Month: March 2008

Marketing Pick-Your-Own and Farmer’s Markets

Also known as “U-Pick” throughout America, “pick your own” farms provide customers with the opportunity to pick their own produce at a savings to both the customer and the farmer, who would normally have to pay for the labor involved. At the same time, this business can offer visitors an education in agriculture, including how crops are grown and which crops thrive best in a given climate. In addition to pick your own, many farmers sell their produce right on the farm, either through simple stands or through larger-scale country markets, to entice visitors with the concept of one-stop produce shopping in a simpler setting.

Baugher’s Orchard and Farm is a 100-year-old, family-operated farm located in Westminster, Md., that offers “pick your own” from June through October. With two market locations—one on and one off the farm—as well as a bakery and small restaurant, Baugher’s has a lot to offer.

“We’re basically a fifth-generation family business that started out with Mrs. Baugher baking pies out of her basement and selling them door-to-door on a little cart,” explains Cheryl Vural, Market Manager at Baugher’s.

“Those pies are still made in our bakery located right here on the farm, which is run by her granddaughter.”

Vural adds that when starting up an agricultural business, getting the entire family involved can certainly be beneficial. However, as any marketing textbook will tell you, it helps to find a special niche and expand on it.

“Find something unique that no one else is doing,” she says. “There are a lot of farms that do pick your own, but there aren’t any in this county, for example. So we have a large customer base. Likewise, there’s some produce we grow that others don’t. People come from three and four states away just for our sour cherries because no one else offers them.” Once you’ve identified your niche, make sure you promote it in all of your marketing materials, whether it’s newspaper ads, billboards or just a roadside sign.

Fallow Disking to Improve Wildlife Habitat

Results of fallow disking 

Fallow disking refers to disking the soil in the winter months after the first freeze, but prior to the first green up of spring. This promotes the germination and growth of grass, weed and wildflower seeds already present in the soil. Many seeds lie dormant in soil, are commonly referred to as the soil seed bank, and can spring into action with the right amount of stimulation — disturbance and sunlight.

Some of these seeds may have been dormant for years, but with a little disking to expose them, and hopefull a little rainfall, they should grow vigorously. Of course, the application of this management practice will depend upon the soil found on your ranch property.

These natural weeds and wildflowers are very important to wildlife and are preferred over most introduced “wildlife plants.” Lower succession plants are preferred to climax plant communities, and fallow disking provides low successional plants.

Managing for Wildlife on Your Property

First, it is important to learn about the ecology of wildlife species found in the area. All wildlife have a minimum size of area they need to live and reproduce. This is their home range. Some animals such as small reptiles and amphibians have small home ranges of only a few hundred yards.

Others, however, like white-tailed deer or wild turkeys, have home ranges of a square mile or more. Wildlife species to be considered for management are those in which a landowner’s property supports and encompasses their habitat and home range or at least a significant part of it.

Second, what species of wildlife are already living on and around the property to be managed and which would benefit most from some type of management. Finally, what type of wildlife management practices would be most economically and environmentally feasible to meet the goals and objectives of the landowner.

Create a Bed and Breakfast

Often referred to as a “B & B,” the practice of hosting overnight guests who yearn for a calm, nostalgic environment has been around since the 19th century. For the hobby farmer, agritourism businesses such as these can be quite profitable, whether run as a full-time or part-time operation.

Bill and Annette Hendrixson operate McCoy Place Bed and Breakfast in Crossville, Tenn. Situated in the 70,000-acre Catoosa Wildlife Management Area and surrounded by century-old towering oaks and lush gardens, this 1920s farmhouse is the only remaining house left in what was a thriving community in the 1800s.

“We started this business on a lark,” explains owner/operator Annette Hendrixson. “This was originally my parents’ farm; it’s been in the family since the 1870s. After my mother passed away, I really didn’t know what I was going to do with it, as we didn’t live here at the time.”

The Hendrixsons didn’t want to sell the 60-acre farm, but were well aware of the costs involved in its upkeep.

“I thought opening up a bed and breakfast would be the perfect solution,” says Hendrixson. “With a bit of planning and a lot of hard work, it’s been quite successful; most weekends I have guests.”

Pampered with gourmet meals, good local wine, and nearby recreational activities like golfing, canoeing and winery tours, visitors find McCoy Place a perfect retreat from the stress of city life.

While the bed-and-breakfast model typically requires more time from its owners in interacting with guests, few B & Bs offer any on-site activities other than a library or board games. Guests are encouraged to discover the area surrounding the B & B; having only breakfast included in the price of the room gives guests a gentle push to explore.

Having such operating procedures in place before opening will help you balance your work and personal life. “I’m only open Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights,” says Hendrixson, “So I still have time for myself and the things I enjoy, like gardening.”

Market Educational Tours to Profit from Your Land

Many farming operations have begun to incorporate educational tours into their daily schedules, not only for the increase in visitors, but also to raise awareness of local agricultural products. Tours associated with on-farm productions such as making apple cider or maple syrup, or livestock production can help educate the public on the importance of maintaining agricultural lands at a time when many farming areas are being squeezed by encroaching development.

Tours are particularly attractive to schools that are looking for ways to teach children about agricultural life in an entertaining and engaging way; marketing to teachers and administrators can be profitable for any farming hobbyist. Because they are easily integrated into typical farming operations, additional overhead and manpower are low. In most cases, the tours can be run by the farm owners themselves.

Of course, having tours on an operational farm may require some additional homework on your part. If the farm is medium to large and the tour will include heavy machinery, it is important to know what safety laws are in place and how to implement them. While school boards typically insure their staff and students during field trips, it may pay to discuss the matter upfront, so that everything is in place and safe before the students arrive.