makes me wonder why anybody would shop there - the appliance store that charges an extra trip charge because their repair guy didn't bring the right parts, the clothing store staffed by young women who can't be bothered to talk to me, the Mexican restaurant that can't be bothered to bring a margarita in under fifteen minutes. These people are coasting, and coasting doesn't work forever (even if you keep going downhill, you eventually run into the ocean).
The small farmer needs products that have real value. Local and organic don't make up for salad greens that go bad in just a few days, dirty carrots, or bruised tomatoes. If you aren't providing fresh, flavorful, beautiful vegetables that actually last in the customer's refrigerator, you're coasting. And when things get tough - when produce departments change hands, or wallets tighten in a downturn - the customer is going to pick a produce supplier who's pedaling. And if not that, they'll just pick somebody cheaper.
Nobody's obligated to buy from you. Wal-Mart has organic and local produce now. Yes, you work hard. Yes, you take good care of the earth. Yes, you suffer through droughts and floods and plagues of locusts, but that just doesn't matter. Your competition isn't asking for a break, and that means your customers aren't going to give you one.
I try to patronize local businesses, but I'm often greeted with an attitude that makes me wonder why anybody would shop there - the appliance store that charges an extra trip charge because their repair guy didn't bring the right parts, the clothing store staffed by young women who can't be bothered to talk to me, the Mexican restaurant that can't be bothered to bring a margarita in under fifteen minutes. These people are coasting, and coasting doesn't work forever (even if you keep going downhill, you eventually run into the ocean).
The small farmer needs products that have real value. Local and organic don't make up for salad greens that go bad in just a few days, dirty carrots, or bruised tomatoes. If you aren't providing fresh, flavorful, beautiful vegetables that actually last in the customer's refrigerator, you're coasting. And when things get tough - when produce departments change hands, or wallets tighten in a downturn - the customer is going to pick a produce supplier who's pedaling. And if not that, they'll just pick somebody cheaper.
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