12 Ways To Sell Your Niche Farm Products To Hungry Customers

There are a multitude of methods by which you can sell what your farm produces. Let’s take a quick look at some of these. The first eight listed here are direct marketing opportunities; the others may involve selling to retail outlets.

Selling to friends and neighbors is the best place for farmers new to direct marketing to start. You and your spouse should compile a list of about 100 people, you know through work, clubs, church, and so on. Include people like your banker, your barber, your letter carrier, and relatives. You will use this list for contacts, and, if you continue to sell this way, as a mailing list to let people know when your products will be available.

This is an easy way to start direct sales, but it does have some drawbacks. It requires a lot of work to contact people to sell your products. Also, because these are your friends and neighbors, they may expect to get a lower price as a friendly bonus. They may also be slow to pay. You must remind them that for you to stay in business and your farm to be sustainable, you must make a profit. A good business deal is good for both parties.

Friends and neighbors may be more critical of your product. You must explain exactly what they are getting. Customers not familiar with farming frequently assume a 250 pound hog will produce 250 pounds of edible meat. Instead, a 250 pound hog will probably produce 150 to 170 pounds of cut and wrapped meat, including chops, hams, and sausage. If you explain to your customers what to expect before they buy the meat, it is more likely that you will keep satisfied customers. Remember, an unsatisfied friend or neighbor can cause a lot of problems.

On the my farm, I sell hogs at $.80 a pound liveweight, which means about $100 for half of a hog, with the customer paying for the processing. Processing costs run between $35 and $45, depending on how the customer wants his meat cut and whether he wants any cured meat. Alternatively, I sell 80% lean sausage at a flat $2.50 per pound, and get about 100 pounds of sausage from a 250 pound hog. I sold all my pork sausage here in the midst of 10 cent hog prices at the local sale barn. Customers were willing to pay premium prices for quality meat. My pork is fresher and leaner, all my hogs were raised on pasture and not given any antibiotics or growth hormones. My pork comes from happy hogs, and my customers know it. …NEXT