Farmbytes: The basics of marketing local food

Your marketing strategy is crucial to your farm's success.

In this Farmbyte, we're sharing:

• A perspective on marketing local food from Extension Educator Ryan Pesch (video).
• Marketing Local Food: An excellent resource with information specific to Minnesota from the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA).
• Marketing strategies for farmers and ranchers: Similar to Marketing Local Food, in a shorter version, from Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE).

You can learn...

• In the video, Ryan Pesch explains how to assess yourself, your product, and your customer to develop a marketing strategy.
• The two additional resources provide information on market outlets for local food, their characteristics, along with examples of how different farms use these outlets, how to evaluate a new farming enterprise, and much more.

Recommended resources

Marketing local food (PDF)
Minnesota specific information on local food markets, business planning, self-assessment, regulations, branding, pricing and more. From MISA

Marketing strategies for farmers and ranchers
Shorter publication with similar information to Marketing local food. From SARE

Final points

• Develop a marketing strategy that fits your product, your target customers, and yourself.
• Marketing is about communicating and delivering value—use markets that will recognize the value of your products.
• Take the time to analyze new enterprises, be realistic.