Time to Make Plans! 2012 NAFDMA Convention in Virginia

North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association announces the schedule for its 27th Annual Convention. The convention will be held at the Williamsburg Marriott in Williamsburg Virginia on February 10-16, 2012.

New Opinions from the Old Dominion is the theme of the 2012 NAFDMA Convention. While taking advantage of the rich heritage of Virginia’s Historic Triangle, new lessons in farm direct marketing and agritourism can be learned. This event will give attendees comprehensive access to networking and education opportunities that are unmatched at any other conference. This is last NAFDMA convention to be held on the east coast for the next several years.

The focus will be on how family dynamics, business management, customer service and technology can be leveraged for a successful farm operation. The convention includes bus tours, workshops, concurrent sessions, round table discussions, networking events and a trade show.

Networking Bus Tour
The convention begins with a three-day School on Wheels. The Networking Bus Tour will be held on February 11-13. This popular tour will have six buses on the road to farms such as Carter Mountain Orchards, Virginia Farm Market, Belvedere Plantation, Great Country Farms and Cox Farms. Each bus will have an individualized focus to give attendees an in depth opportunity to network and share subject matter that is important to them.

Trade Show and Participation Day
The Trade Show will be open February 13-15. This unique trade show gives delegates a chance to taste test many specialty food products, compare corn maze companies and even test drive a pedal kart. As many as 90 trade show booths will promote the latest products and services available for farm retail and on-farm entertainment. Along with the trade show, this day features interactive sessions on some of the best marketing practices by NAFDMA members and round table discussions on a myriad of topics from liability and employee training to the next generation on the farm.

Workshops
Wednesday, February 15 will offer full day workshops and mix and match half day workshops. Three workshops will be held off-site at locations in Busch Gardens, Jamestown Settlement and the Yankee Candle Flagship Store. These workshops will focus on agritourism attractions, school tours and retailing. Workshop presenters at the convention hotel include diversity marketing expert Kelly McDonald, retail guru John Stanley, agricultural financial educator Dr. Alex White, and family business advisor Ann Dugan.

Conference
The Keynote Presentation on Thursday, February 16 will be by Kelly McDonald, of McDonald Marketing on how to “market to people not like you". Her definition of diversity and how to effectively market your business through strategic marketing segmentation is the new opinion many marketers need to build their business. All featured workshop presenters will also return for one hour concurrent sessions. Additional speakers will present sessions on subjects that include market expansion, farm to school programs, on-farm weddings, QR tags and Facebook.

For further information on the 2012 NAFDMA Convention, please visit www.nafdma.com/VA2012

The Annual Convention is a Month Away!

2010 was a year to remember for NAFDMA members. Lancaster. Snow. Great fun and a fabulous Convention. One of the best income years ever in our business!

2011? Who knows? But we are just a month away from the start of this year's annual convention and that's a great way to start! Baltimore is looking HOT! It's a world away from Lancaster. No worse. No better. Entirely different. From the bus tours to the hotels, to the food options... it's entirely different. Everyone I know who gets introduced to Baltimore's Inner Harbor has been delighted.

We welcome you. And I do mean WE....

Click here for a 2 minute video welcome from some special friends!

Don't miss out on this premier event for learning and networking about farm direct marketing and agritourism. Complete convention information and registration options can be found a www.nafdma.com/NAFDMA2011/2011Welcome.

We hope to see you there!

Annual NAFDMA “School on Wheels” Networking Bus Tour

North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association announces its annual Bus Tour. The Bus Tour is part of the 26th Annual NAFDMA Convention, and will be held on Feb. 5-7, 2011. Known as NAFDMA’s School on Wheels, the annual bus tour is a popular feature of the NAFDMA convention. The tour will begin on Saturday, Feb. 5 in Baltimore, Maryland. It will then spend the next three days traveling to farm direct marketing and agritourism locations in Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Overnight accommodations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania are included in the bus tour package.

Past attendees of the NAFDMA bus tours know that the networking, sharing of ideas and friendships made on the tour are invaluable to their business. “Often times, it is the conversations that go on between the stops where people get their ideas,” says Kerry Engel, NAFDMA Vice President of Convention Operations. “We learn more from things that are not perfect, we discuss things, and we all learn how we can improve things back home.”

There will be many stops packed into the three day tour. Many of the farms and markets that will be showcased are owned by longtime NAFDMA members. There are two different tour options, Farm Direct Marketing and Agritourism. While both tours will visit some of the same stops, the focus will be different when the bus arrives to visit.

Farm Direct Marketing Tour
The Farm Direct Marketing Tour will focus on the retail side of the businesses on tour. Highlights of this tour include the new retail store at Richardson Farms in Old Marsh, Maryland, the farm market and new build planned at Hollabaugh Brothers Fruit Farm in Biglerville, Pennsylvania and the farm market at Linvilla Orchards in Media, Pennsylvania. Tour goers will learn how the owners of these locations decided that it was time for expansion and how they met the challenges along the way. Additional stops on this tour focus on knowing your customers and how to structure a farm market to meet their needs.

Agritourism Tour
The Agritourism Tour will focus on activities and events on the farm. The stops on this tour know that customers are looking for family entertainment that offers a good value for their money. These farms are capitalizing on the up surge of this industry. There are innovative new ideas and agritourism standards to learn from on this tour. Three of the numerous stops on this tour are Crumland Farms in Frederick, Maryland, Weber's Cider Mill Farm in Parkville, Maryland and Shady Brook Farm in Yardley, Pennsylvania.

For both options, tour goers will have the chance to see historic sites in the region. The overnight hotel in Philadelphia is across the street from Reading Terminal Market and a short distance from the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Time will be allowed to visit these well-known locations. The tours will also drive through the battlefields of Gettysburg on day one of the tours. A complete list of tour stops for each tour option will be available on the NAFDMA Convention website at www.nafdma.com/NAFDMA2011.

At the Annual NAFDMA Convention,There’s Still a Whole Lot More to Learn!

The 26th Annual Convention held by North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association (NAFDMA) will take place on Feb. 4 – 10, 2011. The convention features a three-day bus tour, a day of intensive workshops, and a conference and tradeshow. The Hyatt Regency Baltimore in Baltimore, Maryland will be the home base for the Convention. This hotel on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor will set the stage for the comfortable, intimate setting of fellowship and networking that the NAFDMA Convention is known for.

"This region is a hotbed for customer trends. It forecasts what will be seen across the continent," says Charlie Touchette, NAFDMA's Executive Director. "It's amazing how consumer sensitivity has shifted over the past 5 years. We'll put a spotlight on the wants and needs of customers in today's culture and economy. Convention attendees will come away with a better handle on how to hold the attention of customers back home.''

There is Still a Whole Lot More to Learn is the theme of the 2011 NAFDMA Convention. The bus tour returns to the Mid-Atlantic region where the farm markets and agritourism operations of many long-time NAFDMA members will be showcased. The workshops and sessions will provide the attendees with the tools and information they need to move to the next steps in their businesses. Complete Convention information will be available at www.nafdma.com/NAFDMA2011

Bus Tour
The Networking Bus Tour will be held on Feb. 5-7 and offer two different bus tour options. Option One is the farm direct marketing tour. The buses on this tour will visit several farm market stops. The brand new post and beam style market building at Richardson Farms will be a highlight of this tour. Option Two is the agritourism tour. Linvilla Orchards will be just one of the stops on this tour option. For both options, the tour will begin in Baltimore and overnight for two nights in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tour goers will have the chance to visit the historic sights of the city and learn farm direct marketing ideas from the famous Reading Terminal Market. A complete list of tour stops for each tour option will be available on the web site.

Workshops

Wednesday, Feb. 9 will offer six full day workshops and eight mix and match half day workshops. Education Day is a day full of thought provoking, entertaining and timely workshops. We are happy to announce that food marketing expert, Dr. Richard George will present a workshop on connecting with today’s customers. John Stanley of Australia, a NAFDMA Convention favorite and expert in retail design, will be returning this year to help farm market owners meet the challenges in the industry. Brad Montgomery’s workshop “Laugh-o-Nomics” will focus on how those who enjoy what they are doing are more effective and productive, thus increasing your farm’s bottom line. An off-site workshop highlighting culinary trends on the farm will also be offered.

Conference
The featured workshop presenters will return on Thurs. Feb. 10 along with nearly forty additional presenters for Innovation Day. This year’s conference will feature seven tracks, including U-Pick, Food Service on the Farm, and Family Dynamics. The Technology track will offer sessions on the social media options available for marketing your business in today’s world.Trade ShowAs many as 90 trade show booths will promote the latest products and services available to farm direct marketers and agritourism operators. Exhibitors will also have the opportunity to showcase their products in a 30 minute live demonstration. Vendor applications will be accepted starting on Sept. 15. The complete trade show vendor packet will be on the web site. The Trade Show will be open Feb. 7-9.

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!