Jan 10, 2011
Direct marketing helps farms survive the past 50 years

In order to write this column, about how farm marketing has changed over the past half-century and where it might be headed in the next half-century, I had to talk to direct-marketing families that have been around for at least 50 years and have successfully passed the farm on from generation to generation.

The multi-generation direct marketers I chose to interview were Evan and Nathan Milburn of Milburn Farms in Elkton, Md.; Stan and Dave Brown of Brown’s Orchards in Emigsville, Pa.; and Lary and Chris Eckert of Eckert’s Orchard in Belleville, Ill. All of these families have been in direct marketing for more than 50 years, and have been in tree fruit production for much longer. While their histories may vary, they all agree that they would not have stayed in business if they had continued selling their fruit only to the wholesale market.

“We just could not keep up with the larger producers,” Evan Milburn said.

He quoted his dad, who often said: “If you can’t play along with the big boys, get back up on the porch.”
Direct marketing has saved these farms and propelled them into the next generation. The fourth generation of Milburns is farming, the third generation of Browns and the seventh generation of Eckerts.

All three farms started with modest roadside stands that have grown into large successful farm markets with bakeries, delis, prepared foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, gifts and much more. Evan said the best decision the Milburn family made was when they entered into agritainment, which they’ve been doing for nearly 20 years. The Eckert family began pick-your-own fruit in 1964 and has been adding entertainment ever since. The Brown family has not moved into entertainment, but that appears to be their next venture.

The challenges these farms see for the next 50 years are very similar. At the top of the list is the amount of government regulation related to food safety, GAP certification, availability and use of pesticides and the ability to keep getting farm labor at a reasonable cost. These are real issues on the mind of everyone in production agriculture today. In the case of the Eckerts, it may also mean moving more production further away from the retail base and housing density, as many East Coast farms have already done.

Another recognized challenge was increasing competition from box stores and supermarkets to mimic the look and feel of our markets. They are also promoting the buy-fresh and buy-local angle within their stores. However, Chris is excited by the increased customer interest in buying “locally grown” foods, and that these same consumers are actually willing to pay a premium for these products when they come to the farm market. Consequently, Eckert’s is looking to grow more by expanding into blueberries and some high tunnel products.

One key advantage over the competition, Chris said, is that “we offer the experience to go out our back door, take a tractor ride and go directly to the field to pick our fruits at the peak of the season. No grocery store or Walmart will ever be able to offer that experience.”

The value of agritainment was recognized by both Nathan and Chris as helping to build upon a multi-generational guest following.

“When you hear a customer with a young child say, ‘my mom used to bring me to the orchard and now I’m bringing my child,’ you know you’ve got them hooked,” Nathan said.

“The ideal weather this past fall season brought crowds in such huge numbers that we had issues in just getting the cars parked,” Chris said. “That is a good problem to have, but we are looking for ways to better serve these record days of attendance.”

What all of these farms seem to do best is to deliver quality products, exceptional service and a family pride in all that they offer. From a marketing point of view, our names are our brand. As long as we can continue to have a passion for agriculture and serving each and every customer as a welcome guest, then farm marketing will surely survive the next 50 years.

— Jane Eckert, Eckert AgriMarketing

 

 




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