Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association

Newsletter #296 April 2014 Volume 30, Number 4

Fresh Facts

Inside this issue:

Membership News 2 Changing it up for Convenience and Success

3

Capturing the Best Marketing Ideas from 2013

4

Resources for a Proactive approach to On-Farm Safety

6

Everyone loves a Spring Parade

7

Upcoming Events

8

Top 10 reasons to be a farmer

During the Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Convention in Niagara Falls in February, there was a large piece of flipchart paper on the wall where participants were encouraged to post their reasons for why they are farming and what makes the job special to them. Here are the top 10 reasons that were collected from the convention.

#10. The view from your office, be it the barn or your tractor. The open fields during the day and starry skies at night. It is all priceless.

#9. Its challenging, you never know what Mother Nature is going to throw at you or when.

#8. Little to no commuting to worksometimes you are only steps away.

#7. The ability to work with your family and have your children close by every day.

#6. Variety - you can be sure that no two days will ever be the same. You are always learning, growing and doing.

#5. Being able to get some exercise from the job you love; both physically and mentally. Being exhausted after a big day and knowing you accomplished what you set out to do.

#4. Working in wide open spaces surrounded by fresh air. No walls to pen you in or crowds to wade through (except when your market is open).

#3. Having the best toys to play with, even when you are supposed to be all grown up.

#2. Being able to be your own boss and do what you love.

#1. Having the resources, skills and passion to grow fresh, healthy food for your family and for other families as well.

Providing knowledge and leadership to grow the farm fresh experience.

Hope the Easter bunny is good to you!

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

Page 2 Fresh Facts

Classifieds WANTED: -Commercial convention range oven -Soft serve ice cream machine -18 x 26 aluminum commercial grade baking sheets Please Contact: Anna Boekestyn Tigchelaar Berry Farms, 905-401-5249 aboekestyn@gmail.com FOR SALE: FROZEN RASPBERRIES Frozen in 20lb pails, Nova and Polka vari-eties, prices FOB Simcoe, ON. Price is $1.50/lb Contact John Cooper, Berry Tyme Fruit Inc., Simcoe, ON 519-426-3099, e-mail: styme@kwic.com FOR SALE: MAPLE SYRUP CONTAINERS, plastic, contact Wellington Wood Prod-ucts at 1-800-265-2397 or 519-323-2904, Email wwp@wightman.ca or website www.wwp.on.ca FOR SALE: NEW EGG CARTONS in a sleeve of 125; contact Wellington Wood Products at 1-800-265-2397 or 519-323-2904, Email wwp@wightman.ca or website www.wwp.on.ca AUCTION NOTICE: Forsythe Family Farms has consolidated from two locations to one. An auction will be held on Monday, May 19th for surplus items. Save the date. Classifieds are free for members. Simply send your information to the OFFMA of-fice and it will be included in the next newsletter.

New Members... Nith Valley Apiaries, Mike Roth New Hamburg, ON 519-662-3165 Nith Valley Apiaries produces pure natural honey in liquid, creamed, comb, clover, wildflower, buck-wheat varieties. Bulk honey is also on tap. They supply a number of local stores and restaurants, as well as retailing directly to the public from their 'Honey House' on the edge of New Hamburg. R Family Farm, Jan Rainey Cookstown, ON 705-812-2373 They are a small family farm owned and operated with fresh as their philosophy. In their 5th season, their farm offers u-pick/ready picked strawberries, raspberries, blackberries as well as some u-pick vegetable varieties, including sweet corn. Breedons Maple Syrup, Dawn & Kent Breedon Alliston, ON 705-435-5269 Just north of Toronto, Breedon's Maple Syrup is a modern maple syrup operation, currently tapping 3000 trees, that welcomes the public for tours and demonstrations. They offer sampling of their ma-ple syrup while you browse through the sugar shack full of their maple products. Goats in Motion, Tiffany Drong Troy, ON 905-928-6603 Goats in Motion specializes in naturally grown Chevon Goat. Open year round, they sell goat meat, goat cheeses, goats milk soap, red veal, beef, chicken, honey and maple syrup. Associate Members.. Janny MTCA, Vincent Nicoletis Guelph, ON 519-830-6472 Janny MTCA is provider of storage and preserva-tion equipment. Their controlled atmosphere mod-ule, The Janny MT, is made up of a rigid plastic box and a Tiempo Cap lid. They form an individual module of 610 litres (or 430 litres) inside which fruits, or vegetables, or flowers or mushrooms are stored in a controlled atmosphere. Armagh POS Solutions, Larry Wolfe Hamilton, ON 888-528-5903 Armagh POS Solutions is a retail point-of-sale, cash register and scale sales and service compa-ny. Their goal is to provide cutting-edge, afforda-ble point-of-sale systems and solutions for retail-ers. Some of the products they offer are the ECRS Catapult Retail Software, Toshiba POS, and Ishida Scales.

As seen on in a restaurant at the

Hockley Valley Resort.

our menus change with Mother Nature

This is your newsletter, make the most of it. Want to review a book you have read? Write an article? Let the OFFMA office know and we will make it happen.

Page 3 Newsletter #296

Weallknowaboutoratleastheardaboutthegrocerystorepricewars,buttheresanotherwargoingonintheareaofgrocerystoredesign.Atoneme,itwasaboutcreangthefarmersmarketlookandfeel.Nowitsaboutgourmetupscaleconvenience.AlocalSobeysstorewasbuiltabout10yearsago,ancipangtheresidenaldevelopmentinthearea,butwasneverabletotakeadvantageofitsearlyarrival.Itwasaregularmulaisledgrocerystorethatreallydidntoermuchtotheconsumereitherinthewaylowpricesoraracveness.Whilejohnnycomelatelystorestothearea,suchasLoblawSuperstore,Walmart,Longos,werearacngcustomersrightawayintheirparcularmarkengniche.TheSobeysstorewasliterallyemptymostofmewithveryliletracevenonthetradionalbusierdays.Andthenthestoreclosed.Fromanoutsidersperspecve,itlookedlikethecompanyhaddecidedtocutitslosses.Butloandbehold,thecompanydecidedtostayandcompetebyredesigningtheirstore.TheyhavereopenedandrebrandedthestoreasaSobeysExtra.WhatisaSobeysExtra?Itisastorethathastakenintoaccounttheauentandbusyneighbourhoodinwhichitissituatedademographicthatdoesntmindpayingalilemoreforqualityconvenienceproducts.Sobeyshastakenlessonsfromsomeoftheindependentculinarymarketsandfromitsbigboxstorecompetors.TheSobeysExtranowhaseyeappeal.Sixtypercentofthestorespaceistakenupbyspecialtykiosks,preparedfoodcounters,nestedtabledisplays,produceislands,andacvemeatandbakerydepartments.Useoflighnghasbeentakenintoaccounttoprovideemphasisaswellasbeingpleasant.Thedisplaysarecolourfulandcreave.Everythinglooksfreshandaracve.

ChangingitupforConvenienceandSuccessByGaryJohnson

Signageisplenfulandcatchywithanemphasisonconvenience(readytoheatorreadytoeat).Sobeys'missionofBeerFoodforAllgivesthemaplaormtoreachtheconsumeronanumberofthemes:variety,fresh,taste,health,wholesomeness,choice,sustainability,mesavingmealideas.InaddiontoSobeysproduce,meat,seafood,bakery,floralexpertsandSobeyspharmacists,thestorehascreatedexpertposionstointeractwithcustomerssuchas:anInstoreCheftooeradvice,foodtasngsandclasses,tohelpcustomersdiscovernewproductsandmealopons;aWellbeingCounsellortoanswerhealthanddietquesons,andhelpshoppersmakebeerfoodchoices;a

CheeseAmbassadortoassistinselecngfromhundredsofavailablecheeses.SobeysExtraisalsomakingtheeorttoconnectwiththecommunitythroughtheirnewSpecialEventsCentrewhichisawellequippedspaceforbeerfoodandwellbeingeventshostedbySobeys'foodandhealthexperts,whichincludescookingclasses.Itisalsoavailabletocommunitygroupsandbirthdayparesaswell.

Thelessonhereforallretailersisthatifsomethingisnotworking,weneedtolookatwhatwearedoingwrongandeithermakesomeadjustmentsorreinventourmarketoperaon.Cateringtoconvenienceforthebusyinahurrycustomeralsoappearstobeakeyingredientforarevamp.

Sobeyshaveinvestintopofthelinenesngtablestohelpincreaseordecreasedisplayspaceasneeded.

Soapshaveneverlookedsogood.

Page 4 Fresh Facts

Many of you attended conferences this past winter and were able to share your results of the 2013 season in terms of what worked and what didnt.

This is also a favorite question in my end of year survey, and thought I would share with you some of these replies just in case you werent able to get off the farm to get your personal battery recharged.

These arent necessarily new or big ideas, but they work and they take just a little additional time to implement, while making a significant difference in revenues.

1. Participate in a partnership. One farm partnered with their local YMCA in their maze design and received some signifi-cant media attention for doing so. They felt the group affiliation also brought them more new customers. Many non-profit organizations are looking for ways to ex-pand their reach and visibility in their com-munity, and including their logo as part of your maze design can be a win: win for both of you.

2. Place a farm sign/billboard at the local arena, rodeo, or ball field. Getting our message off the farm with signage at plac-es where people gather is an ideal way to expand your brand without a lot of dollars being spent.

3. Appear as one of several farms with a local weekend trail event. Many areas are now working together to bring more peo-ple to their rural area through county or regional events. Wine trails are a prime example. Be sure to participate in one of these, if you are asked, because bringing more people to your area will not only help

you but the entire region become recognized with tourism operators.

4. Utilize Facebook advertising. Facebook Ad-vertising can be used successfully to expand awareness for the farm and bring in more customers. It may take some time to learn about the Facebook advertising program, but it can be worth your time. Its all online for your study, and their advertising program allows you to target viewers very specifically by age, sex and zip code.

5. Use FREE coupons and offers to build traffic on traditionally slower weekends. Most farms need a minimum of staff just to open their doors. Therefore, offering customer incen-tives to come early, stay late etc.to increase your daily attendance is often worth the free exchange. Once you get the customers on to the grounds then they will purchase your products and eat your food concessions.

6. Use special programs to show appreciation for military families. Several farms had ap-preciation days and discounts for military families. These discounts are welcomed by the military families and word seems to spread about this gesture. Farms that are near military bases place signs and flyers visible to target these families.

7. Use your Farmers Market stand to tell more customers about the farm and activi-ties. Many of you participate at a local mar-ket but dont always take advantage of get-ting these customers out to the farm. Talk up your farmhand out flyers, maps, coupons etc. to tell your story.

8. Participate in a PAID AD TV program that markets the region. One farm indicated that they had this unique opportunity for a region-al broadcast. The production company did seven minute segments on each busi-ness. A camera crew came to the farm to

Capturing the Best Marketing Ideas from 2013 By Jane Eckert, Eckert AgriMarketing

Page 5 Newsletter #296

obtain the footage and showcase what they offered. This farm reports that phone calls started coming in before the program had even finished airing.

9. Try QR Codes. Farms reported that QR codes on farm signage to Like the farm on Facebook doubled these farms follow-ers this year. Most all farms report Face-book to be a very important media to tout the offerings of the farm on a frequent ba-sis.

10. Direct mail, once the standard for infor-mation distribution, was brought back by a farm, and they reported much suc-cess. Going straight into the home via the mail allowed the farm to spread the word about upcoming special events and crops. Sometimes the best idea can be the old idea!

You will notice that only a few of these ideas involved the Internet. It seems to me that we have all gotten a bit carried away with using the newest and fastest Internet tools, when, in fact, many of the old standards can still work for you. Maybe its time to dust off some of your old traditional ideas and give them a try again this year. Jane Eckert, a national speaker, author and agritourism expert, is principal of Eckert AgriMarketing (www.eckertagrimarketing.com), a firm that helps farmers sell products directly to consumers and develop their opera-tions into tourist destinations, and Farm Web Design, an Internet marketing firm specializing in agritourism farm web-sites. Jane can be reached by phone 314-862-6288 or at jane@eckertagrimarketing.com

Fresh Facts Page 6

ResourcesforaProactiveApproachtoOn-FarmSafetyBy Jessica Kelly, OMAF Direct Marketing Lead

With Farm Safety Week only a few weeks ago and spring upon us, its essential to remind ourselves of the importance of on-farm safety. Health and safety are important considerations on any farm, but for farms that invite customers onto their property there are even more crucial aspects to consider. The Ministry of Labour has provided a useful online portal for resources related to farm worker safety: www.ontario.ca/farmworkersafety. I will draw your attention to two particular resources available through this portal: OntarioFarmSafeResourceGuideThis practical guide is to help you make a health and safety program so that safety is part of every plan and activity on your farm and becomes part of your farm culture. Five key components for an effective plan are highlighted:

1. Overall Policy Statement Develop and communicate an overall policy on health and safety with supporting operational

policies. 2. Identify Hazards

Identify existing and potential hazards in all aspects of your operation (relating to animals, machines, processes, chemical/biological materials, environmental conditions).

3. Control Strategies Follow a series of basic practices (standard operating practices, emergency preparedness

plans) to control the health and safety risks in your farming operation. 4. Communicate Responsibilities

Clearly establish responsibilities for everyone visiting and working on your farm and ensure that you have a communications process for sharing health and safety information amongst yourself and the people on your farm.

5. Review Review and revise your program to ensure employee, equipment and process changes are

reflected in your plan.

AGuidetotheOccupationalHealthandSafetyActforFarmOperationsWith a special focus on agriculture, this guide outlines the rights and responsibilities of employers, supervi-sors, and employees under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. It outlines which farm operations are covered under the Act and provides some good reminders about employees right to refuse unsafe work and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). This guide is available in Spanish as well. Are interactive learning tools better suited to you and your employees? The Ministry of Labour has also created an eLearning module that can be completed online in 45 to 60 minutes: Worker Health and Safety Awareness in 4 Steps: www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/training/workers.php Supervisor Health and Safety Awareness in 5 Steps: www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/training/supervisors.php ADifferentWaytoThinkAboutRiskHave you ever thought about risk as a mathematical equation? Consider this:

RISK = Likelihood x Impact That means, for every safety risk on-farm you can take action in two ways: How can you reduce the likeli-hood of that risk happening? How can you minimize the impact if that risk did happen?

NOTE:TheOccupationalHealthandSafetyAwarenessandTrainingRegulationscomeintoeffectJuly1,2014,makesureyouareprepared.

Likelihood x

Impact =

RISK

Newsletter #296 Page 7

Everyone loves a Spring Parade Its springtime and everyone loves to see or participate in a parade. They can be as easy or as complicated as you want to make them on your farm. Here are a few ideas to consider. Shelburne Farms in Vermont has a parade every day. It is their parade of the chickens. The hens are let out of the coop at a certain time every day and that is posted so that the visitors can watch as they walk down the ramp and into the pasture. Simpleyes, but also entertaining to anyone who doesnt have backyard chickens. The Running of the Lambs The Critter Barn in Michigan does an annual event in early spring. On a certain day that has been well promoted in advance they will make a parade out of the fact that they let the lambs and mother ewes out of the barn and into the pasture for the first time. Easter bonnets have the kids make paper hats from paper plates, ribbons, raf-fia and any other material you may have around. As a certain pre-appointed time, they will all be able to parade with their new hats. Kids love it and if you can get a dog or a goat to lead the parade all the more fun for everyone.

Upcoming Events for 2014 April 26 & 27 ABCs of Farm Education with Shelburne Farms, Everdale Farm in HIllsburgh, Contact Erika for details Erika@everdale.org Stay tuned for details about the Farm to Fork University being developed by OFFMA. Hands on workshops about relevant topics.

Page 8 Fresh Facts

Ontario Farm Fresh Cathy Bartolic, Executive Director 2002 Vandorf Rd. Aurora, ON L4G 7B9 Phone: 905-841-9278 Fax: 905-726-3369 E-mail: info@ontariofarmfresh.com www.ontariofarmfresh.com

2014-15 OFFMA Board of Directors Brian Hugli, President Huglis Blueberry Ranch Leslie Forsythe, Vice President Forsythe Family Farms Jesse Lauzon, Past President Springridge Farm Hollis English, Murphys Farm Market & Bakery Cara Epp, Associate Member Edana Integrated Marketing Nicole Judge, Spirit Tree Estate Cidery Steve Martin, Martins Family Fruit Farm Colleen Pingle, Pingles Farm Market Steve Smith, Smiths Apples Dana Thatcher, Thatcher Farms Jessica Kelly, OMAF and MRA Advisor to the Board

Podcasts to be launched in early April We have recorded conversations with different and interesting farmers in order to help you get a glimpse into their lives. Each podcast is themed around a topic that is relevant to on-farm marketers. Podcasts will be launched one a week for seven weeks. Watch your e-mail blasts for details on where you can access the podcasts. Some of the topics to be presented.. Diversifying your farm with Sarah Jollay from Jollay Orchards Birthday Parties on the Farm with Amy Williams from Springridge Farm A day in the life of an on-farm baker with Anne Burnham from Burnham Family

Farm Market Raising and Selling Meat with Dana Thatcher from Thatchers Farms Hiring and Retaining Employees with Amy Strom from Stroms Farm

Wholesale Database will also be launched in April.last chance to get your products listed. Send

your logo and wholesale list to the OFFMA office to be included on the database that will be circulated to other OFFMA members who may be interested in carrying your products in their on-farm market.

Quick Business Tip from Donald Cooper Are you being bombarded with requests for sponsorships or donations? Are you being bombarded with endless requests for sponsorships and adver-tising donations from various fund-raising groups in your community? The folks asking for these donations assure you that its good advertising and will at-tract many new customers. But you and I both know that this is not true. The Dockyard Tavern in Newcastle, Australia has come up with a terrific solution. They give fundraising groups Vouchers that actually do bring custom-ers and money in the door, while supporting many good causes in their com-munity. The vouchers read, Were delighted to support the important work of _______________. Present this voucher to earn $5.00 sponsorship for your group when purchasing any main meal or pizza listed on our menu. Each group is encouraged to give these vouchers out to as many friends and supporters as they can. The restaurant saves the redeemed vouchers, tallies them up and writes a cheque, generally tax deductable, to the group. Very clever!