Classroom On Wheels Reducing Marketing and
Human Resource Risk
John Berry, Ag Marketing Educator
Penn State Cooperative Extension, S.E. Region
Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity and the diversity of its work force.
Educational needs of
women farmers
• Financial
• Marketing
• Business planning
• Safety
Barriers to learning
• Cost
• Location
• Format
“Are You Crazy?”
Retail Farm Market
Bus Tour
Pennsylvania Retail Farm Market Association
Penn State Cooperative Extension
Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association
Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture
Educational opportunities
Educational opportunities
Educational opportunities
Inputs
• Cash
• Volunteers
• Host markets
• Administration
• My time
Evaluation
Overall, how would you rate the tour?
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excellent – 45%
very good – 50%
good – 5%
fair poor -
Evaluation
Overall, the information was...
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nearly all useful – 20%
quite useful – 70%
somewhat useful – 5%
of little use – 3%
of no use – 3%
Evaluation
Would you attend another tour in the
future?
• yes – 85%
• no – 5%
• possibly – 10%
Evaluation
I learned something today...
• yes – 90%
• no – 5%
• maybe – 5%
Evaluation
Have you participated with this tour in past
years?
• yes – 30%
• no – 70%
• I don't know
If yes, have you made adjustments in your
business as a result of something you
learned?
• yes – 70%
• not yet – 20%
• I don't know – 10%
Results/Outcomes/Impacts
• Started selling more value-added products.
Started a bakery.
• Put flats on greenhouse floor.
• Landscaping. Certain signs. Improving the
petting zoo.
• Improved signs, more landscaping around retail
area. This year: more educating general public
through farm tours, expanding by adding
landscaping trees and apple orchard.
• We supply recipes with every edible item we
sell. Put Web site together and improving it to
have it reflect our personal business.
Results/Outcomes/Impacts
•Product mix. Merchandising. Customer
service (made core value).
•Some display areas. Signage.
•Clearer signage, better displays and use of
space.
•Brochures, events, signs, displays, products.
•Merchandising. Product line. Layout of store.
•Setting up displays differently. Improved signs
and informational pamphlets.
•Growing new items for sale.
•Added on to have more display room.
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Comments?
A long day.
Very enjoyable tour! Good tour. Very nice tour.
Good to make us think between stops.
Thanks for a great day!
I think it was worth my time.
Tour was possibly too long. By the end of the day I was infooverloaded! Other than that, great tour!
Great fun and educational. It's nice to see how other people run
their markets.
Thanks.
Great selection of differing markets. Good lunch stop.
Professional farmers/vendors.
The tour was well planned and there were a variety of markets
to see. It is always helpful to talk about farm markets with
other people in the business.
I enjoyed seeing the different markets and ways other people
sell their products. I also liked seeing different ideas and would
like to implement some of them.
Nice lunch. Would like to spend more time at lake. I don't get
out much!