Jan 10, 2011
Agritainment, cyberspace mark evolution in farm markets

In the age of superstores and grocery stores as big as football fields, not much has changed with farm markets, and that seems to be why they have endured. The biggest changes have been in how farm markets market the experience of farming to consumers, and how farmers key in on what consumers want.

Part of the success of the farm market is due to the idea of eating locally grown food, or locovorism. That idea has gained favor after decades of national food recalls and countless new reports of health issues due to processed foods, according to the website www.locovores.com. The website features a list of 12 reasons to eat locally grown produce, with the top reasons being freshness, taste, nutrition and purity. Also on that list is helping the local economy by buying produce at your local farm market.

One farm that has thrived on the idea of the locovore is Nicholson’s Orchards in Peshastin, Wash. Nicholson’s origins go back almost 100 years, and it is still going today.

“We feature our own fruit and fruit from some of our neighbors, plus some of our own certified organic fruit and preserves,” owner Dennis Nicholson said.

One of the positive things about having a fruit stand is the opportunity to talk directly with your consumers, Nicholson said.

“They’ve told us a number of things,” he said. “One is that they are concerned about where their food comes from. They want to know that the food they are feeding their children is safe, pesticide-free and nutritionally great. They are also willing to pay a reasonable price to the grower to assure that the grower can continue to farm.”

Cyberspace
Online farm markets are one of the newer developments in farm marketing.

The biggest of the online farm communities is LocalHarvest. Founded in 1998, LocalHarvest is now the No. 1 informational resource for the buy-local movement. It has more than 20,000 members, and is growing daily with more than 5 million unique web visits per year.

What LocalHarvest provides is power in numbers, according to Director Erin Barnett. The use of technology has really helped farmers.

“The strength of the website community really shows how we’ve harnessed our national addiction to technology and put it to use for farmers,” she said. “While a farm may create its own website, it may not reach the audience the farm hoped to reach. With LocalHarvest, we do very well with Google searches, and that audience may come here and find that farm via a zip code search. It adds a new level of exposure.”

LocalHarvest also provides consumers with access to CSA memberships and gives farmers a platform for expanding that part of their business, if they wish.

An example of a farm that has adopted the online farm market idea is Wells Orchards. Wells has been a part of the west Michigan community since 1919. Brothers Kurt, Tom and Scott Wells own and operate Wells Orchards and sell a variety of fruits and vegetables through wholesale and retail avenues.

They took to the idea of servicing their customers in cyberspace through the West Michigan Cooperative, an online farm market that Wells joined four years ago. Customers place orders online and the produce is delivered once a month.

“I really like the delivery side of the online market,” Scott Wells said. “It gets us face-to-face with new customers. It really helps educate people as to the seasonality of crops and teaches them about how things are produced locally.”

Farm markets have found yet another avenue, social media, to reach potential and existing customers. Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter give many of the benefits of a website without the upkeep and maintenance expenses.

Farm markets, such as Rosie’s Farm Market in Gloucester County, N.J., can use social media to relate seasonal produce and hours. Others, such as Lewis Farm Market in New Era, Mich., can use them to promote events and showcase pictures of attractions.

Welcome to the show
The majority of farm markets that have grown in recent years have evolved into more than just a farm market. Agritainment is a buzzword these days.

“You’re not just selling fruits and vegetables anymore, you’re selling an experience,” said Doug Carrigan, a farmer and farm market owner from North Carolina.

In her column, Jane Eckert said farm markets have had to evolve to compete with supermarkets and big-box retailers by adding the one element that those stores cannot provide. Like Carrigan said, it’s the “experience.”

Derrek Sigler, Assistant Editor




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