Volume 2 Issue 4
Winter 2012
Producer’s Digital Toolbox Coming Your Way
The Producer’s Digital Toolbox is a series of seminars that will
be offered at several venues starting in March 2012. These seminars will assist you in capitalizing on the hardware and digital
tools now available through the internet. The seminars will cover
topics on GPS and Mapping, as well as Marketing and Management. A description of each seminar is listed below. Look for announcements via e-mail, your local newspaper, and University of
Maryland Extension (UME) newsletters for dates and locations.
This series is made possible by funding from a UME Impact
Team Grant. Please contact Jonathan Kays (jkays@umd.edu),
Ginger Myers (gsmyers@umd.edu), or Shannon Dill
(sdill@umd.edu) if you have any questions regarding the content
of the seminars.
GPS and Mapping
► GPS Training for Beginners - Handheld GPS units are very
useful for agriculture and natural resource professionals, as
Continued on page 2 …
Food For Profit — A Statewide Entrepreneurship Program
Customized to Meet the Needs of Local Food Entrepreneurs
Have you ever been told that your favorite homemade
bread or salsa is “good enough to sell?” Do you have additional fruit or vegetables from your farm or home garden
that you would like to make into a commercial product? Food for Profit is a one-day workshop designed to
help you work through the maze of local and state regulations, food safety issues, and business management concepts that all must be considered in setting up a commercial food service.
This workshop is in collaboration with Penn State Cooperative Extension, University of Maryland Extension, and
the Maryland Rural Enterprise Development Center and
will be held at the Washington County Agricultural Education Center, 7303 Sharpsburg Pike (building door #4),
Boonsboro, MD on Tuesday, February 28, 2012 from
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The tuition cost is $40.00 per person
which includes all materials and lunch.
Pre-payment and registration are required. Registration
go to: http://extension.psu.edu/events (scroll down
to February 28, 2012 listings) or call 877-489-1398.
Continued on page 3 …
Page 2
Volume 2 Issue 4
Producer’s Digital Toolbox Coming Your Way … continued from page 1
well as farmers, woodland owners, and others. They are accurate and
the cost is reasonable. This hands-on course will teach you how use
handheld GPS receivers to collect waypoints, tracks, and routes during field sessions. You will download your data to a computer and
learn about the freeware to help you manage your GPS information. A
GPS handheld unit and computer are provided for use at the training.
Cost: $50
► Integrating Digital Topographic Maps with GPS - Terrain Navigator
software provides USGS topographic maps in a digital format that
allows the user to create waypoints, routes and tracks, and transfer
the data to a GPS unit or download GPS field data. The software allows the user to provide custom, high quality maps for your purposes
or for your clients. The software allows you to map fields, forests,
roads, and other areas of interest for a number of applications. The
workshop combines classroom instruction on how to use the software
with field GPS exercises. A GPS handheld unit, software, and computer are provided for use at the training. Cost: $50
► Productivity - As technology has advanced over the past decade, many people are turning to digital solutions for
enhancing productivity. Modern smart phones offer a variety of productivity software, with an emphasis on cloudbased storage. With the release of Android 4.0, many smartphones are as powerful as a personal assistant. Learn
more about apps that will assist in record-keeping, email, market reports, spreadsheets, financials, and much more.
Cost $25
Marketing and Management
► Digital Databases – Getting Your Business Listed - The increase in use of smartphones and GPS means that
rural enterprises can now market their products and services on digital databases that supply the content for consumer applications. This levels the playing field for enterprises that want to be known and found. This 2-3 hour workshop provides the small business owner instruction on how to enter their business information in the 8-9 digital databases, such as Google Maps and others. Cost $25
► Fingertip Marketing for Portable Devices and Apps - This workshop discusses the following topics: Evaluating
devices, web services, and web sites, understanding Cloud computing, marketing using the new technologies and
applications, and incorporating digital service and application into your marketing plan. Cost $25
► Social & Professional Applications - An introduction to the basics of Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for businesses. Explore ways your business can use social media and online networking tools to effectively reach your current
customers and new ones. While the traditional websites are still useful for advertising your business or community
information, many business owners or community leaders are beginning to interact with their customers through web
sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. This seminar will explore basic fundamentals of popular social networking sites, examples of use, and the potential benefits social media could bring to your business and community.
Cost $25
Maryland Resource Enterprise Development Center (mredc.umd.edu)
The Maryland Rural Enterprise Development Center provides an innovative, 24-7 launch pad providing producers with a
wide variety of web-based University, community, and professional resources for developing profitable, sustainable businesses.
The BARN
Winter 2012
Volume 2 Issue 4
Maximize Your Virtual Marketing
Presence
Today it seems you are what the Internet searches say you are. When
someone searches for your business, they need to be able to find accurate
and useful information about you and/or your business. There is a lot of
erroneous information about businesses on the Internet, such as annual
sales statistics, contact numbers, product listings etc. And, changes in social media formats may have deleted information in your personal or business profile.
Here is a short list of things you can do right now to bolster your on-line
reputation, increase your search rankings, and improve your customer service. Some are more time consuming than others, and probably no one
needs to do them at all, so select the ones that best fit your operation.
► Get Social - Besides being a great way to keep in touch with customers, social profiles rank well on Google. Pick and choose, or use them
all, you need to not only register for these accounts, but fill them out so
they rank higher in searches. These types of accounts include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other professional directories that carry
your business’ profile information. If you already have these accounts,
check them regularly for changes in accessibility and content.
► Check on What’s Being Said Out There - Use tools like Google
Alerts, Twitter Search, Hootsuite, and Trakur, to help monitor what’s
being said about you and your business.
► Be Proactive - Follow-up with customers after sales to collect valuable
feedback on your product and service. Add a customer comment section to your website to help give customers a way to contact you and
offer both feedback and suggestions.
► Join the Discussion - Engage in on-line discussions that relate to Ag
and Natural Resource types business such as #agchat and #foodchat
on Twitter.
► Make Your Own Media - Writing news articles, making videos, and
post images of your business and your products wherever appropriate
give your customers more material to find on-line than your competition by having it posted. Obviously, Flickr, YouTube, and Vimeo work
well for these purposes.
► Blog - Blogging is a great way to grab more search ranking. Blog on
your own site and be a guest blogger on other sites. Blogging, like writing informative articles, can position you as an authority in your area.
► Speaking at an Event - Whether at a civic club event or to a group of
students, speaking to local groups that are interested in your type of
business or products is good for business. These types of events are
often advertised and posted on the web, providing another listing
where potential customers can find you or your business.
Page 3
Food For Profit
Continued from page 1 …
Agenda (February 28, 2012)
9:00 — Welcome & Introductions
LESLIE HART, Agricultural Marketing Specialist
Hagerstown-Washington County Economic
Development Commission
GINGER S. MYERS, Director, Maryland Rural
Enterprise Development Center, University of
Maryland Extension Marketing Specialist
9:10 — Rewards and Challenges of
Food Business
JEANNE DIETZ-BAND, Owner, Many Rocks Farm
9:30 — Legally Speaking
ROBIN HENDERSON, Chief, Center for Food
Processing Maryland DHMH
10:15 — Break
10:25 — Safe Food Handling
LYNN LITTLE, FCS Educator, University of
Maryland Extension – Washington County
11:15 — Developing a Game Plan
WINIFRED MCGEE, Senior Extension Educator,
Entrepreneurship, Penn State Extension
11:45 — Opportunities for Washington
County Farmers
LESLIE HART
11:55 — Lunch Break
12:30 — Start-Up Support
GINGER S. MYERS
12:50 — Finding a Niche
WINIFRED MCGEE
1:40 — Packaging Your Product
WINIFRED MCGEE
2:20 — Break
2:30 — Pricing Your Product
WINIFRED MCGEE
3:30 — Share Your Next Steps! &
General Questions
(a short participant survey)
WINIFRED MCGEE & GINGER S. MYERS
If you have any questions concerning
this program, please contact: Ginger S.
Myers, University of Maryland Extension Specialist at gsmyers@umd.edu
or (301) 432-2767 x 338
Winter 2012
The BARN
Volume 2 Issue 4
Page 4
Direct and Intermediated Marketing of Local Foods in the
United States
Sarah A. Low and Stephen Vogel
ERS Report Summary, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, November 2011
termediated marketing channels.
What Is the Issue?
Despite increased production and consumer interest, locally grown food
accounts for a small segment of U.S. agriculture.
For local foods production
to continue to grow, marketing channels and supply chain infrastructure
must deepen. Information
on U.S. local food producers and their marketing
channels, however, is
incomplete. New information on farmers that market foods locally and the marketing channels they use presented in this report could aid
private and public-sector efforts to support this sector of
the agricultural economy. This report uses the 2008 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) to explore
farmers’ use of both direct-to-consumer and intermediated
marketing channels in selling locally produced foods to
consumers.
What Did the Study Find?

Marketing of local foods, via both direct-to-consumer
and intermediated channels, grossed $4.8 billion in
2008—about four times higher than estimates based
solely on direct-to-consumer sales.

Large farms (those with gross annual sales of
$250,000 or more) accounted for 5 percent of all farms
reporting local food sales in 2008. They averaged
$770,000 in local food sales per farm and were equally
likely to use direct-to-consumer channels exclusively,
intermediated channels exclusively, or a mixture of the
two.

Large farms accounted for 92 percent of the value of
local food sales marketed exclusively through intermediated channels.

For small and medium-sized farms with local food
sales, more operators identified their primary occupation as farming and devoted more time to their farm
operation than operators of similarly sized farms without local sales. Vegetable, fruit, and nut farms dominated local food sales.

Direct-to-consumer sales of food commodities were
affected by climate and topography that favor fruit and
vegetable production, proximity to farmers’ markets
and neighboring local food farms, and access to transportation and information networks.

The value of locally sold food is highest in metropolitan
areas and is geographically concentrated in the Northeast and on the West Coast.
How Was the Study Conducted?
We used the 2008 ARMS data to analyze farmers’ use of
specific direct-to-consumer marketing channels (i.e., use of
roadside stands, farmers’ markets, on-farm stores, and
community-supported agriculture arrangements) and intermediated marketing channels (i.e., farmers’ sales to local retail, restaurant, and regional distribution outlets), but
also farm characteristics and the value of sales for farmers
engaged in local food sales. Data from the 2007 Census of
Agriculture supported the spatial econometric model used
to identify determinants of direct-to-consumer sales.

Farms marketing food commodities exclusively through
intermediated channels reported $2.7 billion in local
food sales in 2008—over three times higher than the
value of local foods marketed exclusively through direct-to-consumer channels, and two times higher than
the value of local foods marketed by farms using a
combination of direct-to-consumer and intermediated
channels.

Small farms (those with less than $50,000 in gross annual sales) accounted for 81 percent of all farms reporting local food sales in 2008. They averaged $7,800 Find the full report at:
in local food sales per farm and were more likely to rely www.ers.usda.gov/publications/err128
exclusively on direct-to-consumer marketing channels,
such as famers’ markets and roadside stands.

Medium-sized farms (those with gross annual sales
between $50,000 and $250,000) accounted for 17 percent of all farms reporting local food sales in 2008.
They averaged $70,000 in local food sales per farm
and were likely to use direct-to-consumer marketing
channels alone or a mix of direct-to-consumer and in-
Winter 2012
The Inside Quote
“Only two activities produce results. One is innovation. The other is marketing. Everything else just produces costs.” - Peter Drucker.
The BARN
Volume 2 Issue 4
Page 5
Upcoming Dates!
February 4, 2012:
Mid-Atlantic Small Flock Poultry Expo
February 23, 2012:
Western Maryland Regional Fruit Meeting
8:30 AM to 3:30 PM
8:30 AM to 4:00 PM
University of Maryland Extension-Carroll County Office &
Carroll County Agriculture Center, 700 Agriculture Center
Drive, Westminster, Maryland 21157. (410) 386-2760
University of Maryland Western Maryland Research and Education Center, 18330 Keedysville Road, Keedysville, MD 21756
The morning Session featured speaker is Dr. Dave Biddinger
from Penn State, who will be speaking on Beneficials and Pollinators as well as Spotted Wing Drosophila. The afternoon session will start with a Fungicide and Disease Management Update
by Dr. Henry Ngugi of Penn State. The rest of the afternoon will
be dedicated to Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) Management. Dr. Tracy Leskey (and her team from USDA), Dr. Greg
Krawczyk (Penn State), and Bryan Butler will present. There will
be plenty of opportunity for input and questions from the industry.
Registration and information go to: http://
www.grapesandfruit.umd.edu/Pages/2012BrochureRFM.pdf
The expo will feature educational seminars on poultry nutrition, disease prevention and control, chicken breeds, egg
and meat production basics, housing, pasturing, feeding
and watering systems, regulations and ordinances, organic
production, litter and mortality composting, breeding and
egg incubation, turkey production, brooding chicks, poultry
in diversified livestock operations, exotics, egg grading and
handling, marketing and economics, urban poultry, and
protecting your flock. Vendors will be available with live
poultry and poultry related items. A poultry processing
demonstration will be conducted. Producers and Extension
specialists will be available for technical questions about
production practices. 4-H will conduct activities and competitions. Door prizes will be awarded. Lunch and snacks
will be available for purchase. Registration: Adults: $10 pre
-registration fee, $20 at the door, Youth 10-18: $5 preregistration, $10 at the door, Children under 10: Free, 4-H
Members or Volunteers admitted free (must pre-register
and show 4-H membership card at the door). Registration
and information go to:
http://carroll.umd.edu/ag/poultry.cfm
February 24, 2012:
New Grape Grower Workshop
Clarion Hotel, Oxon Hill, MD
For more information or to register for this program, please contact Susan Barnes at sbarnes6@umd.edu or call 301-432-2767 x
301
February 28, 2012:
Food For Profit
Washington County Agricultural Education Center
(for more details see pages 1 and 2)
On The Web
The Ag Risk Education Library
http://www.agrisk.umn.edu/Library/Curriculum.aspx?LIB=AR
This site contains links to several training, education curriculum, and information courses and materials for agricultural
risk management, and is a major component of USDA's Risk Management Education (RME) program. The Library organizes thousands of risk management materials which help producers and agricultural professionals quickly locate information, tools, and assistance on specific risk management topics.
The Library includes several major components including:
► Ag Risk Library (Main Library), containing over 2,000 documents organized by production, marketing, financial,
legal, and human risk topics.
► Budget Library - Offering more than 2,750 crop budgets representing over 280 crops and more than 425 livestock
budgets.
► FINBIN Financial Database - Containing actual cost of production data from 3,500 farms representing more than
3.2 million acres of cropland, over 65,000 dairy cows, and more than 900,000 pigs.
Topics specifically available in the library also include Agricultural Management, Bankruptcy, Building a Sustainable
Business, Direct Farm Marketing and Tourism, Livestock Risk Protection Insurance, Managing Risks and Profits, Managing the Modern Farm Business, Strategic Business Planning for Commercial Producers, and Risk Management Training Programs.
Winter 2012
The BARN
Page 6
Volume 2 Issue 4
Social Media Platform Connects Farmers with Local Buyers
Reprinted from Food & Beverage, December 13, 2011.
Sustaination aims to connect food producers with local buyers
via a dedicated social network.
minimal carbon footprint, while farmers within a seven mile radius. Outside of
can reduce packaging, fuel, and trans- that, pricing plans will be put in place
for trading within 15 mile, 50 mile, and
portation costs.
50+ mile areas. One for farmers, food
producers, retailers, and restaurateurs
Sustaination will also help split local
to get involved with early.
delivery costs with other local businesses, and there are plans to introduce a review and recommendation
What Works 2011!
system for users to rate one another.
The Future of Rural
Regular emails will be sent to members
Entrepreneurship
and
to keep them abreast of all the activity
According to Sustaination, because
Community Development
in their local area, and users will be
consumers want to see the area they
Conference
live in thrive, they are willing to pay up able to easily update their profile with
to 20 percent more for locally produced food offers or needs — just as one
PRESENTATIONS
food. Dubbed “the dating site for local would enter a status update on a tradiare
now posted on the
tional social network. Users will also be
food businesses,” Sustaination —
Northeast
Regional Center for
able to upload photos and videos of
which is currently still in beta — will
Rural Development web site
their produce or business, and will be
facilitate the creation of local and regional food supply networks. Both buy- able to share, learn, and compare with
ers and farmers will be able to create a other companies to check and improve
http://nercrd.psu.edu/
profile on the site and list the produce their performance. The video below
Entrepreneurship/
they are looking to buy or sell, as well explains Sustaination in more detail:
WhatWorksIIPresentations.html
as viewing other parties willing to do
business in their local area. The result- Sustaination hopes to be out of beta by
Additional presentations will be
early 2012. It’s currently free to create
ing supply chains that are set up will
added as they receive them.
mean buyers can offer their customers a profile on the site, and it is free for
fresher food from local farmers, with a both businesses and farmers to trade
Earlier this year we featured Farmbook, an international agricultural marketplace based in Russia designed to
help both individuals and companies
around the world market their agricultural goods. Now in the UK, Sustaination aims to connect food producers
with local buyers via a dedicated social
network.
The BARN
University of Maryland Extension - Western Maryland Research & Education Center
18330 Keedysville Road, Keedysville, MD 21756
301-432-2767 x338 or x301, E-mail: gsmyers@umd.edu or sbarnes6@umd.edu
Editor: Ginger S. Myers
Regional Marketing Specialist, University of Maryland Extension
Director, Maryland Rural Enterprise Development Center
The BARN is published quarterly featuring the programs and resources of the
University of Maryland Extension’s (B)usiness Development, (A)g Marketing,
and (R)ural and Community Economic Development (N)etwork.
For more information visit:
Maryland Rural Enterprise Development Center
http://www.mredc.umd.edu/
To Subscribe:
Ag Marketing Program
http://AgMarketing.umd.edu
►
Western Maryland Research & Education Center
http://wmrec.umd.edu
►
University of Maryland Extension
http://www.extension.umd.edu/
University of Maryland Extension programs are open to all citizens
without regard to race, color, gender, disability, religion, age,
sexual orientation, marital or parental status, or national origin.
The BARN
►
Email Notification: contact us (above address) to be added to our email list and you
will receive notification when a new issue of The BARN has been posted on the web
or other important events we would like to share with you.
Hardcopy subscription: mail check or money order for $10 per year, payable to
University of Maryland to the address above.
Online: Issues are posted online and can be downloaded for free:
http://www.agmarketing.umd.edu/Pages/Newsletters/Newsletters.html
Comments and suggestions regarding The Barn are always welcome. References
to commercial products or trade names are made with the understanding that no
discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the University of Maryland
Extension is implied. Articles and photographs can be reprinted with permission.
Winter 2012