Combination CSA Subscriptions

Even though we aren't at a place where we could support supplying a CSA with meat (both in production volume and storage capabilities) I am becoming increasingly interested in the idea of joining with other farms to create a CSA subscription that includes vegetables, fruits, herbs, eggs, beef, pork, poultry, and more. It just seems like it would be a great thing for all of the farmers involved and for the consumers. This way people could pick up a box of food that includes much of what they need for a diverse number of dishes. They could have pork one night, beef the next, a veggie meal following that, and even mix in some poultry. The possibilities are endless!

But, what really got me thinking about all this was the article I read about Marin Sun Farms from California, the subsequent comment on that post from "The Farmers", and now an article that I read in "Farmers' Markets Today" (FMT) magazine (that newish publication I think you should check out).

The article in FMT talks about a group CSA in the Chapel Hill/Durham/Raleigh area of North Carolina. This CSA is set up so that the consumers have a choice of participating in any combination of the three options they offer. You can purchase a produce share, a meat share, and a dairy share for various prices and then combine them in any way you would like.

Of course I have no practical working experience with this, but in my mind it could be a good marketing tool for the different farms involved because it will expose them to new potential customers and in turn open up new sales. I could also be a great way to sell some of the things that you seem to have a surplus of (that is what the Marin Sun Farms article was about).

I would love to hear any more thoughts on this subject if you have any. Or if you have any experience about how it has or hasn't worked let us know!

Marketing to Chefs

Our days are still very busy between work at the church, still moving and packing, and farm work. But, since the majority of the stuff is moved and we are all sleeping on our beds in the new house I finally have some time to do a little reading. An article that I read last night about marketing to chefs and restaurants came from "Farmers' Markets Today". You may remember me writing about this publication just a little while ago (I also just realized they had a little blurb from a blog post that Kelli did over at Sugar Creek Farm!).

This article in particular is the type of article that really draws me in because it was written by a farmer on the front lines, so to speak. Sarah Aubrey was writing from her own experiences and I thought that she had some good points about marketing to restaurants in metropolitan areas. Although this isn't something I'm ready to do right now, it is something that intrigues me ... especially on the co-op level. I mean what if a few Dexter beef producers in Iowa were able to market together...?

Ms. Aubrey has this marketing to chefs thing down to five easy steps (well, relatively easy that is). Step one, "Preparation". Step two, "Prospecting". Step three, "Meeting the Chef". Step four, "Closing". And, step five, "Retaining the Customer". I won't take time to re-write the article (you should check out a subscription to "Farmers' Markets Today"), but I will high-light a couple of the main points.

First of all under preparation she talks about tying to market what you have plenty of. In her case she said it was ground beef. The idea is that your steaks may be very good, but if you can't produce enough to keep a chef supplied than there is no point in marketing it. Also, it may be a good opportunity to find a different market for something that you usually have difficulty selling. Good thoughts.

I also appreciated her advice when it came time to meet the chef. Even though I'm a people person this seems like something that would be intimidating because you are trying to sell a product to a person who is probably very particular. But, she offers up some simple advice about when to contact chefs, what to bring, and what to say (give a good story about your farm and product).

I really do appreciate these kinds of articles in a publication like this! I think this could be an endless resource for those farmers that do direct-marketing so I encourage you to check it out and support it if you like!

Farmers' Markets Today Magazine

Recently I was contacted by someone who works at "Farmers' Markets Today" magazine after I wrote a Epi-Log post about some of the magazines out there for the homesteader types or the wanna-be-homesteader types. Well, yesterday I received a sample issue of the magazine and I liked what I saw. Plus, I liked the fact that it is based out of the town where I spent the first 21 years of my life ... Cedar Falls, IA!

It really is a fairly new publication, only debuting in June of 2007, but I think the have done a wonderful job putting it together. Plus the subject matter is right up my alley and I love the fact that they do a really good job of going straight to the source when it comes to their surveys, articles, and more. Another great thing about this magazine is I believe it can help direct-to-consumer farmers all over the country share ideas and things that are working for them. Every other business sector has a "journal", so why not the small-scale direct marketing farmers.

You, can check out their website linked above for more information ... but, here is a sampling of what is in the issue I received.

• An article about mobile food sales and deliveries.
• A neat little piece about a blueberry association that's members work together in marketing and more (really cool idea ... any ADCA members want to jump on this)
• Tips on buying a used tractor online (I could have used this earlier ... although I'm pleased with ours).
• An article about pricing strategies at farmers' markets.
• And of course there is a whole lot more that I didn't mention.

I encourage you to check this neat magazine out and even give it a try if you would like!