Lancaster Convention

Can you believe that the Lancaster Convention is only 37 days away! Have you registered yet? The next deadline to register at a discounted rate is next Wednesday, January 6, 2010! Don't Miss Out! Really hope to see you there!

Save $100 on your NAFDMA registration till December 15th!

For those of you who intend to take in the entire week at the 2010 NAFDMA convention you'll want to take advantage of the Ultimate Networker Package. At a rate of $1399.00 per person, double occupancy** when paid before December 15, 2009.

It's a savings of $100/person! www.nafdma.com

Guess who's coming to NAFDMA this year?
Kay Hollabaugh!

"I wouldn't miss it - Lancaster is in our "back yard" and is truly one of the most beautiful areas of the country. Attendees will fall in love with rolling hills, amazing farm land, incredible farm markets andPennsylvania Dutch Food and hospitality. We are hoping to bring a couple staff members along since it is so close. I'm very excited to welcome you all toPennsylvania!" Kay Hollabaugh, Hollabaugh Brothers.

Are you coming to NAFDMA let us know!

The Tradeshow has almost sold out. It's going to be amazing. Reconnect with your NAFDMA family at our 25th anniversary convention. Feb. 5-11, 2010 in Lancaster, PA.
www.nafdma.com

Book your flight to NAFDMA 2010

Hey everyone,
Flight prices really dropped this week. I got my ticket to Harrisburg for just over $500.
The price dropped over $300.

I'm flying through Chicago. I've heard that there are 4 flights a day to Harrisburg from Chicago making it very easy to get to this year's convention.

We have an early, early bird special this year
Don't wait! Registrations are starting to come in.

Check out the amazing program at http://www.nafdma.com/Pennsylvania/PA_reg/

Looking forward to catching up in Lancaster!

A Preview of Lancaster, PA!

Early bird registration begins for NAFDMA 2010

Charlie Touchette, Executive Director, NAFDMA and Anne Holcomb, NAFDMA Convention Chair, just returned home from their final 2010 convention planning trip in Lancaster County.

They were working on NAFDMA's 25th Annual Convention. Anne is very excited about the Lancaster convention, "It's the complete package. Learning, culture and fun. On the tour you will see everything from smaller scale operations to large ag tourism destinations like the Colemans."

"The people of Lancaster County have developed an entire industry around visiting farms. There is so much for NAFDMA members to learn."

NAFDMA magic has been helping farm direct and ag tourism businesses succeed for 25 years.

Take advantage of the highly discounted early registration rate ending December 15 for the Ultimate Networkers Package. It INCLUDES LODGING! . Check out the quick link to Registration Details.

Anne and John Holcomb will be there. Will you?

Never been to a NAFDMA convention? This is the year to start.

Haven't been to NAFDMA in a couple of years? It's time to come home, join your NAFDMA family in Lancaster, February 5 -12, 2010.

Farms of Facebook Follow-up . Say that 10 times really fast!

Mark Saunders, president of NAFDMA started a facebook page for his business this year.

Mark shared with us how social marketing has impacted Saunders Farm . . .

"Facebook and other social media sites have become very important for our business. We need to connect with our customers every way we can.

Facebook is a way we connect and build our community.

We used to hear that you needed a website for your business; now you need a social media presence i.e. twitter, facebook, youtube, flickr to get your message out there and to let your customers share their experience of your farm.

Having a presence on Facebook and other sites has helped with our SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and how high your website ranks in searches. "

Mark Saunders is the Director of Fun at Saunders Farm in Munster, Ontario. You can follow him on twitter at http://twitter.com/directoroffun

or visit his farm at http://www.saundersfarm.com/

Mark will be in Lancaster in February at the 2010 NAFDMA convention. Will you?

Using Facebook to promote your farm and your events

Last February at our Savannah convention social marketing was all the BUZZ. The energy and excitement in these sessions was contagious.

Well, in true NAFDMA form it looks like NAFDMA members have turned that buzz into blogs, groups and viral marketing campaigns. It will be interesting to hear from everyone at our 2010 convention to see how these tools have worked for the various farms.

WHO is DOING what?
I've been anxiously following Tulley's Shocktober Fest group on Facebook as it races towards 1000 members. Tulley's gives away free scream passes, polls it's members on what scares them and connects with it's customers answering questions about the event. I'm sure Stuart will have the results of this campaign analysed and evaluated and will be willing to talk about it in Lancaster.

Everytime Saunders' Farm has an event it mysteriously ends up in the calendar in my Blackberry. I know Mark Saunders will tell us how he does that when we see him in Lancaster.

Other NAFDMA members are using Facebook to keep in touch with each other and their customers (fans). Here are a few that I found and if you are a NAFDMA farm on Facebook let us know in the comments below.

Shhh....2010 Convention secret: There will be a Social Marketing Workshop (don't tell Charlie I told you). Details soon at http://www.nafdma.com/

NAFDMA members on FACEBOOK:
Friends of NAFDMA
Description: For those who have become friends, associates and supliers from our yearly NAFDMA meetings. Also, for anybody who is interested in the lives of those who run Agritourism farms and facilities

Vala's Pumpkin Patch - interestingly not created by the Valas.
Description: Someone had to make this group. I know I'm not the only one on here that's been going to Vala's like every year since they were born.

I want to live at Vala's Pumpkin Patch forever
Category: Just for Fun - Fan Clubs
Description: From the Pig-Tucky derby to the Pumpkin eating dragon...we just can't get enough of you Vala's pumpkin patch. One month out of the year just doesn't do it for us. Bring on the kettle corn, carmel apples, and homemade fudge!! No childhood is complete without Vala's memories!!

I Love Uncle Johns Cider Mill
Description: For all those who grew up or still live in the St. Johns area, an ode to the greatest pumpkin patch, cider mill, and family farm there is! As you know, Uncle Johns has the best cider, doughnuts,baked goods and fresh fruit around. And now they are even making wine and have a tasting room!

Ellms Family Farm
Description: fall activitiescorn mazepumpkin patchFamily fun

We Love Red House Farm
Description: Manchester's no 1 farm shop and Tea Rooms
The Greater Manchester Maize Maze, Halloween Spooktacular, All round a great place to visit!

Tate Farms
Description: Family owned Agritourism Pumpkin Farm located outside the Huntsville city limits.

The Jungle Farm
Description: Three season farm - visit us for flowers in the spring, summer strawberries or the fall family pumpkin season.

NAFDMA members on Youtube

NAFDMA members are one creative bunch.

Bonnie and Dick Swank from Swank Farms in California have a new commercial out to advertise their fall season. Enjoy!

Spotlighting NAFDMA's next generation: John Mills

Spotlight on John Mills - Bowden SunMaze.
John is one of the many younger NAFDMA farmers that came back to their family farms to diversify into farm direct marketing and ag tourism.

The Bowden SunMaze can be found at http://www.sunmaze.ca/

At the Bowden Sunmaze John has tried to develop activities for the whole family to create a unique attraction within the Alberta Ag tourism industry.

The Farm hosts the only Sunflower Maze in Western Canada, along side a traditional corn Maze, U-pick flower farm and New this year - U-pick Vegetable Garden.

During the August Long Weekend they showcase thier u-pick flowers. They have developed a Lily Festival which in 2008 accounted for 1/5th our yearly attendance.

Exciting for the farm in 2009:is the launch of our new campaign the "U-pick Dinner".

"We are kicking off our U-pick Vegetable Garden with focus on Eat Fresh, Eat Local and Eat Seasonal," shares John. "Visitors will be able to choose from a collection of recipes made from ingredients which are available from our U-pick vegetable Fields."

This is the Bowden SunMaze's 4th season in operation and will their 4th year of membership with NAFDMA

"It was through conversations at the 2008 NAFDMA conference which opened my eyes to the potential of Farm Based Events," tells John. "This led to the begining of the Lily Festival and a Fall Pumpkin Festival in 2008 which resulted in a double in farm attendance that year."

John's most unforgettable NAFDMA memory...."I remember as being a 1st time member of NAFDMA I was a little uncertain of how I would be received and of what others would share with me at my first conference. After the first couple days I realized that we "NAFDMA Members" were not in competition with one an other and everyone was welcome to share and help assist in any problems I had encountered the year before."

Thank you John and we will see you in Lancaster!

NAFDMA members sharing and learning at Huber's Orchard July 2009

Rob Leeds reports on the NAFDMA Advanced Learning Retreat 2009

Rob Leeds with Leeds Farm was fortunate enough to attend NAFDMA's Advanced Learning Retreat (ALR) this past July at Huber's Orchard and Winery in Starlight Indiana.

Rob is a long time NAFDMA member who has spent many years on the NAFDMA board. Rob has assisted in the planning and execution of many NAFDMA events. He has seen it all. Well almost all....

Q: Rob, what stood out for you at this year's ALR?

Rob: There were several highlights this year.

• The session on hosting weddings and events- it was great to see how it was done. The lesson covered everything from what brides/event planners look for in a location, the booking procedure, kitchen prep to the delivery of the product. The session had a lot of practical advice, of trying out ideas before investing dollars, what inside information to tell people, contracts used and handling billing. It was a complete lesson in how to develop a business to host events and weddings
• The school tour session. This was a good overview of how the Huber's ran school tours. We picked up some great ideas during the discussion on sound systems. Jan gave us copies of her teacher letters and marketing material. This type of information really helps farms as they are trying to improve there school tours.

Q: What types of operations took part this year?

Rob: We had very different types of operations attending, from small farmer's market vendors to farms looking to branch outside of the fall season to large farms doing year round food sales

Q: What three things were the hot-topics this summer?

Rob:

• The Recession. The discussion was how were farm markets going to take advantage or minimized the impact of less disposable income. Several of the discussion revolved around the reduced ability to travel during this summer's vacation season. This was seen as an opportunity.
• Liability of the play areas- Someone had an issue with the jumping pillow. This once again brought up the issues of how much risk an individual operator is willing to take.
• Next Generation- Several of the farms sent their next generation family members. It was great to see! There was a lot of discussion with them about how they became interested in the farm and if they were going to stay on.

Q:In your mind, how do NAFDMA members, like the Hubers exemplify the NAFDMA spirit?

Rob: The NAFDMA spirt is about sharing. I always had a lot of respect or Jan and Greg but the amount of information they shared at the workshop was more than anyone could expect. The sharing of Teacher letters, marketing material, sample contracts and behind the seans looks is why being part of NAFDMA is so important. The quality of the Huber operation and the willingness of Greg, Jan and the rest of the Huber family and staff to share is what the NAFDMA is all about. Truly a NAFDMA WOW!

NAFDMA Member Spotlight: Wood Orchard Market

Wood Orchard Market is run by Janice and Steve Wood, and Jeff Wood.
They have been apple growers in Door County , Wisconsin since 1955.

About 15 years ago the Woods started planting a new apple variety that they felt had marketing promise. In 1996 they built a retail outlet in the County to be ready to sell these new apples.

Since that time they have expanded their operation by adding a bakery and more sales area. They now get about 25% of thier sales from each of the following 4 categories: gifts, specialty foods, bakery items, and fruit (that they grow).

Wood Orchard Market is open daily May thru October for the summer tourist season in Door County .

"All winter we worried that the current economic environment would not be conducive to our retail business. So to enhance our curb appeal and first impression of people driving by, we designed new landscaping for the front yard of the market", shares Janice.

The new landscaping will include apple shaped pedal cart tracks, and an 8’ high fiberglass apple. (Both the pedal carts and the fiberglass apple were ideas we came away from NAFDMA conferences over the years).

The Wood's have been members of NAFDMA since the St Charles , Illinois conference (1994).

They have had lots of good NAFDMA memories over the years. But I think what stands out is the opportunity for Steve’s sister from Phoenix and Steve and me to travel together to beautiful cities in North America . Traveling and learning in Boston , Victoria and most recently beautiful Savannah.

Visit the Woods at www.woodorchard.com

How airlines are using twitter

Rob Leeds sent me an interesting social media story about the Southwest airline incident. Thought you might enjoy it too.

http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=137977

Meet NAFDMA members Pat & John Sondgeroth

NAFDMA members direct market all types of food. Pat and John Sondgeroth direct market beef.

The Sondgeroth's are fourth generation farmers on a century-old farm where they raise corn, soybeans and piedmontese beef. They direct market approximately 300 head of cattle per year.

This year, Pat and John will be participating in 6 farmers' markets in the Chicago area. This busy couple also sells their beef to restaurants, dinner prep businesses, specialty stores and through their own retail store located in their USDA-inspected processing plant in Mendota, Illinois.


Pat and John have NAFDMA members since 2001. I met John in a Joel Salatin workshop in Arizona.

"We would probably not still be in the direct-marketing portion of our business if it hadn't been for that first conference we attended . It introduced us to marketing at farmers' markets," shares Pat. Farmers' market sales now account for over half of their gross meat sales.

"We very much enjoy seeing other parts of the country, other farmers' markets, and networking. One of the things that most amazed us was the upbeat, positive attitude of the members."

Although they have MANY great NAFDMA memories, probably thier most memorable is the Calgary Farmers' Market. "We are still envious of that beautiful facility and year-round, weather-protected farmers' market with a huge FREE parking area,"says Pat.

Visit Heartland Meats Inc. on thier website: http://www.heartlandmeats.com/

Visit Pat and John at the next NAFDMA conference!

Do farm direct marketers have a role in combating Obesity?

The 2009 F as in Fat report offers a series of recommendations to make preventing and reducing obesity a central objective of health reform, and it also calls for a National Strategy to Combat Obesity.

http://rwjf.org/files/research/20090701tfahfasinfatexecsum.pdf

This report has implication for farm direct marketed products. A good read for those growing fruits and vegetables.

mobile ATM

Spotted this Mobile ATM at the St. Albert Farmer's Market in St. Alberta, Alberta.

It was fun to just sit and listen to the crowd as it walked by.

"That's cool."

"What will they think of next?"

"It just a license to print money."

Has anyone had a mobile ATM at their market or event? 

How did it work? 

Did the market charge them to be there? Let us know. 

NAFDMA member spotlight: Kuiper Family Farm

Today we would like to spotlight the winners of the Best of Show 2009 ‘Celebrate Excellence Contest’, Wade & Kim Kuiper of Kuipers’ Family Farm in Maple Park IL.
www.kuipersfamilyfarm.com

The Kuipers were recognized for both their printed brochure and specialty printed literature. Congratulations!!

1. What has been your biggest challenge when developing brochures?
We seemed to be faced with the same problem when it came to our brochures as we had for newspapers and other printed ads......how to tell them what we have without the "listing" I see occur so often.

I felt this was especially important since we all offered many of the same activities so all our "lists" seemed to be the same! I also need the brochure and all our visual marketing materials so reflect our farm "brand" so that when our customers see an item they know right away it's from Kuipers just by the colors and style, like the McDonalds and Starbucks of the world do.

2. Do you use a professional design company? At what stage in your business did you hire a professional?
Back in about our third season we did contract with a professional advertising agency that did teach me the importance of branding our farm and making sure that everything we put out there from signs on the farm to printed materials all had the same basic look, a guideline I diligently follow today.

After that one year contract we also found that we were no where big enough to be able to afford that agency! I did however get to meet my current graphics designer thru that agency who continues to design everything from the farm signs to the doorhangers for me.

I'm sure by the time we open each fall he is ready to wring my neck but he is exceptional at taking the text and info I need a piece to say and designing the item to reflect our look, usually with a fresh new twist!

Believe it or not we do this all via email, I don't think I've seen him in person for a couple years! I would be happy to share his name and contact info with any member interested in his design talents.

3. Do you have any advice for those thinking of hiring out their designing process?
It's really important to concentrate on the tasks you're good at and to know when your over your head with something and you need to hire it done! In the struggle to save a buck on things I'm sure there are many times we've ended-up spending more doing it ourselves...and then usually redoing it it seems. Working with a graphic designer can be very cost effective in the overall picture!

4. Do you have a distribution strategy? How, where and when do you use brochures?
Frankly we seldom use our brochures nowadays. They seem to get sent out here and there and are distributed a nearby town's tourist info program.

Our main printed advertisements are our doorhangers and our bookmarks. Last year was our fourth year that we hired a company from the Chicagoland area that blankets towns with teams of people that hang our doorhangers on front doors.

Towns are chosen by zip code. Last year we distributed 213,000 and once again got many returned to the farm for coupon redemption.

We also work with surrounding libraries which we supply with our bookmarks to be given out as rewards to kids that participate in their Summer Reading Programs. Like the doorhangers they also contain coupons to help us track whether people are really using them as intended.

5. How long have you been a NAFDMA member?
Our first NAFDMA experience was Boston (2005) and we've been hooked ever since!

6. Why do you come to the NAFDMA convention?
Networking, new ideas, the opportunity to learn, encouragement, laughs, exploring new places, and fun! We think the bus tour is a must if you can only do one aspect of the convention.

7. Why would you encourage others to attend?
Seriously the information you come away with is invaluable! Especially the first couple years you attend, you have to whittle down your list of new ideas to something a bit more realistic to tackle in the upcoming year.

I keep categorized files of ideas collected each year and review them each winter when we are in the planning stages for the upcoming season. While I may not be able to implement an idea the year I got it on the NAFDMA tour, I often will pull the idea a year or two later and do it then.

Thank you Wade and Kim! We hope to see you in Lancaster in February 2010.

Farmer's with a Facebook store? Why not?

http://www.progressivegrocer.com/progressivegrocer/content_display/features/supermarket-technology/e3i34e2ede5adb7e1e80c3174ba12895577

The following is from Progressive Grocer.com

Build Your own Facebook Store
June 19, 2009

Shopping search engine Sortprice.com expanded its merchant store application on the Facebook Platform to help retailers expand their e-commerce capabilities that can be used by the social network’s audience.

The free application, available to any Sortprice.com-enhanced merchant with an existing Facebook account, works hand in hand with their product listing on Sortprice itself and allows them to build a virtual store right on Facebook.

Merchants can have their full inventory available to Facebook users for shoppers to peruse and compare prices on, complete with photos and direct links to their own Web sites, according to Sortprice.The tools give retailers complete control over the “look and feel” of their stores, with dozens of choices for color schemes, an option to upload category images, and the ability to add a slogan to their page as well.

Sortprice also included an extensive FAQ section to guide merchants through the process of configuring their stores while offering tips for promoting the application to internal and external audiences.

On the user side, Sortprice’s unique Drag & Drop feature for the merchant pages is now compatible across all Web browsers, facilitating each user’s visit. Shoppers can now quickly and easily compile a “wish list” of desired items from a particular merchant’s store. These lists are viewable to all users and are the foundation for a truly interactive shopping experience.

Visitors can comment on other users’ wish lists, indicate particular items that they “like,” and even invite friends and family to check out wish lists or specific products.To learn more about the Facebook store application, visit www.sortprice.com/facebook_store

iPhone Application directs users to nearest Farmers' Market

I just stumbled across a new iphone application called Locavore.  It is currently only available in the US. It's goal is to help it's user know what food is in season. 

Anyone with and iPhone or iPod Touch can download the application and have access to a database of in-season, food products in their backyard.

"Knowing what's available in your area at a given time of year is often difficult to determine, so we've taken on the task of collecting data from a variety of sources and presenting it all in the most understandable ways, " states the description on iTunes. 

If you're interested in finding it,  search "locavore" in the iTunes store. 

Would it be helpful for farm direct marketers to promote this to their customers?

Has anyone tried it? Leave us a comment if you have. 

Member spotlight: French Prairie Gardens

Today I'd like to spotlight one of our younger member, Eric Pohlschneider. Eric recenlty joined our board of directors representing NAFDMA growers.

Eric is part of a family business called French Prairie Gardens in St. Paul, Oregon. Their website is http://www.fpgardens.com/

So Eric, how would you describe your business?
You encounter a true country experience at French Prairie Gardens. Our family-owned farm grows fruit, vegetables, grass seed in our fields and bedding plants in our greenhouse. People enjoy the clean, fresh air, the sights and sounds of a working farm, the soft fragrances of beautiful flowers all around them when they visit. When they stop at the Farm Market they discover an array of garden and homemade delights.

In June our strawberries are ripe, just waiting to be picked off the bush. Over Father's Day weekend we host our annual Strawberry Festival featuring hayrides, Pig Barrel train rides, a 20 foot tube slide, animal barn, and delicious fresh food and drink.

In the Fall he hold a Harvest Festival every weekend in October. This annual event hosts the infamous Pigtucky Derby, along with a two-acre pumpkin patch, hayrides, corn maze, hay slide, and Oregon corn on the cob, caramel apples, fresh baked cookies, fresh baked pie and many more treats from their bakery.

What is exciting you about the summer of 2009?
French Prairie Gardens underwent a greenhouse expansion this year, doubling our retail space. I am really looking forward to giving our customers the flowering annuals and perennials they love along with more room to shop and enjoy the farm. We also planted more strawberries this year. There is nothing like seeing that first strawberry of the season turning from green to a bright juicy red with the notion that these farm-fresh berries will soon be enjoyed by many of our customers.

How long have you been a NAFDMA member?
French Prairie Gardens has been a NAFDMA member since 2001. I personally attended my first conference and bus tour when the conference was held in Arizona. I gained so much from my first conference I have been attending since.

Why do you belong to NAFDMA?
Being a NAFDMA member allows our staff to continually be inspired and our business to grow. There has never been a conference that we have not come home with a list full of new ideas and strong business relationships. NAFDMA has also given us the opportunity to make personal connections with its members by joining or guiding on of their annual bus tours. It’s very helpful to meet and spend time with other businesses that are involved in the direct farm marketing industry.

Eric, what is you’re most unforgettable NAFDMA memory?
It was hard to come up with just one memory so I have briefly listed my favorites below…

- My biggest memory regarding NAFDMA was being elected to the board of directors. It has given me the opportunity to spend time and build personal relationships with industry leaders along with allowing me to server our members.

- During the conference in Boston I had the opportunity to connect with Mary and Russ Vollmer on the Agritourism bus tour….I didn’t know so many NAFDMA members could sing Karaoke, well at least they thought they could.

- Who can forget all the rain during the conference in California, but not all was lost, because I was also to spend time with our president Mark Saunders and his wife Angela.

- In Texas, when Rob and Christy Leeds showed us around the wild life safari and John Roba decided it was a good idea to hug a camel.

Thank you Eric. The networks you've built with farm direct marketers from across the world are one of the biggestest benefits in attending a NAFDMA conference. So happy to see that these are your favorite NAFDMA memory. We hope you have a fantastic season!

Hottest news on US Ag and Food policy

Looking for the hottest news on the US Ag and Food policy? Well guess what? They now have a blog? Who knew and it is updated daily (or more). The latest on the Farm Bill, estate planning, agritourism law, and way more..it is all there.

http://www.agandfoodlaw.com/

Cheers,
Brent@WhiteLoafRidge.com

Pumpkin shakes? Local fast food in season?

Had to share this posting from Springwise.com

Many of our members grow and sell into the local market but this has interesting connotations for our ag tourism operators as well. The products look fabulous.

A pumpkin shake? Do any of our pumpkin farms offer these? Are their other local food creations that could be added to the menu's of our farm direct and ag tourism businesses?

Read about Burgerville from the June 8, 2009 Springwise newsletter:

"Fast food restaurants have long been domains of guilty indulgence, something that Burgerville is set to change. Although it's been around in the Pacific Northwest since the 1960s, Burgerville is committed to supplying its patrons with local, seasonal and organic food options.
Beef and cheese are purchased from hormone-free farms in Oregon, and all of Burgerville's produce is locally sourced—meaning customers won't find a strawberry shake in December. They will, however, find sweet potato fries and pumpkin shakes in autumn and Walla Walla onion rings in the summer. "

Read the whole article at http://springwise.com/weekly/2009-06-10.htm#burgerville

Website: http://www.burgerville.com/

NAFDMA member Spotlight: Gammondale Farm

Gerry and Sue Gammond grew strawberries from 1974 to 2007. "Everyone of our strawberries was marketed directly off the farm," shares Sue. "We usually marketed about 10 acres each summer. In the mid 80's we changed locations and began to host school tours and children's birthday parties, in 1989 we began to host Christmas parties and offer winter sleigh rides with our teams of percheron draft horses."

In October 1991 the Gammond's toured pumpkin farms in Illinois and Wisconsin with Al and Kathy Veri and Bob Cobbledick through the Ontario 

Farm Fresh Marketers Association. 

Upon returning, they decided to offer 

“Fall School Tours” in 1992. 

By the mid 1990's, They had "Pumpkin Fest" 

going for 5 weekends in the fall and added the 

haunted Cornfield 5

 yea

rs ago.

In June 2008, Gammondale Farm was a regional winner of the Ontario Premier's Aw

ard for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence. (Congratulations!)

The NAFDMA Story.

The best surprise for the Gammond’s came when 

they found out about the NAFDMA Conference 

in St Paul, MN in February 1992.

While planning a trip with their team of black Percheron horses to St. Paul for the Sleigh and Cutter Parade Winter Carnival they discovered that two industry conferences were going on at the same time. One of which was the NAFDMA Convention. The rest is history....

They joined NAFDMA and signed up for seminars

where Sue made contact with Janet Ecker of 

Wisconsin who sold them a "Queen's Apple" 

system that they still use at Gammondale. 

Sue and Gerry have attended annual meetings in Toronto, North Carolina, Calgary and

Wisconsin and plan to attend this winter in Pennsylvania.

"We belong to NAFDMA because the people are so interesting, knowledgeable and fun. It is social networking at its best!" says Sue. "The organization and the people are great sources of information and always ready to try new things share ideas and be supportive of each other."

One of Sue's best NAFDMA memories was the Alberta Bus Tour! But then again, there was the North Carolina Tour too! . . .and all the great speakers and seminars!

Sue is really excited this summer about growing market vegetables in partnership with

 neighbors who have 2 school-aged children. This will get them involved with the Thund

er Bay Country Market and they will be providing jobs for school kids. The Gammond's hired young students for their strawberry operation and they still hire students for harvesting and selling the pumpkins and squash. It is their way of ensuring that fresh, local food is available in their community. 

Watch for Sue Gammond, Director of Fun and Education in Pennsilvania!

Gammondale Farm:  Family Fun

www.gammondalefarm.com. 

Located 15 km south of Thunder Bay Ontario,

400 miles North of Minneapolis-St Paul,

200 miles north of Duluth and

20 miles north of the Minnesota. 

social marketing stats from Trendwatching.com

So many of our members are wondering, "is this (blogging, twittering etc) worth it?" that I thought I'd share some recent statistics and trends.

My favorite Trend website, Trendwatching has a great briefing this week about social marketing.

"While the notion of consumers establishing and (passionately) tending to their online presences is no longer a source of wonder, the sheer scale and scope of the phenomenon is still astounding. Hundreds of millions of personal pages, feeds, status updates, tweets, profiles, blogs—courtesy of the Facebooks, the mySpaces, the Twitters, the LinkedIns—are building up to an eternally up-to-date encyclopedia of individuals that defies even the most futuristic predictions back in the early days of the web.

These profiles (and billions of other digital crumbs scattered across cyberspace), will live on forever. Not just because the web is a massive caching machine, but more importantly, because younger generations will never want to dispose of their groomed online presence to begin with.

Some (obligatory) figures:
Facebook reached 200 million active users on 8 April 2009. More than 100 million users log on to Facebook every day, while more than 20 million users update their status at least once each day.
MySpace now boasts 130 million members, LinkedIn counts over 40 million members, and Twitter over 30 million members (late May 2009). Oh, and China’s Twitter, TaoTao, now has nearly 50 million users.
Overall, the share of adult US internet users who have a profile on a social networking site has more than quadrupled in the past four years—from 8% in 2005 to 35% now. For adults aged 18-24, it’s 75%, and for tweens, it’s close to 100%. (Source: Pew Internet, January 2009.)
We could go on and on, but it all boils down to future ubiquity for personal online profiles, representing every individual who is online, which in mature consumer societies will mean 99% of the population. " Trendwatching.com June 2009

Check out the whole article at:
www.trendwatching.com/trends/foreverism/

Are you a NAFDMA member with a blog?

Let us know!
Send me a comment and I will add you to our list on the sidebar.

Attention NAFDMA members there is a Friends of NAFDMA group on Facebook. Look for it and sign up.

NAFDMA member spotlight: Walters Pumpkin Patch

NAFDMA members come from across North America and even across the pond. Their farm direct & ag tourism businesses range from smaller, seasonal operations to large year-round establishments. 

We like to spotlight our members and this month our feature members are Becky and Carroll Walters from Walters Pumpkin Patch in Kansas.

Their tag line is "Where Fall Begins!" and you can visit them on-line  at  www.walterspumpkinpatch.com

Becky, how would you describe your business? In the past we have been a 6 week, fall agritourism destination. We have the u-pick pumpkin patch & gourds with all the unusual varieties that we grow here on our farm. We do the hay rides, designed corn maze, have a PumpGun Cannon which shoots an 8 lb pumpkin about 1/2 mile, the pedal cars, and pedal boats, Mountain Boo the underground slide, and a jumping pillow.

We are adding a mining adventure and graveyard golf this year. On Friday and Saturday evenings during October we convert the old grain elevator into a Haunted elevator, and offer a flashlight maze as well. We're not just a field of orange pumpkins, and we're not just for kids.

The Walters business though is morphing into a corporate gathering, wedding and reunion facility too during the spring and summer. We are one of the events for the national windmillers convention here in June, and have several weddings, and a class reunion coming up early this summer.

What is exciting you about the summer of 2009? We've outgrown our facility and are adding more for our visitors to do and see while they are here. Our growth is exciting for us, scarey, but exciting!

How long have you been a NAFDMA member? We joined NAFDMA the year they went to North Carolina if anyone can figure out when that was! (You shouldn't ask these questions of an old person!) It was 2003 Becky and you're not that old, you just have more important things on your brain this time of year. :)

Why do you belong to NAFDMA? We are getting to experience new places that we would never travel to by ourselves. And the people that are members are just the best of the best. (We agree!)

We have learned so much sitting on a bus, talking over dinner, or while visiting with a vendor at the trade show. NAFDMA is about the learning process, but it's people make it a great organization.

As a hobby pumpkin business many years ago, Carroll & I went to visit Weston Red Barn (Steve and Cindy Fry) to see what they did that made them so great. Steve spent over an hour with us just talking about their business and suggested we go to a NAFDMA conference. After showing Carroll the NAFDMA website, he finally agreed to "try the conference" and we were members ever since. Thanks again to Steve and Cindy for putting us onto the NAFDMA experience.

Your most unforgettable NAFDMA memory is ... probably the rock quarry that we visited in North Carolina. I thought it was the most beautiful place I had ever seen! I came back to Kansas wanting my husband to dig me a quarry!

Thank you Becky and Carroll, we hope your year is prosperous and healthy!

Roseabella's Garden images

NAFDMA Celebrate Excellence Winner - Websites

Today we would like to spotlight the winner of the 2009 ‘Celebrate Excellence Website Contest’, Rose Merritt, from Rosabella’s Garden Bakery in Bow, WA. www.rosabellasgarden.com

Rose managed to find some time this spring (not an easy thing for a farm marketer to do) to tell us about her website and business.

NAFDMA: Rose, love the picture of you, Allan and Lili Bella. It’s fun and really sets a tone. Your web site has great photography. Can you share with us your philosophy regarding the use of images?

ROSE: The American Gothic photo of Alan, myself and Lili Bella was done as a joke for a local group here in our Valley called Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland. We asked for the lifesize cardboard cutout when they were finished with it at their annual dinner, so they gave it to us along with photos by a local artist on CD. We liked the message the photo conveyed so we submitted it to the web designers. Apparently, they found it befitting as well.

Our main desire for our website was authenticity; we wanted the website to convey exactly what we look like and what we do as a mom & pop small family farm. The website tells our story.

NAFDMA: What feature on your website are you most proud of?

ROSE: I like that our photos and address and contact information appears on every page, just the way Jane Eckert and John Stanley have been preaching to us at NAFDMA for years. I also love all the food and flower photos. I took all the photos for our website except the American Gothic.

NAFDMA: How do you generate traffic to the website?
ROSE: Since we chose a destination website over a commerce one, we generate most of our traffic during apple season. Folks who are seeking U-Pick apple farms google and find us. We pay to be aligned with Puget Sound Fresh farm guide and the famous Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in our area, both of which give us great exposure as a destination. Folks see our beautiful country red barn, rustic bakery items and gorgeous flower gardens on the website and they put us on their "must visit" list.

NAFDMA: Words of advice for those looking at starting a website or making improvements?
ROSE: Be sure to reflect your authenticity by using real life photos. Cartoons and clip art are poor substitutes. Put your address and a map in plain site, preferably on every single page. Once folks turn the page they seldom turn back. Make customers want to find you. Put your face on the line. Beautify your place and make it as unique to you as possible. Make it worth the trip, especially if you are off the beaten path like we are.

NAFDMA: What’s your biggest challenge with your website?
ROSE: Good web designers are busy and tend to put you in a queue. It took over 2 years to get my website launched. Ask about all costs involved; they can be expensive especially monthly upkeep. They didn't reveal that part to me. We are unable to go in and make changes to our hours to reflect our slow seasons without paying a fortune. Designers are in it for the money so try to get it done right the first time. Recessionary times are challenging so most of us need to cut expenses where we can.

NAFDMA: How long have you been a NAFDMA member?
ROSE: We have been members for about 10 years now. I missed a few as they seem to be getting very expensive and I now have to pick and choose. It's hard to afford much travel during a recession when customers have curtailed their spending and we must do likewise.

NAFDMA: Why do you come to the NAFDMA convention?
ROSE: To refreshen our business. I am always seeking solutions to everyday business challenges such as: people who use us as a restroom stop or dog potty stop or to dump their auto trash. We struggle daily to find positive ways to deal with such issues. On the NAFDMA trips, I try to network with others for good insights to affect positive behaviors.

NAFDMA: Why would you encourage others to attend?
ROSE: It could change their way of doing business. There is always room for improvement and positive change. When this many people come together and talk and share, you can't help but learn new ways of doing business. Everything helps. We were really in trouble in our business by the time we started coming to NAFDMA. Our eyes were opened, new energy and creativity awakened, and over time we were able to apply our new knowledge and reinvent ourselves. We are still in business when others around us have disappeared.

Thank you Rose! We hope to see you in Lancaster in February 2010.

Learning from owners and vendors and staff, oh my?

The Advanced Learning Retreat (ALR) is a relatively new educational product for NAFDMA developed in response to our member's need for more 'in-depth, in-season learning'.

In true NAFDMA form some of our senior (length of membership not age) members have risen to the occasion and offered outstanding retreats at their businesses. This is no easy feat, when  you are in operation.  But it makes for the most candid , open learning experience you can get in this industry.  

The first Advanced Learning Retreat was held in 2006 at Saunders Farm. In 2007 at Vala's Pumpkin Patch and in 2008 at Whitehouse Fruit farm. 

In 2009 our hosts are Jan and Greg Huber from Huber's Orchard and Winery.  Meet and learn from Jan, Greg, their family, staff and vendors over 2 days of sharing and network building. Enrollment is limited as the ALR provides a detailed, in-depth, intimate learning environment. 

 

What will you see at Hubers? Where will you learn? at the: Huber's Farm Market  Family Farm Park  Winery  U-pick  Plantation Hall  Bakery  Ice Cream Factory  Cheese Shop  Starlight Distillery  In the over 550 acres of orchards, fruits, vegetables, Christmas trees, pumpkins, and vineyards

Join us this July, from the 12-15th in Starlight, Indiana.  Our all-inclusive package details will be available on our website in June at  NAFDMA    

Visit our hosts at: 

Huber's Orchard and Winery

Joe Hubers Family Farm and Restaurant

NAFDMA Advanced Learning Retreat

DATES TO SAVE: 
July 12 - 15, 2009; includes your travel time. 
LOCATION: Huber's Orchard and Winery, Starlight, Indiana on July 13 & 14. 
MORE: Plus a bonus visit to Joe Huber's Family Farm and Restaurant