Virtual Farm Tour :: The Farmer's Market

While not literally on the farm ... the Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market is a huge part of the farm. Last year we did twelve dates at the market (including the two winter indoor markets), and this year we are full-time vendors there each week beginning in May and ending the last Saturday of October. We are in the homestretch now, but it has been a very good and eventful season so far ... even if I've done about half of it on crutches and in a cast!

The Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market is a pretty large market covering four city blocks plus three north/south side streets off of the main avenue. I believe it has somewhere close to 200 vendors and averages large crowds each week with over 15,000 people. Needless to say it is a very large crowd each week and even though it has been hot we have had nice Saturdays and plenty of people.

For our farm the biggest thing about the market is getting our name out there, meeting people, and sharing our story. The great thing about the market is that there is an opportunity to really build a relationship with the customers and they can get a pretty good picture of the farm. Just in this first year we have built a great following of regulars who come pretty much every week (and mostly at the same time). Those regulars have also become some of our best advertisers and often recommend our pork to friends or people checking out the display while they are making their purchase.

We have been averaging about a hog per week in sales at the market with pork being the mainstay of our sales ... and the only thing that we've had consistently each week. At the beginning of the market we had a little lamb left over which sold very well, and the one beef we did this year sold out very quickly! We have also had our whole chickens for a few weeks and should have more throughout the last two months of the market. But, our pork has been our thing and I hope to gain a reputation as the place to go to for the best pork at the market.

The biggest thing about the market for the farm though is just the exposure. I have often commented that our eventual goal is to be selling just wholes and halves. I strongly believe that is the most sustainable method for the farm and for the way we raise the animals, but in order to get to that place people need to get to know us. This year we have been taking reservations for whole/half hogs and quickly filled up the spots for our fall hogs and are now taking reservations for the spring. If things keep up the way they are going now I can see us eventually working our way out of the market ... which could be a good thing.

But, for the time being ... the market is a great avenue and connection to a great crowd interested in some of the best pork available!

Need a Sign :: Need Your Help

Okay ... the first farmer's market is coming up very quickly and I need some serious help on a sign for the tent. I am feeling sort of uncreative at the moment which is why I have seven sign ideas instead of just one. I feel like I've tried to cram too much information onto the signs, but here they are anyways. You may have noticed that I'm focusing on the "heritage breed meats" thing a lot instead of the farm name. Part of that is because the heritage breeds are something important to the farm and I'm new to the market so it helps differentiate me from the other livestock farms there. And part of it is ... well it is because I got stuck on that phrase. Please let me know if there is one You particularly like ... or if I should just go with a simple "Crooked Gap Farm" sign. Just place your vote in the comments, and as always ... thanks for the help!

Sign #1 ::

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Downs and Ups ...

Normally you hear people talking about the "ups and downs," but today was a day of downs and ups on the farm ... or at least a slight bummer, then a very nice up, and finally a slight bummer that was really forgetable because of the up. I worked a long day at Farm & Home/NAPA, but was excited because I had found a nice looking little gas saving pickup that I was planning on looking at. So, as soon as I could sneak out the side door of work I called the guy selling the pickup ... and found out that he had just sold it. I guess it was an okay deal! Later in the evening I did go look at a different little pickup very similar to the first one only to find out it wasn't very much like it was represented to be. That was a second slight bummer that helped sandwich so completely great news ...

After the slight bummer of the truck being sold I checked my e-mail and found that ... Crooked Gap Farm is headed to the Downtown Des Moines Farmer's Market! Of course this will not be on a full-time basis because they have a "probationary" period for new vendors, but it does look like I was able to get a nice selection of dates that will fit in with when I will have the most available. Plus, most of the dates are fairly close together or every other week which will be great for helping customers remember the farm. I'm very excited ... and nervous (even though the first date isn't until July).

Now comes the important work. I need to get together some brochures and better business cards, work on some displays, make sure I'm comfortable with the coolers from last year, figure out the best way to handle transactions, and maybe even start figuring out some processing dates for the hogs. There is so much to think about, but I'm very excited!

Saturation Point ...

No not the ground ... in fact the ground is actually starting to dry up rather nicely and I have been able to move around without getting sucked into knee deep puddles of mud! What I'm talking about is more of a business saturation point. As I look at expanding the farm and adding new enterprises I often wonder just how many small-scale ... pasture based ... direct market ... meat farms that the local area can support. I will readily admit that my meat costs more than pretty much anything the local grocery store is selling, but I'm not ashamed of that because I know how much it costs me to produce it and I know how much I need to get in return. Also, I'm confident in the product that I have ... not propaganda ... I just really am proud of it.

Regardless of how proud I am though of the meat I'm raising I still wonder if there is a point of saturation for this local food market. Is there a point when you will hit the top of the ceiling when it comes to the group of people willing to pay for a quality pasture raised product from a local farm? While at the INCA conference a couple weekends ago someone mentioned that for the first time in a while some local CSA farmers were finding it more difficult to sell all of their shares. They had been used to a waiting list in the past, but now they were even going into the season with some open. Does that mean that the market is hitting a saturation point or that marketing and customer education needs to change?

I'm not exactly sure what I think on this topic, but I would love to hear your thoughts on whether or not we are hitting a saturation point? If nothing else the idea of hitting a saturation point reminds me that I need to have a niche for my farm and I need know my story in and out so that I can share it with everyone I meet. I need to know why I'm doing what I'm doing and I need to convey that in all of my farm conversations.