Garlic Harvest

I was late getting some of the garlic harvested. WHen I get down to the last plants it feels immensely gratifying.

FARMERS’ MARKET VENDOR SALES TIPS

I created this list of sales tips for the recent Greenbelt Farmers' Market Newsletter.

FARMERS’ MARKET VENDOR SALES TIPS

By Peter McClusky

The sales tips below will both enhance your sales and help your customers to better appreciate
the superior value of your products.
YOUR TABLE
Create a visually cohesive display - Make it easy for passing customers to understand what you sell. Place like products together.
Abundance – Continually re-stock your table to give the impression of abundance. If you're
running low on products, transfer them to smaller containers, so they look full.
Packaging and display – rustic or fancy? When planning your packaging and display,
consider the market where you sell and who your customers are. Selling vegetables out of
cardboard boxes works well, but prepared food products, such as baked goods, may sell better in formal packaging and displays.
Different levels – use inverted baskets or risers to create graduated levels on your table. This
is a better use of your table space, and brings your products closer to your customers' eye level.
Colours – use vibrant colours in different parts of your display to draw the eye to less popular
items. For example, if you sell vegetables, use red bell peppers and tomatoes.
Samples – providing free samples is a great way to acquaint new customers with your products or introduce your current customers to a new product.

EFFECTIVE SIGNAGE AND LABELS
Prices – Show your prices. Customers are more likely to buy if they see a price.
Discourage price comparing - Charge prices that can't easily be compared to the weights and
measures used by supermarkets. For example, sell 200 grams of garlic by the bag, not by
weight. In any case, always keep prices clearly marked.
Product name and info - Providing information adds to the perceived value of your products.
For example, if you sell three types of potatoes, indicate how best to cook each type: boiled,
baked, etc. If your products are from heirloom seed or are particularly high in nutrients, etc, add
this valuable information to the display.
Other signage ideas – use phrases that remind customers that you're local, and give
interesting information, such as “harvested yesterday” or “delicious in salads.”
Take-home info – Remind your customers where they bought your products. For example, if
you're selling frozen chicken, label each package with the farm name and a description of your
farm. When your customer later cooks the chicken they'll have a reminder where this delicious
bird came from.
Recipes – display printed recipes, to encourage customers to buy something new.

MARKET RELATIONS
Partner with other vendors – create free samples that combine ingredients from other stalls in
your market. For example, if you sell cheese, ask the nearby bread vendor to give away
samples of their bread with your cheese. If there is a prepared food vendor in the market,
suggest how they could use your products in their menu.
Your market manager – Provide content for their market newsletter. Offer recipes that use your
products, and tell them about new produce you'll have for the next market day. Your manager
will appreciate it – you're making their job easier, and you'll bring more customers to your stall.
Ask your manager what else you can do to help to further improve the market.

YOUR PRODUCTS; YOUR STORY!
A 2012 farmers' market survey suggests that once customers know their farmer and better
appreciate the hard work that goes into producing local food, their concerns about prices tend to disappear.

YOUR CUSTOMERS
Start a conversation - Find ways to tell your story to your customers: Why do you farm?
What's special about your products? What challenges do you have? When was each item
harvested? What farm methods do you use? How many hours a week do you spend weeding?
Clearly indicate any certifications or affiliations. Show pictures of your farm, including images of you and your colleagues working in the field. If they're looking at your stall but seem unsure, ask them what they're planning to cook. Are they cooking for children? Are they an adventurous eater? With this information you can suggest recipes that include your products and the products of other vendors in the market.

As they leave, say, “Next week tell me how your dinner went”. Are they on a budget? One vendor says she watches for customers that reach into their pocket to check their change, as they may not have enough money to make a purchase; she's willing to offer a lower price.

Finally, talking about the weather or other issues with Mother Nature and your farm is not only a
great way to start a conversation, but it allows your customers to better appreciate the
connection between nature and farming. Hearing that your spinach crop is diminished because
of heat or the kale tastes sweeter because of an early frost helps to build a picture of your farm
in the customer's mind.

Build a customer email List - Send out a weekly email newsletter. Phrases like, “next week at
the market get the first greens of the season,” teach your customers about seasonality and
encourage customers to hold off on their weekly shopping until they can visit your table.


Learn to engage and disengage - Much as we like to chat with market customers, and it's the
social experience that makes the farmers' market a special place, it can hurt sales if other
would-be customers are intimidated into feeling that they're interrupting. Most customers
understand this, but some require a gentle nudge. If customers walk past your stall while you're
already busy with another customer, make brief eye contact and smile. You might tell them, “be
with you in a minute,” and point to a tray of samples. They'll be more likely to wait their turn than
to drift away. This also sends a tactful message to your current customer that someone else is
waiting.

Be friendly – People come to farmers' markets because they want to interact. Stand, don't sit,
keep your hands out of your pockets, smile, and say “thank you.” These are simple rules, but
they'll help to create a more welcoming atmosphere. Get a friend to take a candid picture of your stall so you can see how you appear interacting with customers.

Stay Off the Smartphone - Focus on your customers.

Guarantee your products – if a customer complains about a product, offer to replace it or to
give their money back.

Offer a discount – Reward frequent customers or big purchasers with an occasional extra. This
is another great way to create customer loyalty and it's a chance for them to try something new.

Provide a basket for customers to place your products into - Offer to hold the basket for
them. If they don't know how heavy it is, they're more likely to buy additional items!

Take emailed orders – Taking a customer's emailed order ahead of market day saves them
from getting to the market early and creates customer loyalty. If you're not able to show up on
market day be sure to call the customer so they can make alternate plans.

Be encouraging, not pushy - If a customer asks for a small package of an item, ask “Would
you like two?” If they're buying items for a salad, suggest complementary items that they haven't
tried. But don't badger customers who're just looking.

Dress the part – If you're selling farm produce, farm clothes are appropriate. But for some
value-add food products, customers may be more responsive if you dress the part. For example, if you're selling ready-to-eat food, consider wearing an apron or chef whites. Take a look at successful vendors who sell products similar to yours.

Be hygienic – This is especially important with recent food scares. In addition to the importance of adhering to applicable health regulations, take extra care to follow sensible hygienic practices. Your customers will appreciate it.

LEARN FROM OTHERS

Watch other successful vendors - including their dress, display and signage, how they
interact with customers, and their manners. Also, pay attention to any business that leaves you
with a good impression, including your mechanic, local bank teller or your favorite waiter.

Perhaps they're doing something you can adopt for your business.

ENGAGE YOUR TEAM

Get your colleagues to participate - Discuss what you all can do to create a better customer
experience. Role play. Ask them to share constructive criticism of your sales techniques and
table display.

So many new things to do! Start with just a few suggestions, and make them part of your
routine. By adopting a few new sales methods, your customers, new and old, will have a better
appreciation of your hard work and the superior value of your products.

I'd appreciate hearing any comments or feedback on these suggestions. I can be reached at
Peterm@torontogarlicfestival.ca.

Peter McClusky has worked as a farm intern, farmers' market manager, and market vendor, at various times selling pancakes, and vegetables and meat. He serves on the board of the Aberfoyle Farmers' Market. He grows heirloom garlic and manages the Toronto Garlic Festival. Prior to getting into farming and local food he ran the international sales department of a digital media company in NY.

Farmers' Markets - Vendor Marketing Tips

Dave Alexander, at Everdale's Farmers Growing Farmers course invited me to give a talk to this years Farmers Growing Farmers class on marketing tips for farmers' market vendors. It was a lot of fun, and a chance for me to distill my experience in farmers' markets, both as a vendor and as a manager.

Profit vs Altruism at the Farmers' Market

 A farmer friend of mine, let's call him Henry, has been selling lettuce mix at a price of $4 for an 8 ounce bag at a farmers' market in Toronto. On 20 bags his gross for the day is $80. Whole Circle Farm and another farmer I know charge $7 per 8 ounce bag. Another farm, The New Farm, charges almost double this price. Why is he charging such a low price?

Henry wants to provide some of his produce to customers who’re in a lower income bracket, hence the lower price. It fits with the philosophy of many farmers, that everyone should have access to healthy food. The challenge is, how to pursue this worthy objective and also get a fair price for their produce.  Henry claims that other vendors at his market also charge $4 per 8 ounce bag, making it difficult for him to change his price even if he wanted to.

This got me to thinking about what Henry or any market vendor could do to make sure they  fetch a fair price. Here are a few ideas:

• Know Your Costs: The most important thing is to understand the cost to produce your products. Two good resources for this are "Organic Farmers Business Handbook, by Richard Wiswall. It explains how to do cost analysis. Another great book, Crop Planning for Organic Vegetable Growers, by Daniel Brisebois, explains how to break down production cost to bed foot per crop;
• Set Price Based on The Value of Your Product: Don't necessarily set price solely on what other farmers or vendors at your market are charging or, on the price charged by supermarkets. Perhaps the other farmers are following each other's lead, a likely scenario, since many farmers are price followers and takers, not price makers.  Henry could consider discussing price with the other vendors. However, discussing price with your competition may be contrary to the Ontario Business Practices Act. So I can't officially encourage anyone to do that. Henry could simply point out to his fellow vendors that their market is priced well below other farmers’ markets;
• Sell Your Products and Yourself: Do a good job of explaining to customers the value they are getting: organic, local, freshly harvested. Whatever it is, talk it up. Having good signage on your table is important. Giving away samples of your  vegetables is a good idea. Our Hakurai Turnip sold like cupcakes after customers had a sample from our market table.

Henry has the additional challenge of wanting to provide discounted lettuce for his lower income customers while at the same time charging a higher but fair price for the other customers.

An option for Henry would be to set a two tier price: If he brings 20 bags of lettuce mix to the market he could sell 15 bags x $7 bag = $105 gross. For low income customers he can offer them at a $3 discount. In other words, 5 bags at $4 each = $20. Henry’s gross for the day would be $125, $45 more than what he earns with his current pricing.

How would he know which customers to charge the $4 price?  He likely knows them, and can offer the discount to them. However, that could be tricky if nearby customers see that they’re not getting a discount. Another solution would be to charge $7 for all bags sold at the market, and at the end of the day, give away 5 bags through a food bank. Other deserving families will get lettuce, and Henry, bless his charitable heart, will have more revenue at the end of a long day at the market. On 15 bags at $7 each his gross would be $105, $25 more than he currently earns, and $550 more for the season.

Here’s a summary of some possible pricing scenarios Henry could follow while still being true to his philosophy of providing food for everyone regardless of their income:

Suggested Pricing Scenarios	Price Charged per bag of Lettuce (20 bags weighing 7 oz each)	Gross Sales per Week	Gross Sales Increase per Week over the Current Pricing	Total Gross Sales in a 22 week Season
Current Pricing	$4 each bag	$80	n/a	$1,760
Two Tier Price	15 bags x $7 ea  and 5 bags x $4 ea	$125	$45	$2,750
One Price	15 bags x $7 ea and 5 bags donated at end of the day	$105	$25	$2,310

 Whatever Henry does, it would be easier to implement any changes before the new season starts.

Time-motion studies in the garden

A neglected aspect of farming, in my opinion, is studying how to do repetitive tasks in the most efficient way. For example, finding how to shave a half second off a one and a half second movement that's repeated thousands of times in the course of a morning task would be helpful. Trickier still is getting people to share what they learn, and for others to adopt the improvement.

Between Whole Circle Farm and myself we've planted 20,000 garlic cloves in the last ten days (10,000 each). We clocked our rate (# of cloves per person hour), and found that it ranged from 300 cloves per hour, to 500, and as high as 1,000 cloves planted per person per hour.

In a recent garlic planting competition in the back garden Andrew aka "Pinchy"
hand-carved a wooden stake for his planting implement
(above right).

While Heather and myself threw down garlic in the assigned rows, Yana, Pinchy and Abhi braced themselves at the starting line. Pinchy started out strong, wielding his wooden stake with masterly strokes. He maintained the lead for the first 2/3rd of the 420' bed. But the effort of stabbing the soil to plant each clove tired him out, and by the end Yana pulled ahead, with her flat trowel. She finished ahead of Pinchy and Abhi with a comfortable margin, convincing the panel of judges that her planting modality is worthy of further study.










Below - Abhi and I working on another garlic bed.

The Whole Circle Team

l to r: Maggie Kleinsasser, Shioban, Johann Kleinssser, Andrew, Heather, Abhi, Peter, Nitya, Monique. Shioban joined the intern team last week.

Marx Brother in the Barn

In my new farm environment I've been reminded a couple of times of how easily seemingly innocent situations can go awry. The other day, for example, I walked into the barn ahead of the other interns for the 5 0'clock chores. In my naive eagerness I set the stage for a kind of Marx Brothers' imbroglio involving several fifteen hundred pound cows, a half dozen new born piglets and their irate mother, and about ten shoats or, "juvenile" pigs, appropriately named for their curious and tireless nature. Oh, let's not forget the four hundred pound sow, "Veronika;" and me, weighing in at 180 pounds; that is, if I've consumed my dozen pancakes that morning. In an Italian opera the characters' costume is important. In this self-made rural Ontario farm opera the weight of each participant is what really matters.

Part of the 5 o'clock chores is to let the milk-producing cows into the barn, for brushing. Brushing the cows is an integral part of the biodynamic philosophy of Whole Circle Farm. For their brushing the dozen or so cows enter two areas, each with its own door. Each cow knows which door to enter. It's a habit reinforced by getting a sweet potato in their stall every time they get brushed. Twelve sweet potatos. Twelve cows. Two areas, each with an entrance door. Pretty simple. But leave out a couple of these details and it's chaos.

I thought another intern was right behind me, but it turned out he was doing something else. So my first error was to not wait for him or another intern to come down and set up the cows for brushing.

The second error was that I opened only one door, not two. Finally, I did not place a sweet potato for each cow. Unbeknownst to me, the stage was set for what was to follow, and lucky for me the result is a funny story (and a rule for me to employ in future), and not a coroner's report.

I opened one of the doors. The correct cows came in, at first. But one by one they did not see a sweet potato in their stall, and they began mooing and backing up. But more cows came in, including cows that could not get into the other area, because I had not opened the other door.

Seeing my error I dashed to open the door to the other area. A few cows came in, but in my panic I'd repeated my error of not placing the beloved sweet potatos, so I created a small-scale version of the operetta going on in the larger area.

By now Veronika the sow had entered the scene. She waltzed passed the cows and into the inner pathway, paying a visit to the little piglets and her mother, who started barking and snorking to Veronika. The juvenile pigs followed Veronika's example, and about five of them made a move, running through the forest of cow hoofs.

Harpo Marx riding bare-back on Veronika would have been a perfect addition to the unfolding fiasco.
"Ah, I need assistance in the barn," I radiod over my walky-talky.

WHile waiting for more interns to arrive I methodically and cautiously got order restored, first by shoo-ing out Veronika (and Harpo) and the juveniles, then by ushering out each cow. The place was a cacophony of bleating, mooing, barking (yes, pigs can let out a dog-like bark), and of course, squealing; but the squealing might have been me.

My lesson in this is to pay close attention to what you do, and to be mindful of the reason why certain things are done the way they are. For example, at least two people are required to set up the cows for brushing. Their are numerous other situations on the farm which require care and mindfulness.

Choosing a Farm

I have no idea what to look for in a farm to intern on. What am I wanting to learn or get from the farm where I would eventually intern? How much do the personalities of farm owners matter vs. what I can expect to learn? Should I be concerned about living conditions if I can get great depth and breadth of farm experience?

My criteria, in order of importance are:
- Must be an organic farm (all the farms in the CRAFT network employ organic methods, as far as I know). This is critical, since my overall objective is to explore alternatives to conventional farming methods.
- Farm manager/s must be willing to answer questions and explain things.
- Has some livestock (such as chickens, cows, pigs). Livestock manure is very important for a self-sustaining farm. I'd like exposure to livestock. Who knows? Maybe I'll become a cattle baron.
- Has a record of profitability (but learning good farm techniques doesn't necessarily mean they know how to run the farm as a business.
- Offers a wide range of farming experience, including, greenhouse growing, vegetable production, livestock management, and machine use, repair and maintenance
- Proximity to Toronto would be a bonus

I can't tell a good farmer from a bad farmer, but I'm trying to find clues.
The manager who said he "loved" his new and very expensive tractor concerned me, especially when he mentioned that their operation is finally becoming profitable after several years. On all the other farms I visited the farm machinery is old. Common sense tells me you should never buy a new tractor, unless you're Donald Trump setting up a hobby farm for your mistress.

All of the farms I visited had some great qualities. At one farm they used draught animals. No tractors. And they were very positive and engaging.

It will be a challenge to find the right farm.