Farm Retail Marketing

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Cities Developing Urban Agriculture Codes

Urban agriculture has become increasingly popular in recent years as a way to deal with vacant properties, revitalize neighborhoods, and provide job skills and nutrition to local residents struggling with poverty and a lack of access to fresh produce.

In Austin, Texas, a working group of the Sustainable Food Policy Board is meeting to clarify and update city code related to urban farms, livestock, size of farm, employees and dwellings, according to the Austin Chronicle.

The working group has been holding public sessions to gather input from urban farmers and community members about pending updates to the urban farm ordinance.

In April 2013, the Flint Farmers' Market reported that the Detroit City Council adopted the city's first urban agriculture zoning ordinance recognizing agriculture as a legitimate land use and setting standards for it.

Other cities working to update or create urban agriculture codes include Boston, Massachusetts;
Fort Collins, Colorado; and Portland, Oregon.

For more information, see USDA's National Ag Library webpage on Urban Agriculture.

Home » Business Development » Operating a Business » Direct Marketing » Farm Retail Marketing

Farm retail marketing, commonly referred to as farmer-to-consumer direct marketing, generally runs high in locations nearest to large population centers.

For more information on this topic, see the links listed below of articles posted on related Web sites.

Planning the Farm Retail Market -- Agri-CultureHealth.com -- To begin a marketing plan, one must think through the process of how a product will be sold.
Farm Market Layout -- Agri-CultureHealth.com -- Addresses the display and selling area, customer traffic flow studies, and other support areas.
Product Handling -- Agri-CultureHealth.com -- Fruits and vegetables are at their peak of quality and taste the moment they are harvested. Their condition will only deteriorate after that point. Good post-harvest handling can help to slow the deterioration process.
Merchandizing Practices for Farm Retail Marketing -- Agri-CultureHealth.com -- Merchandising takes on many forms in the successful and profitable operation of a roadside market.
Product Pricing -- Agri-CultureHealth.com -- Pricing is perhaps the most underdeveloped skill of farm retail market managers.
Customer Service – Agri-CultureHealth.com -- Customer service is a key factor to the success of running a farm retail market, allowing the market to effectively compete with larger businesses in the sale of like or similar items.

Direct Marketing

Farmers Markets

E-mail Marketing and Electronic Commerce

Sales to Restaurants and Institutions

Other Direct Marketing Approaches

Food Markets – Direct Markets

Specific Commodity and Product Markets

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