Ag Marke ng
Ginger S. Myers
Marke ng Specialist
University of Maryland
Extension
NEWS UPDATE ‐ SUMMER 2009
Over-Order Pricing
Cage-Free Sustainable
Row Feet
Director, Maryland
Rural Enterprise
Development Center
gsmyers@umd.edu
301‐432‐2767 x338
Certified Organic
CSA Organic
Free-Range
Avoid Speaking “Farmese” to Consumers
It was a joke in the county economic develop‐
ment office where I worked that I was the only
person in the office that spoke “farmese.” You
know…that strange language that uses terms
like sustainable, organic, row feet, CSA, cage‐
free, free‐range, over‐order pricing, cer fied or‐
ganic, etc. Any phone call from a farmer came
straight to me because I was the only one in the
office who understood what they were talking
about.
Every field and occupa on has its own unique
set of terms and defini ons. Those engaged in
the field understand them and use them with
ease. But farmers now comprise less than 2% of
the popula on the end user of agricultural prod‐
ucts is a consumer that may be at least three
genera ons removed from ever having cut seed
potatoes.
Regardless of your product, you need to speak
to consumers using their own words and defini‐
ons. For example, “sustainability” is not a
household word but it does represent several
key values to customers including: healthier, lo‐
cally grown, authen city, socially responsible,
environmentally sound and simple living. Link
your product or industry segment with consum‐
ers by explaining your product’s a ributes in
terms such as family health and wellness, pro‐
duced on a family farm, or raised without pes ‐
cides or commercial fer lizers.
We o en make purchasing decisions based on
the packaging and presenta on of products.
Consumers are seeking stories and ways to con‐
nect to where their food comes from. To you it
may be just a milk carton or peck or apples, but
to the consumer it can represent a farm or a fac‐
tory; a mass‐produced commodity or a unique
heirloom worth preserving. Consider what
claims of descrip ons you put on packages or
how you label your products. Are you using
terms that have a clear meaning to customers?
Economic concerns are at the top of every con‐
sumer’s shopping list, but so is ge ng ”value”
for their food dollar. Help them link “value” with
“quality” by describing your products in terms
they will understand such as freshness, its nutri‐
onal content, tender, and tasty. Be pro‐ac ve
in helping consumers understand food labels
and produc on methods so they can be be er
informed about where and how their food is
produced.
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