Marketing was a major focus of the winter meetings I attended this year. It is becoming clearer to everyone that one of our big assets in the Southern Tier and the Northeast is proximity to large markets, and we had better take advantage of that asset.

Most of our farms do not have the physical resources of land and climate to compete on the wholesale stage, which is becoming more and more dominated by international trade and large Western operations. We need to focus on direct sales to the consumer whenever possible, where we can receive the retail value of our crops--which is often about twice the wholesale value. Luckily, we do have a goodly number of customers nearby.

Yet, our produce reaches only a small portion of the local populace. During the growing season, probably less than 5% of all produce sales in our region are made directly from the grower to the consumer. How can we reach more customers?

Local Farmers' Markets
Growers (and consumers!) have a good selection of farmers' markets to choose from in our area, and it is increasing. There are relatively new markets in Corning, Horseheads, Elmira, Windsor and Owego; as well as the ongoing markets in the Binghamton area, Ithaca, Cortland, Montour Falls, and Cincinnatus. Feasibility is being explored for a market in the Waverly-Sayre-Athens area.

In my opinion, a small or medium scale vegetable or fruit operation could do quite well with three good market venues each week, each capable of sales of $500-$1000 in peak season. The Saratoga, NY area supports such markets, and our area could too.

Joint promotion amongst our area farmers' markets could help in creating this opportunity. Let's make our customers keenly aware that they have local options for purchasing fresh homegrown
food in many locations, several days each week. Let's make sure that a wide array of local food items are offered, including eggs, processed goods, and even meats and cheeses. And let's send a strong message to the consumer that these products are different--they are as fresh as can be, they have top flavor, and they are produced with care by local farm families.

CSA Farms
I attended a conference on Northeastern Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) last fall. This is a concept in marketing and interacting with the community in which the consumer buys a "share" in the farm, usually a vegetable operation, and receives a portion of the production of that farm each week. While it requires considerable effort and attention by the farmer to the shareholder group, the CSA approach builds very strong customer support and helps the general public to learn more about farming. If the pickup is done at the farm, valuable delivery time and expense can be
saved. Many non-farmers have a strong desire to experience and get in touch with the earth that supports them, and CSA farms give them that connection.

At the CSA Conference, I was pleased to see many young people in attendance. I think they are hopeful that the CSA approach will allow them to start up viable operations, a prospect that is dim for many other farming approaches.

Promoting Local Produce
The Becker Forum is held each year the day before the New York State Vegetable Conference. It convenes a group of food system leaders to focus on a particular topic of importance. Last year's topic was "how to get more NYS produce to be purchased within the State." Representatives from all parts of the food system from growers to distributors, brokers, and all types of buyers took part.

Out of this meeting emerged some on-going efforts. Two that I am involved in are the creation of promotional pieces for newspapers, and "food fairs." The promotional pieces will be a series of weekly articles on different vegetables, to be printed as they come into local availability each season. The articles will be written in an exciting style, and feature information of how to use the vegetable, recipes, what to look for in terms of quality, and nutritional highlights.

The food fair idea is to hold an event where the general public can see what possibilities are available from local produce. The fairs will feature chef demonstrations, taste testings, local producer booths, and other attractions. These have been done in Buffalo and Syracuse, and our first regional one, in Ithaca, was organized last fall by Monika Roth of Tompkins County Cooperative Extension.

Roadside Markets
It is safe to say that the most successful vegetable growers in our area are often those with good roadside markets. More are springing up, and several established markets have expanded in recent years. As we have all heard many times, location is of utmost importance for roadside market success. An option for growers whose farm isn't located on a well-travelled road is to set up a stand in a good location, perhaps in partnership with another compatible operation. I hope to see more of this in the future.

Get Involved
A good group to join is:
The New York State Farmers' Direct Marketing Association
Diane Eggert, Secretary
7350 Collamer Rd.
E. Syracuse, NY 13057
($25 yearly dues)

Farmers need to let people know about the wholesome products they offer, and make it as easy as possible for customers to get them. Think about combining some of the above approaches, and perhaps include U-pick as well. Put some serious effort into your marketing. Growing a great product is only half the battle!