Direct Marketing to Consumers

 

 

Arizona Resources

Colorado Resources

New Mexico Resources

Utah Resources

Regional Resources

Organizations and Web Resource Lists

Beginning Direct Marketing Ventures

Direct Marketing Resource Guides

Direct Marketing Rules and Regulations

Direct Marketing Surveys, Studies and Reports

Funding Resources

 

 

*Each resource within the Four Corners region will be marked with an asterisk

 

See also:

 

 

Arizona Resources

 

*Canyon Country Fresh

Since 2000, the Center for Sustainable Environments has been working with local farmers, ranchers, markets, and restaurants to promote local food production and use. Recently, with the addition of a USDA grant for local marketing initiatives, CSE has begun to implement strategic marketing practices to help promote local farm products, from a food directory to development of links between farmers and restaurants.

http://home.nau.edu/environment/canyon_country.asp

 

*Direct Farm Marketing Options

Market advantages and disadvantages to some of the more common direct farm marketing methods are discussed in this article.

http://ag.arizona.edu/arec/pubs/dmkt/DirectFarm.pdf

 

*Fresh, Local & Sustainable Foods of Canyon Country

The Center for Sustainable Environments of the Northern Arizona University has published the fourth edition of a sustainable foods directory for Canyon Country, otherwise known as the Colorado Plateau or Four Corners region. The directory includes a listing of restaurants that serve local agricultural products.

http://www.environment.nau.edu/Publications/FoodDirectory/Localfoodsdirectory.pdf

 

Colorado Resources

 

Colorado Department of Agriculture: Division of Markets

The Division of Markets helps Colorado food and agricultural companies sell their products in local, regional, national and international markets. The department provides domestic and international marketing assistance, agricultural business plan review, business development workshops, useful publications, and more.

www.coloradoagriculture.com

 

*Colorado Organic Producers Association
Provides education, information, and networking services to promote and facilitate the production, distribution, and consumption of Colorado organic food products. COPA members represent all segments of agriculture-production, processing, wholesale, retail, and consumer.

www.organiccolorado.org

 

*Sustainable Agriculture in Colorado
A new website developed by Colorado State University focusing on sustainable agriculture and the ways its can help improve Colorado's economy, communities, and livelihoods.

http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/sustag/

 

New Mexico Resources

 

*New Mexico Organic Producers Marketing Guide

This guide is designed to help you explore which markets might work best for you and give you some ideas about how to access those markets. Marketing topics include Farmers’ Markets, CSAs, Selling to Retail Outlets, Selling to Restaurants, and Selling to Wholesalers.

http://nmocc.state.nm.us/pdf/MarketManual.pdf

 

Utah Resources

 

*State Agricultural Marketing Profile: Utah

The Agricultural Marketing Service of the USDA has profiled the state of Utah’s agricultural marketing system. Resources include; Congressional district-by-district consumption profiles, Farmers’ Market Operations, Organic Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Research Projects and Urban demographics and consumption profiles.

http://www.ams.usda.gov/statesummaries/UT/UThome.htm

 

Regional Resources

 

*The Farm Directory

The Farm Directory was designed so that producers can easily list the availability of their farm products and events by season into a searchable database. This is a resource for the four corners states.

http://www.farmdirectory.org/

 

Organizations and Web Resource Lists

 

Appropriate Technology Transfer to Rural Areas (ATTRA)

ATTRA is a service of the USDA that provides business and marketing information for small scale and diversified farmers.

http://www.attra.org/

 

Local Harvest

Local Harvest has complete listings of farmers’ markets, CSAs, small farms, and restaurants and grocery stores that sell local foods throughout the US.

http://www.localharvest.org/

 

USDA Farmer Direct Marketing Page

The Agricultural Marketing Service of the USDA has a webpage with resources for agricultural direct marketing. Resources include state marketing profiles, direct marketing resources by state, and marketing publications.

http://www.searchestate.com/getArchivedCopy.aspx?k=direct+marketing%20&ih=0&strip=0&ibh=1&d=198760727635

 

Beginning Direct Marketing Ventures

 

Direct Farm Marketing Example: Preparing a Business Plan: A Guide for Agricultural Producers

This resource guide covers how to develop marketing, financial and production plans.

http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/busmgmt/bus_guides/direct_guide.htm

 

Marketing Local Food

This publication introduces the basics of different marketing systems, suggests resources and includes profiles of farmers who are selling farm products directly to consumers via farmers' markets, roadside stands, CSAs, on-farm stores; as well as information and profiles about selling indirectly via retail food establishments or food services.

http://www.misa.umn.edu/Marketing_Local_Food2

 

Direct Marketing Resource Guides

 

*Direct Farm Marketing and Tourism Handbook

A publication put out by the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension. This guide covers production tips, legal considerations, consumer profiles, and case studies as they relate to direct marketing.

http://cals.arizona.edu/arec/pubs/dmkt/dmkt.html

 

Direct Marketing a Food Product Involves at Least 7 Basic Work Roles

This article by the University of Minnesota Extension highlights the seven roles necessary to have a successful direct marketing business venture.

http://www.extension.umn.edu/extensionnews/2001/DirectMarketingAFoodProduct.html

 

*The Direct Marketing Resource Notebook

This notebook contains information about direct marketing topics. The book contains general information, case studies, regulations, and resources.

http://wsare.usu.edu/pub/index.cfm?sub=mktdetails&id=23

 

Farmer Direct Marketing

This resource website has been developed by the Agricultural Marketing Service of the USDA. The site includes information about direct marketing publications, a farmers’ market directory, and state marketing profiles.

http://www.searchestate.com/getArchivedCopy.aspx?k=direct+marketing%20&ih=0&strip=0&ibh=1&d=198760727635

 

Marketing Local Foods

This book is partly stories about farmers, partly the condensed wisdom of farmers and their advisors, partly hard-to-find information about food marketing issues, and partly cheerleading for local food systems.

http://www.misa.umn.edu/vd/publications/marketing_local_food.pdf

 

Marketing Strategies for Farmers and Ranchers

This is a publication of the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program, highlighting various creative marketing strategies for small scale farmers.

http://www.sare.org/publications/marketing/marketing.pdf

 

*Marketing Your Farm or Ranch

This is a brief publication that discusses effective agricultural marketing approaches.

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/farmmgt/03763.html

 

Small Farm Today

This is a bi-monthly how-to magazine of alternative and traditional crops, livestock and direct marketing.

http://www.smallfarmtoday.com/

 

USDA Farmer Direct Marketing Page

The Agricultural Marketing Service of the USDA has a webpage with resources for agricultural direct marketing. Resources include state marketing profiles, direct marketing resources by state, and marketing publications.

http://www.searchestate.com/getArchivedCopy.aspx?k=direct+marketing%20&ih=0&strip=0&ibh=1&d=198760727635

 

Direct Marketing Rules and Regulations

 

Farmers’ Markets Rules, Regulations and Opportunities

This publication, by the National Center for Agricultural Law Research and Information, explores the multitude of guidelines necessary to follow for a successful farmers’ market.

http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com/pdf_files/fmruleregs.pdf

 

The Handbook of Regulations for Direct Farm Marketing: The Green Book

While this handbook focuses mainly on regulations of Washington state, it is a helpful resource guide for various direct marketing strategies. Topics include; farmers’ markets, CSAs, farm to cafeteria, internet marketing, mail order sales, agri-tourism and other direct marketing options.

http://smallfarms.wsu.edu/wsu_pdfs/056-Greenbook-web.pdf

 

Understanding Farmers’ Markets Rules

This article published by the Farmers Legal Action Group, Inc .is intended to help farmers understand their responsibilities and rights as vendors at a farmers’ market.

http://www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/MSB/PDFpubList/Understanding_Farmers_Market_Rules.pdf

 

Direct Marketing Surveys, Studies and Reports

 

Attracting Consumers with Locally Grown Products

This report summarizes the initial findings of a survey of 500 households in the states of Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin. The primary grocery shopper in the household was surveyed for their attitudes and opinions on locally grown and produced food, organic and all-natural food and meat purchasing behaviors.

http://www.foodmap.unl.edu/report_files/Locally_Grown_Consumer_Survey_Report.pdf

 

The Californian Agricultural Direct Marketing Study

This survey report provides key information on how direct marketing has been creating opportunities for small farmers, while constructing an accurate profile of those who engage in the practice.

http://www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/MSB/PDFpubList/CIRSDMReport.pdf

 

Direct Marketing Today: Challenges and Opportunities

This report conducted by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service looks at the unique challenges of direct marketing. A goal of this research is to develop an effective programmatic strategy for USDA-AMS that reflects the needs of the direct marketing community, promotes direct marketing alternatives, and improves market access for small farmers.

http://www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/MSB/PDFpubList/directmarketingtoday.pdf

 

Funding Resources

 

Please see:

  • Financing for general resources to help fund agricultural marketing ventures.