Page 1 - Farmers

“Buy Local,” “100 Mile Diet” and
“From Field to Fork” are all common
phrases in today’s media. The desire
by some consumers to buy locally
grown food, rather than food that has
been transported across a continent
or part way around the world, has
helped increase consumer interest in
farmers’ markets.
Farmers’ markets give you an
opportunity to try retailing with limited
capital expense. In many parts of
North America, farmers have worked
at bringing consumers to their farm
to buy at their on-farm roadside
market or Pick-Your-Own operation.
These are valid enterprises, but some
farmers don’t want consumers coming
to their farms. In addition, many
farms do not have a location that is
suited for on-farm sales. In both these
cases, farmers’ markets are a viable
alternative.
Many communities are quite willing
to host a farmers’ market because it
helps revitalize communities, drawing
consumers to an area of town that
may be suffering from declining
pedestrian traffic or from big box
stores or malls in newer parts of town
or in neighbouring towns. Farmers’
markets bring a sense of community
to the area where they are located.
With that sense of community in
mind, it is becoming more common
for farmers’ markets to have seating
areas where people can sit and
have a coffee and/or snack, visit with
neighbours and meet new friends.
Farmers’ markets give farm
entrepreneurs an opportunity to test
market a unique product or their own
homemade value-added products.
The value-added products can be
Farmers’
Market
Decision
Making Tool
Learn more about:
Marketing at a Profit..................... 2
Products and Pricing.................... 3
Tools of the Trade. ....................... 4
Marketing 101.............................. 5
Staff.............................................. 5
Stall Layout.................................. 6
Displays. ...................................... 7
Ambience..................................... 8
Product Returns......................... 10
Promoting Your New Enterprise. .. 10
Liability Insurance...................... 11
Budgeting & Security. ................ 11
Determining Retail Prices. ......... 12
Tracking Cash Sales.................. 13
Helpful Websites and Books...... 14
Helpful Organizations................. 16
And a whole lot more!
The Opportunity
Agdex 845-15
Note: The costs listed in this Decision-
making Tool are based on 2007 values.