Category: Marketing

Market Farming: Making Your Farm Work For You

11/26/2014

Title
Making Your Market Farm Work For You

Overview
Your market farm should work for you, in addition to you working for your farm – and that requires you to take care of your vegetables and your business, as well as your life. Learn how you can put it all together, from the market farming fundamentals of weed control, irrigation, post-harvest handling, and marketing, to the management of your farming systems, employees, and finances. From big ideas down to practical examples, consultant, educator, and veteran farmer Chris Blanchard draws on 25 years of farming experience around the country at a wide variety scales to provide this engaging session that will help you understand and control the factors that lead to a profitable market farm that won’t drive you and your family crazy.

Outline
1. Context
2. Market Farming Fundamentals
3. Management
4. Managing Yourself
5. Managing the Farm
6. Managing the Money
7. Managing the Employees
8. Wrapping Up

Series
On The Farm

Topics
Business, Finances, Management, Marketing, Production, Scaling Up

Audience
Beginning Farmers

Length
4 - 6 hours

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Marketing: Selling Crops to Food Stores

11/24/2014

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Title
Buy My Rutabagas: Marketing Horticultural Crops to Food Stores

Overview
To market your produce to food stores, you need to understand the world of retail produce. Chris Blanchard will share his approach to marketing to produce buyers, including communication, branding, how to determine your price, and how stores determine their prices.

Outline
1. The Number One Rule
2. Understanding the World of Produce
3. Quality
4. Marketing
5. Pricing Principles
6. Pricing Rules of Thumb
7. Margins in Different Markets
8. Rock Spring Farm’s Four Priceless Practices for Sales Success

The longer versions of this workshop include:
9. Determining Cost of Production and Marketing
10. Production Expenses
11. Ownership Costs
12. Valuing Labor
13. QuickBooks Classes for Tracking Production and Marketing Expenses

Series
In The Market

Topics
Business, Marketing, Pricing, Scaling Up

Audience
All Farmers

Length
60 - 180 minutes

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Pricing: How to Price Produce for Profit

11/19/2014

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Title
What It’s Worth: Pricing Produce for Profit

Overview
Being a sustainable farmer is more than the farming methods you use, it also means ensuring you can stay in business regardless of your marketing outlet. Chris Blanchard will help you navigate pricing strategies to meet your customer needs and your farm's bottom line.

Outline
1. Pricing Rules of Thumb
2. Margins in Different Markets
3. Establishing Costs of Production
4. Production Expenses
5. Marketing Expenses
6. Ownership Costs
7. Valuing Labor
8. Quickbooks Classes

Series
In The Market

Topics
Business, Marketing, Pricing

Audience
All Farmers

Length
45 - 90 minutes

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Marketing: Options & Approaches

11/15/2014

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Title
Direct Marketing Options and Approaches

Overview
Market farmers have a number of options for selling their vegetables. Chris Blanchard will discuss the options and considerations for a variety of marketing options, and some common themes to help you succeed no matter which you choose.

Outline
1. Business Philosophy
2. Marketing Philosophy
3. Market Locations
4. Market Segments
5. Deciding Where to Market
6. Farmers Markets
7. Wholesale
8. CSA
9. Organic
10. Priceless Practices for Sales Success

Series
In The Market

Topics
Marketing

Audience
All Farmers

Length
45 - 90 minutes

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Value Added: Fresh Culinary Herbs

11/9/2014

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Title
Fresh Culinary Herb Production on the Organic Farm

Overview
Fresh-cut herbs can provide an attractive addition to the farmers market, CSA, or wholesale market farm, but they have unique requirements for production, post-harvest handling, and marketing. Chris Blanchard will provide an overview of propagation, field production, harvest strategies and techniques, and marketing.

Outline
1. Variety Selection
2. Propagation
3. Field Production
4. Harvest
5. Marketing

Series
In The Field

Topics
Production, Marketing, Value Added

Audience
All Farmers

Length
45 - 90 minutes

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Marketing: Selling You and Your Farm

11/8/2014

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Title
Marketing Me and My Rutabagas

Overview
Growing vegetables is only the first part of the market farmer’s job. Chris Blanchard will offer perspectives on managing the business and marketing side of your farming operation and life. This look at the basics of marketing, information management, and business relationships will provide both a theoretical framework and practical tips for improving your farming business.

Outline
1. Marketing Mindset
2. Marketing Expectations
3. Let ‘Em Know What You’ve Got, Let ‘Em Know What They’ve Bought
4. Getting People to Buy From You
5. Get Out There
6. Don’t Be at PITA
7. Have Some Sympathy
8. Rock Spring Farm’s 6 Priceless Practices for Sales Success
9. Three Things to Remember

Series
In The Market

Topics
Marketing

Audience
All Farmers

Length
45 - 90 minutes

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