ToolChest - Community Alliance with Family Farmers

174 Pages·2013·5.44 MB·English

The Farmers' Marketing and Sales Notebook:
A Post-Harvest Resource for California Specialty Crop
Growers

The ToolChest

Created by
Community Alliance with Family Farmers
PO Box 363 • Davis, CA 95617 • www.caff.org

Funding provided by
The True North Foundation

© 2013 CAFF
This resource is available at www.caff.org and updates will be available periodically.
Acknowledgements

Funding provided by The True North Foundation

Robert B. Corshen, CAFF Farm-to-Market Director • Project Manager
Megan Contreras, CAFF Outreach Coordinator • Assistant Project Manager
David Visher, Visher Consulting • Advisor & Technical Information Contributor
Ronit Ridberg, Ridberg Consulting • Research Manager & Coordinator
Christine Yeakley, UC Davis • Researcher
Carina Kuttering, UC Davis • Researcher
Jasmine Nazari, UC Davis • Researcher
Malie Frelinger, UC Davis • Researcher
Chuck Devers, UC Davis • Researcher
National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) • Contributor
Farm Credit, Gary Matteson & Erin Pirro • Contributors
Preface

The Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) is a non-profit organization that
advocates for California family farmers and sustainable agriculture through practical, on-
the-ground programs. CAFF builds partnerships between family farmers and their
communities to create local economic vitality, improved human and environmental
health, and long-term sustainability of family farms.

With support from the True North Foundation, CAFF has created this post-harvest
reference guidebook that provides information, selling tips and internet links to the best
informational sites for the eight major marketing channels.

This notebook is designed to help the family farmer in his/her continued quest to provide
healthy food to consumers and provides a return on investment, both in time and
dollars, that allows for a healthy life style and the ability to remain on the farm.
Additionally the guidebook gives the most current information for the California
Homemade Act (CFO), the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and the
Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA).

The True North Foundation has also assisted CAFF in responding to the public’s
growing demand for information and guidance on where to find locally grown foods by
funding CAFF’s “Buy Fresh Buy Local Eater’s Guide to Local Food.” These guides
were instrumental in building the Buy Fresh Buy Local movement and connecting
consumers to regional agriculture and family farmers.

Both CAFF and the True North Foundation aim to help farmers make a viable living on
the farm and consider land stewardship to be at the core of this goal.
Table
 of
 Contents

Section
 I.
 Introduction..........................................................................................................11

About
 the
 Community
 Alliance
 with
 Family
 Farmers.............................................................................................11

The
 Goal
 of
 the
 ToolChest....................................................................................................................................................12

The
 Purpose...............................................................................................................................................................................12

Using
 the
 ToolChest...............................................................................................................................................................13

Getting
 Started:
 Business
 Plan
 Fundamentals............................................................................................................14

Next
 Steps:

 Determining
 Marketing
 Channels...........................................................................................................14

Essential
 Tools...........................................................................................................................................................................15

Section
 II.
 First
 Steps.............................................................................................................21

SWOT
 Analysis.........................................................................................................................................................................21

SWOT
 Analysis
 Template.....................................................................................................................................................21

Plan
 to
 Succeed........................................................................................................................................................................23

Section
 III.
 Marketing
 Presentation
 and
 Sales
 Techniques
 by
 Channel...................................26

Farm
 Stands/Pick
 N’
 Pay.....................................................................................................................................................29

Tip
 Sheet......................................................................................................................................................................................31

Farm
 Stand
 /
 Pick
 N’
 Pay:
 Resources..............................................................................................................................33

Farmers
 Markets.....................................................................................................................................................................39

Tip
 Sheet......................................................................................................................................................................................41

Farmers
 Markets:
 Resources...............................................................................................................................................43

Community
 Supported
 Agriculture
 (CSA)....................................................................................................................49

Tip Sheet....................................................................................................................................................................................51

CSA: Resources.....................................................................................................................................................................53

Direct
 to
 Retail..........................................................................................................................................................................57

Tip
 Sheet......................................................................................................................................................................................61

Direct
 to
 Retail:
 Resources...................................................................................................................................................63

Direct
 to
 Schools......................................................................................................................................................................67

Direct
 to
 Schools:
 Resources...............................................................................................................................................70

Direct
 to
 Food
 Service
 (food
 away
 from
 home).........................................................................................................75

Tip
 Sheets....................................................................................................................................................................................79

Direct
 to
 Food
 Service:
 Resources.....................................................................................................................................83

Direct
 to
 Produce
 and
 Other
 Wholesale
 Channels....................................................................................................87
Tip
 Sheets....................................................................................................................................................................................89

Direct
 to
 Produce
 and
 Other
 Wholesale
 Channels:
 Resources.............................................................................97

Agritourism.............................................................................................................................................................................101

Tip
 Sheet...................................................................................................................................................................................103

Agritourism:
 Resources......................................................................................................................................................105

Social
 Media
 and
 Online
 Communications................................................................................................................109

Tip
 Sheet...................................................................................................................................................................................113

Social
 Media
 and
 Online
 Communication:
 Resources...........................................................................................115

Value
 Added
 /
 Cottage
 Food
 Operation......................................................................................................................120

Value
 Added
 /
 Cottage
 Food
 Operation:
 Resources...............................................................................................120

Section
 IV.
 California
 Homemade
 Food
 Act.........................................................................122

Section
 V.
 Good
 Agricultural
 Practices
 (GAPs)
 /
 Food
 Safety...............................................143

Good
 Agricultural
 Practices
 (GAPs)
 /
 Food
 Safety:
 Resources.........................................................................145

Section
 VI.
 Organic
 Agriculture
 and
 Certification.................................................................151

Organic
 Agriculture
 and
 Certification:
 Resources.................................................................................................159

Appendix............................................................................................................................162

Farm
 A:
 Full
 size
 conventional
 orchard
 with
 some
 acreage
 in
 transition
 to
 organic.............................163

Farm
 B:
 Small
 Organic
 diversified
 vegetable
 truck
 farm
 with
 a
 plan
 to
 sell
 to
 schools........................167

Farm
 C:
 Diversified
 mid-­‐sized
 farm
 with
 plans
 to
 sell
 online...........................................................................171
8
Section
 I.

Introduction

  9
10