MASTERING MARKETING
Are You Crazy?
1 Windy Knoll Farm Market and
Creamery, Chambersburg, PA
Retail Farm Market Bus Tour
extension.umd.edu/agmarkeƟng Tayler’s Farm Market,
2
Inwood, WV
Ginger S. Myers
MARKETING SPECIALIST,
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
EXTENSION
DIRECTOR, MARYLAND
RURAL ENTERPRISE
DEVELOPMENT CENTER
3 Orr’s Farm Market, Martinsburg, WV
8v
Marker-Mill Orchards Farm 4
9v
Market and Bakery
Winchester, VA
Great Country Farm
Bluemont, VA
Stoneybrook Farm, Hillsboro, VA
Burnside Farms, Haymarket, VA 6
5 Willowford Farm, Asburn, VA
7v Ticonderoga Farm
Chantilly, VA
Photo Credit: mapquest.com
gsmyers@umd.edu
301-432-2767 x338
For two beautiful days in mid-September, I had the opportunity to join Penn State Extension’s 19th Annual “Are
You Crazy?” Retail Farm Market Bus Tour. This year, guided by Penn State Extension Educators, Brian Moyer and
Carla Synder, the tour provided participants with an opportunity to visit premier retail farm marketing/
agritourism enterprises to see new things, get ideas to use at home, learn from each other, and build a network
of contacts. Stops on the tour included:
PENNSYLVANIA
Windy Knoll Farm Market & Creamery,
Chambersburg
WEST VIRGINIA
Tayler’s Farm Market, Inwood
Orr’s Farm Market, Martinsburg
VIRGINIA
Marker-Mill Orchards Farm Market & Bakery,
Winchester
Williowford Farm, Ashburn
Burnside Farms, Haymarket
Ticonderoga Farm, Chantilly
Stoneybrook Farm, Hillsboro
Great Country Farms, Bluemont
Signage and an attractive display makes it easy for customers to select varieties and
see pricing. The neutral colored counter covering accents the color of the fruits.
What follows are some new twist for approaching old problems, merchandizing tools, innovative ideas for
display design and layout, and diversification techniques.
Continued on Page 2...
The University of Maryland Extension programs are open to any person and will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion,
ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, and gender identity or expression.
MASTERING MARKETING
Lessons from the “Are You Crazy?” Retail Farm Market Bus Tour ─ Continued From Page 1…
OCTOBER 2015
MERCHANDIZING:
1. While fall may be you busiest season, it’s the best
time of the year to see how others are presenting
and marketing product.
2. Match your products and programs to available
labor resources. Don’t hesitate to add a new
product or program but, don’t hesitate to drop a
one that you don’t have the time or labor to
implement well.
3. Find a Point-of Service program that works with
your recordkeeping system. Electronic programs
such as Quickbooks Merchant programs with the
GoPay feature helps keep track of sales, inventory
management, and generating valuable
management reports.
4. Packaging costs have escalated. Many operations
are now replacing baskets or boxes with plastic
bags for fruit.
This attractive display is made of stacked apple crates and a few
accent pieces. It’s practical, economical, and can be easily be reassembled to create a different display.
2. Provide a place to congregate - Benches, rocking
chairs, counters. Give customers a reason to linger
and impulse buys will follow.
3. Use signage opportunities for agri-educating your
customers. Signage about how it’s grown,
nutritional techniques, preparation and storage
tips, promotion of local farms producing local
foods.
What’s your marketing message for your
current customer base
Bakery - Fresh and home-made
Pick-Your-Own - Fresh and Local
Farmland Preservation and Open Space Shop all things local
Convenience and add-ons - Baking tools,
BBQ tools, rubs, sauces, spices, meats,
dairy, cheese and wines.
DIVERSIFICATION:
1. Each market had it’s “signature” product or event
which provided branding in their customers’
mind.
2. Seasonality drives most diversification.
3. Be careful not to “like” your signature product or
event so much that you neglect other promotions
and other revenue streams.
4. The amount of product and event diversification
must be in direct proportion to the available
workforce and management time required for that
sales segment to be profitable.
This is the “spice room” at Windy Knoll Market, Chambersburg, PA.
Note how the black shelving sets off the color and design of the
containers.
DISPLAY TECHNIQUES:
1. Consider colors for shelving as color of products.
Dark background colors make product colors pop
out. Use contrasting colors. Maximize the use of
primary colors red, blue, and yellow.
Virginia requests that all agritoursim operations post this signage
as a way to alert visitors to possible risks.
2