“Are benchmarks available to manage my retail farm market business?

Skills used for marketing of our abundant agricultural production continue to increase in economic importance. Producers marketing directly to consumers are capturing a larger percent of consumer disposable income.

As the pressures from increased land competition, labor demand, consumer expectations and farm family requirements continue to escalate, the opportunities available from using a more fully developed retail marketing channel offer increasing possibilities. These possibilities will serve to enhance the viability of agriculture by expanding the scope of farm enterprises, and to directly link farm products to consumer retail markets.

Detailed planning and analysis are required for business start up, management and growth. Market managers often ask how they can measure their business in terms of potential for growth or expansion. There is very limited information available that gives some direction to these critical business management decisions. To start addressing these needs a research project has begun that will identify and then summarize the retail farm market benchmarks. The idea is to develop some guidelines for those interested in starting, maintaining, or growing a retail farm market.

Please, consider being a full benchmark survey participant by completing and returning the requested information.” Click here to download the survey (PDF).

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Related Links:

• Crop Insurance Education, PSU
• Direct Farm Marketing and Tourism Handbook
• Direct Marketing of Farm Produce and Home Goods (available from their Publications Learning Store)
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• National Grocers Association
• Pennsylvania Retail Farm Market Association
• Planning a Farm Market
• USDA, AMS Farmers' Market Information
• USDA, AMS Direct Marketing

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