How can I market my Organic Products?

The marketing model used in conventional agriculture is not easily applied to organic systems. Currently, local
elevators that accept organic grains are not common, though they do exist in some areas. Farmers that transition to organic production must also transition their marketing strategies. Whether growing organic grains, herbs, fruits and vegetables, or raising organically certified livestock, marketing becomes an additional consideration. Producers who have always sold to local elevators will find that quality time will be needed to do a good job with marketing organic products.

That said, marketing organic crops and products can bring high premiums, and can provide farmers with a stable customer–base and market. Local marketing, in particular, allows farmers to avoid the vagaries and fluctuations of commodity markets. When the farmer can set product prices, he or she has more control over farm profits. Establishing personal connections with customers, another aspect of local marketing, can be both personally and financially rewarding.

Use the presentations, videos and online resources below to answer questions about increasing soil fertility using organic methods. Visit the Marketing page for more great resources.

Videos

YouTube’s eOrganic channel includes several videos about organic farming. Topics such as weeds, machinery, and marketing are all addressed. This video, Marketing to Restaurants, focuses on Dave and Chris Colson, from New Leaf Farm in Durham, ME. It provides a sample of the 49–minute dvd, Farmers and their Diversified Horticultural Marketing Strategies, which can be purchased from University of Vermont Extension.

“Andrew Moore is an organic farmer from Balladoole on the Isle of Man. Concerned with the quality of food available, Andrew switched to organic farming several years ago. In this video he explains why he made the switch from conventional to organic farming, what the switch entailed for him, as well as the traditional seven year crop rotation cycle he now uses to maintain soil fertility. We’re also introduced to the beautiful Belted Galloways he rears on his farm.”

Growing Against the Grain chronicles farmers who are finding their own ways to success in farming, financial and otherwise. From the site:

“Growing against the Grain is a 30–minute video about farmers in Audubon County, Iowa, who are working to build healthy food systems and farms, put the culture back in agriculture, and restore a lost spirit to their communities. They are doing this through sustainable farming practices and direct marketing their products to the consumer.

It was produced by Helen D. Gunderson of Gunder-friend Productions for the Audubon County Family Farms with support from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Practical Farmers of Iowa.”

Powerpoint Presentations

“ShadowBrook Farm is a small, family owned specialty vegetable farm. We are committed to sustainable farming practices and are devoted to being good stewards of our land. We want to help move towards a ‘regional food system’ where food is sold directly to the consumer rather than traveling many miles to reach your plate.”

This PowerPoint from Shadowbrook Farm outside of Lincoln, NE describes their marketing strategies.

Organic Marketing Basics

Robert D. Halman from Collier County UF ⁄ IFAS Extension in Florida offers this presentation, which includes all the basics that should be considered when planning and marketing organic products.

Partnering with Distributors

Jim Ennis, the Director of Food Alliance Midwest, has assembled a thorough examination of how farmers using sustainable methods can best partner with distributors. This rigorous project, supported by The Leopold Center, the Regional Food Systems Working Group, and Food Alliance Midwest focused on the needs and particular situations of three Iowa producers. The movement of tomatoes, dairy and meat products were all considered – from production to plate.

Website Resources

ATTRA’s document library is an invaluable resource for organic farmers, both new and experienced. The document linked below describes the ins and outs of marketing organic grains:

“Organic grain marketing differs from conventional grain marketing in several key ways. Producers generally benefit from contracting a large portion of their acreage before planting the crop. Relationships with buyers should be cultivated early on and be maintained by meeting expectations consistently ... To achieve the best prices, growers need to understand and build relationships with buyers, find markets for most of the crops in the rotation, meet quality standards, be able to store the crop if necessary, and be able to contract most of their crop to reliable buyers.”

Marketing Opportunities from Rodale

What is marketing? One thing’s for sure, according to Prescott Bergh: it’s not the same as selling. Identifying the specific marketing potential on each individual farm is the first step to break into new markets and make the most of the opportunities that come with sustainable and organic production. This article from Rodale features an interview with Bergh, the North American sales and marketing director of CIRANDA, a global organic food ingredient company based in Hudson, Wisconsin.

Grain Buyers

Marketing organic grains may require marketing strategies that are unfamiliar and require different thinking than those for more well–known organic products like vegetables. For example, it is impractical for a grain farmer to use a farmers’ market or a CSA operation. In this situation, grain can be contracted for market prior to planting time, and a relationship can be forged with grain traders. In Nebraska, there are several options for organic grain producers. Following is a link to a list of potential grain buyers housed in the Iowa State University Organic Agriculture website.