Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association

Fresh Facts
Providing knowledge and leadership to grow the farm fresh experience.

President’s Message……
Newsletter #255
Our Neighbour’s Barn February 2010
Volume 25, Number 2

I don’t know about you but owning a business has created a monster in me when I leave
home. No longer can I buy groceries without looking at their price signs or walk into a de-
partment store without noticing their displays or walk into a bakery without taking a picture
of their napkin holder (yes, I’ve actually done this to track down the manufacturer – see
photo below). Gone are the days when I could just shop without critiquing my experience. Inside this issue:
Or did I always notice these things subconsciously and form opinions about where I shop
and how much I purchased once I was in the store? Members News 2

I think the latter is true…which is why we must constantly take a step back and see our
Member Profile 3
farms through the eyes of our customers. How is our signage? Could they use a coat of CSA’a –another 4
paint or do they need to be pitched? Displays – are they selling our merchandise or a dead Marketing Opportu-
weight? Employees – are they working for us or against us? Landscaping – do we have nity
great curb appeal or do we look more run down than our neighbour’s barn?
New Paints 5
I am so excited to have John Stanley with us for our workshop Have you been to a Working ‘in ‘your 6
‘Innovative Merchandising and Displays to Increase your Bottom business or ‘on’ your
Terra Greenhouse business?
Line’ at the Fruit and Vegetable Convention talking about all of
the above! Signage, displays, landscaping, employees, we all lately? John Stanley Learning Opportun- 7
have a lot to manage but knowing what our goal is gives us di- has been working with it ies
rection, saves time and increases our bottom line. Don’t miss Terra Greenhouses for
Upcoming events 8
this workshop on Tuesday, February 23rd. A Registration form several years now on
was included in the January newsletter but you can also get one marketing. I visited
on the OFFMA web site. Fax, e-mail or mail your registration one in December and
form to Cathy today. it was jaw dropping as
soon as I walked in
See you on the 23rd! from their ‘can’t miss
me’ displays, cleanli-
ness, bursts of colour,
exceptional staff, and
OFFMA President their ‘petal points’.

My new napkin holders - $8 per dis-

penser, dispenses 1 environmentally
friendly napkin at a time, comes in many
colours and I can promote the farm or a
product right on the dispenser!
Love this marketing tool?
Go to www.supersans.on.ca
to find your local representative.
Page 2 Fresh Facts

MEMBERSHIP NEWS
New Members
Ontario Farm Fresh extends a
2010 memberships fees warm welcome to its new mem-
are now due bers…

Your 2010 membership fees are due on or Sunnyside All Natural Meats
before OFFMA’s Annual Meeting on Sylvia Londry
February 24, 2010. Cannington, ON 705-437-4959
2010 early bird membership fees are
$139 + GST = $145.95. Brambleberry Farm
Renewals paid after the Annual Meeting Kerry Copestake & Bill Burton
are $169 + GST = $177.45. Wooler, ON 613-398-8350
For your membership benefits to continue
without interruption, please remit Dave’s Apiaries
your renewal promptly. David Gale
Thank you to everyone who has already London, ON 519-453-7363
submitted their fees
Associate Members:
Flanagan Foodservice
Wear your yellow ‘Get Fresh’ Jackie Oakes
t-shirt to the Fruit & Vegetable Kitchener, ON 800-265-6550

Convention and get a prize Gunther Mele Ltd.

If you have trouble trying to decide what to
wear to workshops and conferences, here’s a
solution. If you wear your yellow ‘Get Fresh’
t-shirt to the Fruit & Vegetable Convention at
Brock University and come by the OFFMA
booth in the Trade Show, you will get a prize!!
We want to see a sea of yellow in St. Cathari-
nes
FISH! Video available for rental
The FISH! Video is an invaluable tool
for training new staff members
about choosing their attitude each
and every day and making sure customers have an
engaging, pleasant experience on your farm.
The OFFMA copy is available for rent on a weekly
basis. Cost is $50. Call the office and book your
week now.
Keep your eyes on
the stars and your
feet on the ground.
Lynda Lachance
Brantford, ON 519-756-4330
Davison Orchards
Tom & Tamra Davison
Vernon, BC 250-549-3266
FOR SALE
Allis Chalmers G Tractor with 3
cultivators
Rear tires 90%, runs okay
Contact Paul Watson, 905-623-
1181 or paul@watsonfarms.ca
ATTENTION MEMBERS:
OFFMA will once again be partici-
pating at the Cottage Life Show on
March 26-28, 2010 at the Interna-
tional Centre in Toronto. If you have
brochures you would like us to dis-
tribute at the show, please send
them to the OFFMA office or bring
them to the OFFMA booth at the
Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Conven-
tion in February.

Member Profile: Murray and Ann Bering
White Meadows Farms
St. Catharines, ON
How White Meadows Farms Started
Ann and Murray’s adventure began in 1994
when they purchased the family farm from
Murray’s father, Larry Bering, who purchased
the farm from his father, Adam Bering, who
originally purchased the land in 1937. The
farm began as a dairy farm and vineyard. The
dairy operation consisted of 50 Holstein milk
cows and approximately 120 head of cattle
producing about 500,000 litres of milk a year.
It was in 1989 when Murray and Ann began a
small hobby maple operation in addition to the
current dairy farm. (They have since sold the
dairy in 2006, to concentrate on maple syrup.)
The maple syrup business grew slowly.
Neighbours started to come out to see what
the Berings were doing. And that was when
they started a little shop in the entrance way of
their home. A few years later, a family member
suggested they serve pancakes to the people
visiting the farm, so they put up a small green-
house and rented a trailer kitchen and served
pancakes and sausages while they made ma-
ple syrup.
Every time someone suggested an idea that
they thought was great, the Berings introduced
it to their business. Some examples are when
one of their neighbours wanted to see the
sugar bush, so they took them out on a tractor
drawn wagon ride and talked to them about
what they did...this soon caught on with other
customers and they started doing 6 trips a
day. Gradually, they added more to the "tour"
and started charging for the experience. White
Meadows Farm is now made up of a Maple
Sweet Shop, The Pancake Lodge and Sugar
Bush Tours that attract thousands during
January, February, March and April of each
year. Anne and Murray pride themselves on
producing the best maple syrup you can buy in
the Niagara Region. The Maple Sweet Shop is
open year round and showcases the many
products that they make and hand pack on the
farm. The products include: maple butter tarts,
maple vinegar, maple BBQ sauce, maple mus-
tard, maple granola and many more items that
you’ll just have to visit the farm’s website to
explore.
Since selling the dairy herd, they have also
begun raising antibiotic & drug free Angus
beef. Some of which is sold in the farm store.
In 2009, they grew their first crop of popping
corn to cater to the growing trend of “buy lo-
Newsletter #255 Page 3
cal”. We will be
using this to
make our Ma-
ple Kettle Pop-
corn for our
2010 Maple
Season.
The majority of
the farm’s
acres are used
to grow pre-
mium horse The Bering Family; Richard, Ann, Murray and Nick
hay which they
market ourselves.
How are responsibilities assigned re-
lated to the farm operation?
Each members of the family has their
strengths and they each take care of the area
that best matches those strengths and where
there is a lack of skills, they work as a team.
The major decisions are made together as a
team. Murray and son Nick work the fields
and take care of the production side of things,
Richard, another son looks after marketing
and Ann takes care of all the office needs.
What was your biggest challenge last
year?
Handling large volumes of people on really
nice days during our Sugar season was a
challenge and maintaining a balance of la-
bour and number of guests ratio.
What books are you reading right
now?
Richard is reading "Made to Stick" about how
to design an idea to stick in people’s memo-
ries. Ann is reading 1001 Ways to Energize
Employees by Bob Nelson.
What is your best marketing tip for
other direct farm marketers?
Listen to your customers; they’re the ones
you’re marketing to. Try to cater to growing
trends in the consumer market.
Why are you members of OFFMA?
OFFMA members are a wealth of information,
ideas and experiences that they share with
one another freely. They are creative, imagi-
native and innovative and the sharing of all
this is ‘priceless’.
 Page 4 Fresh Facts

CSA’s - Another Marketing Opportunity

By Gary Johnson, OFFMA membership/marketing coordinator

Are you familiar with CSA’s? CSA is an
acronym for Community Shared Agricul-
ture or Community Supported Agriculture
and both names seem to be used inter-
changeably. Either way it is the same
concept.
Basically, the farmer sells shares to the
public of what he/she grows. There are
now summer and winter shares evolving
on the marketplace. For the price of a
summer share, the farmer agrees to pro-
vide a weekly basket of food as crops
ripen throughout the season. The advan-
tage for the farmer
Other CSA Resources is getting money
upfront to help the
CSA Mini-School, March 4, Kitchener in farm’s cash flow,
conjunction with t he Bring Food Home
as well as knowing
Conference, www.bringfoodhome.com
what you need to
Ruth Klahsen from Monforte Dairy has grow before the
put her own business twist on the CSA growing season
concept in order to save her cheese starts and having
business and build a new plant. Her a guaranteed cus-
presentation will be part of the Direct tomer for your
Farm Sales Session on Wednesday at products. Gener-
the OFVC. ally, share fees
range from $350
csafarms.ca has a listing of CSA opera- to $500 a share-
tions in Ontario as well as a resource holder for a grow-
page to give you more information ing season. Also
about this concept. comforting to the
farmer is the phi-
losophy of shared risk. If a particular
crop fails as a result of weather, the CSA
community accepts the disappointment
along with the farmer. A winter share
would be made up of frozen meat prod-
ucts, eggs and crops that store well for
at least part of the winter.
Community Shared Agriculture has
been around for decades, but it has
really found its stride in popularity with
the growth of the local food movement.
The public is looking for fresh local food
and certainly one way to do that is to go
directly to the farmer. The public is also
interested in developing a relationship
with the farmer who grows their food as
well as learning more about how it is
grown. With all this interest and rela-
tionship building on the part of the pub-
lic, the farmer has to be prepared to
deal with individual shareholder needs
and questions on an on-going basis.
Here’s where the marketing opportunity
comes into play. Running a CSA out of
your on-farm market generates more
traffic to your market. While the public is
picking up their weekly food basket,
they can also be shopping for some of
the other products you carry. These
same people talk to their friends and
relatives about your CSA program and
your market and that continues to add
to the impact.
CSA traditionalists might recoil in horror
that I’m suggesting that a CSA can be a
very useful marketing tool to expand
your on-farm market customer base,
but I see it as win-win for everyone.

Special Challenges
CSA’s can be a management nightmare. Don’t commit to more than you can manage, it is better to
start small and grow your membership. It’s quite a task keeping up with all the different maturing
varieties and packing dozens of individual orders. You have to calculate yields, coordinate deliveries
and keep production and marketing records in much greater detail than with most other farming op-
erations.
CSA’s also require someone with lots of people skills. A CSA coordinator needs to have both people
and managing skills.
 Newsletter #255 Page 5

Transform any space or object with new paints

Magnetic Primer
A latex white primer that transforms any wall into one that can hold mag-
nets. May be covered by any paint. A few years ago when the bus tour was
in Michigan, we saw an example of this at a local conservation authority.
They had painted the wall with the magnetic paint and then painted a farm
scene over it. They used magnetic animals to create stories or let the kids
play with the images.

Chalk Board Paint

Converts wood, metal and glass into a usable black chalk board. Also avail-
able as a spray on product. Personally I have had limited success with this
product but I did not start with a very smooth surface. My sisters have ap-
plied the product in their children’s playroom and it has worked quiet well
for them.

Dry Erase – White Board Paint

Water base, smooth, hard finish that creates a unique white writeable
erasable surface. Imagine the possibilities when you can have a white
board where ever you wish.

All of the above products are made by RUST-OLEUM. I recently saw them
advertised in a Rona flyer but they should be available in most hardware
stores. Painting done on a magnetic background at
Wolcott Mill , Farm Learning Center in
Idea Paint, www.ideapaint.com Michigan
Snipets of a review of this new product. I am unsure
if this is the same as the Dry Erase – White Board Paint although the final
results are the same.
Applying IdeaPaint is easy after you read the directions. Although it con-
forms to all U.S. EPA regulations, and is formaldehyde free with no off-
gassing once it is dry, you should expect a strong odour during application.
The other slight drawback is its cure time. It’ll be hard to keep customers
from using it for a full week.
The result was just as promised a glossy, fully functional dry-erase surface. It’s easy to clean,
even after the marker has been on the surface for a while.
IdeaPaint allows you to provide dry-erase surfaces in any shape or size, if you need the space for
another use down the road, you can paint right over it.

Chalkinkworldstore.com
This marketing tip was shared with the Bus Tour
when we visited Saunders Farm last November.
Angela was very excited about the chalkboards
she had sourced in various shapes and sizes. She
also highly recommended the chalk markers
which are a lot brighter than regular chalk and
stay put until you wash them off with water. The
web site is a treasure trove of ideas and supplies
that you can use to help provide your customers
with fun, simple signs. Angela had no trouble
bringing the items in from the States.

What are you waiting

for? Get a brush and Blackboards is different shapes at Saunders Farm in Munster, ON
start painting!!!
 Page 6 Fresh Facts
Are you working ‘in’ your business or ‘on’ your business?
By Dorene Collins, Marketing and Customer Service Program Lead with OMAFRA
A speaker at a recent workshop stated: “Spend
less time in your business and more time on
your business”. What does this mean to
OFFMA members? The idea of spending more
time developing or examining your business
plan rather than working in the field, farm store
or bakery to ensure the day to day activities
are operating efficiently may not seem too ex-
citing.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce e-
learning centre sited ten key reasons why
small businesses fail and the number one rea-
son was, “Lack of an adequate, viable busi-
ness plan.” If developing and maintaining a
business plan for your operation seems like a
daunting task – remember that a business plan
is a game plan or road map for a defined pe-
riod of time.
Why Plan? Planning is essential as it
A business plan helps define goals, outlines roles and
consists of four responsibilities, sets a benchmark to
record and compare progress and
key compo- provides essential documentation
nents: usually required by financial institu-
marketing plan; tions and government assistance pro-
grams.
production plan,
human resource First and foremost you need to de-
velop a Strategic Vision or a state-
plan and finan- ment of where your business is
cial plan. headed; a Business Mission or a
statement of how you do business;
and key objectives and goals – once these are
established you are ready to tackle a business
plan.
EXAMPLE:
Strategic Vision: Farm XYZ become the lead-
ing pick-your-own strawberry and fall agri-
tourism destination in the County.
Business Mission: Farm XYZ produce quality
food products and consumer experiences to
sustain and grow the farm business.
Key Objectives and Goals: Expand pick-your-
own from 5 acres to 10 acres by 2013. In-
crease fall agri-tourism visits through weekend
events and weekday school tours by 5,000
visits per year to reach a total of 50,000 visits
by 2015.
These three components now provide a clearer
picture of who you are and where you want to
go with your business – now the business plan.
A business plan consists of four key compo-
nents: marketing plan; production plan, hu-
man resource plan and financial plan. I will
examine each of these over the next few
newsletters, starting with the Marketing Plan:
A marketing plan addresses the four P’s of
marketing – product, price, promotion and
place. Your marketing plan should show that
you are aware of market conditions, the gen-
eral economy and the competition. Producing
a product for the right market must be at the
core of your business. How do you know what
is the right product to produce and what is the
right market to target? This is where market
intelligence or market research comes in.
OFFMA members have an advantage due to
the On-Farm Marketing in Ontario research
and subsequent report released last year that
provides great insight into consumer profiles
and preferences. If you have not reviewed the
report you can find it at: http://
ontariofarmfresh.com/about-us/research/on-
farm-marketing-in-ontario-2009/ Insight from
this research regarding products and target
market revealed that the top four products/
services customers were seeking included:
fruits, vegetables, baked goods and agri-
tainment. Customer profiles revealed that two
thirds of customers are between ages 35 and
49 and 50% of customers came in family
groups. This information is helpful in knowing
what to offer and who to target.
Pricing your product or service should be
based on costs, the competition, and what the
market will bear. Place is where you will offer
your product or service and promotion is
where you advertise and engage in public
relations activities to attract customers. For
many OFFMA members, the place is on your
farm – or you sell your products or services
right on the farm through pick-your-own, on-
farm store, etc. Advertising and public rela-
tions activities bring customers to the farm
and often include a mix of things such as:
road signs, website, print advertising, direct
mail, etc. Knowing the most effect forms of
advertising and public relations is different for
each operation depending in your marketing
budget, location and target audience.
Marketing your business takes passion and
commitment. You have to believe in your
product or service in order for it to sell.
 Newsletter #255 Page 7

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES NOT TO BE MISSED

Marketing Caravan– coming to a province near you
The Marketing Caravan is a one day workshop that the Canadian Farm Busi-
ness Management Council (CFBMC) initiated a couple of years ago. They work
with provincial groups who want to have top notch speakers address partici-
pants in their home province for a fraction of what it costs to normally hear
these kind of speakers.

This year’s overall theme is ‘Understanding what customers want and then
working with the media to make sure customers know what you have’. Or to
put it more succinctly ‘Consumer behaviour and media relations’. Jolene Brown
of West Branch, Iowa is a farmer, mother and a well-known expert on family
farm businesses. She will have you laughing while you learn. In her first pres-
entation of the day, When Pigs Fly, Jolene will discuss changes in agriculture
today and how they are impacting the buying decisions of the consumer. She
will be available all day and interacting with participants. To get a sneak peek
at her background, visit www.jolenebrown.com

Joining Jolene is Annemarie Pederson with her presentation “Get the Media
Talking about your Agribusiness”. Annemarie will share the basics of creating Jolene Brown in her soybean field
key messages, pitching a story and working with the media to get the message
out. Participants will also take home a tool kit to walk them through the process when they
are ready to start their own media relations campaign.

All participants will be eligible to win a day of mentorship – a chance to have a one day on-
farm consultation with a business consultant. Register early with the OFFMA office as space
is limited.

Guelph, Holiday Inn—March 23 Kingston, Days Inn—March 25

Registration fee: $55 + GST

The ABC’s of Farm Education at Shelburne Farm in Vermont—only 2 spots left

March 4-6, 2010

Many farms have been working with schools in their area to promote agriculture and teach
the next generation about where their food is grown. This workshop is based on the resource
Project SEASONS developed by Shelburne Farms. Project SEASONS is a collection of sea-
sonal, interdisciplinary activities and teaching ideas. Investigation and hands-on activities help
students discover the agricultural and ecological world around them. Lessons encourage ex-
ploration, develop process skills and emphasize inquiry-based learning.

☼ More than 147 activities using low-cost and easily found materials
☼ Learning objectives, grade ranging and time required for each lesson
☼ Accurate, lively information and thematic bibliography
☼ Activities easily adapted to on-farm visits

Bus Transportation, accommodations for two nights, a two day workshop and most of your
meals are included for $295 per person based on double occupancy.
Call the OFFMA office ASAP if you are interested.
 Page 8 Fresh Facts

Ontario Farm Fresh
Cathy Bartolic, Executive Director
2002 Vandorf Rd.
Aurora, ON L4G 7B9
Phone: 905-841-9278
Fax: 905-726-3369
E-mail: info@ontariofarmfresh.com
www.ontariofarmfresh.com
2009-10 OFFMA Board of Directors
Amy Strom, President
Strom’s Farm
Jesse Lauzon, Vice President
Springridge Farm
Mark Saunders, Past President
Saunders Farm
Paul Brooks, Brooks Farms
Jay Howell, Brantview Apples & Cider
Anne Just, Kurtz Orchards
Marg Land, Annex Publishing
(Associate Member)
Colleen Pingle, Pingle’s Farm Market
Geri Rounds, Rounds Ranch
Steve Smith, Smith’s Apples
Dorene Collins, OMAFRA
(Advisor to the Board)
Upcoming Events
Feb. 5-12 North America Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association Convention 2010,
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, go to nafdma.com for further details
Feb. 16 The Formula for Online Success in the Agricultural Industry, CFBMC
Webinar with Susan Sweeney, visit agriwebinar.com for further information
Feb. 23 John Stanley Workshop—Innovative Merchandising and Displays to
Increase your Bottomline, Brock University, call Cathy Bartolic 905-841-
9278 for details
Feb. 24–25 Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Convention, Brock University, go to ofvc.ca for
further details
March 4 CSA Mini-School, Delta Hotel Kitchener, part of the Bring Food Home Con
ference, go to www.bringfoodhome.com for further info
March 4-6 The ABC’s of Farm Education, Shelburne Farm, Vermont, call Cathy
Bartolic for details.
March 9+10 North American Summit on Food Safety, Holiday Inn, Yorkdale, Toronto,
contact 1-866-298-9343
March 23 Marketing Caravan, Guelph, Contact: Cathy Bartolic at 905-841-9278
March 25 Marketing Caravan, Kingston, Contact: Cathy Bartolic at 905-841-9278
April tbd Food Handlers’ Certification Course—details to follow next month
Have you registered?? ►Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Convention
►OFFMA’s Award Banquet
►John Stanley’s Workshop
Do it now. You don’t want to miss out on these incredible opportunities.

Choose your customers, choose your future

Marketers rarely think about choosing customers... like a sailor on shore leave, we're not so
picky. Huge mistake.
Your customers define what you make, how you make it, where you sell it, what you charge, who
you hire and even how you fund your business. If your customer base changes over time but you
fail to make changes in the rest of your organization, stress and failure will follow.
Sell to angry cheapskates and your business will reflect that. On the other hand, when you find
great customers, they will eagerly co-create with you. They will engage and invent and spread
the word.
It takes vision and guts to turn someone down and focus on a different segment, on people who
might be more difficult to sell to at first, but will lead you where you want to go over time.

Seth Godin sends out thought provoking e-mails on a daily basis, generally related to marketing. If you
want to receive them, go to sethgodin.com and sign up.

The last word….

Looking for some new ideas to inspire your bakery shop. Go to robinhood.ca/bakeshop and check out the reci-
pes under the Recipe Wall tab. That’s all you will need to roll up your sleeves and get creative.