Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association

Providing knowledge and leadership to grow the farm fresh experience.

Fresh Facts
Newsletter #271 September 2011
Volume 26, Number 8

Presidents Message
I have a confession to make. I love training new staff. And Im not really sure why I love it so. All of it makes me happy the orientation, the introductions, the staff manuals, the product knowledge sessions, the co-worker shadowingall of it. I think it may have something to do with the idea of fresh starts. Maybe it is that I never outgrew my university years where I was convinced that the only career for me was teaching. More probably this love of training stems from my own good feelings about what were doing here on the farm and my desire to share it with people. Whatever the reason, the fact remains that I am a big fan of training. For many of us in direct farm marketing, fall is our busy time. As October approaches, were just finished our hiring here at Springridge Farm and it is time to train. Our different jobs and work areas are broken up into departments but the training for each department is similar. Everyone starts with a staff manual which tells them about the farms history and what we do now, answers some frequently asked questions, and sets out our expectations for staff. New staff is always given a farm orientation where we go over the manual in a bit more depth, and tour the farm, explaining how we run. Next, new staff members are paired with more experienced co-workers for a little oneon-one job shadowing in their department. We then come together as a whole team for a little pep rally and some product knowledge training. In 2002, the NAFDMA convention came to Toronto. Pete Luckett - of Petes Frootique (there are 4 stores now in the Maritimes) - spoke about his markets and his staff training procedures. It was from Pete that we stole the idea of organizing Product Knowledge Sessions for staff. Yepdirect steal (thanks Pete). Whenever we can, we gather the whole staff and we dip, dunk, spread, marinate, grill, roast, crunch, chew, and taste. We parade out our newest and most exciting (we think) merchandise and talk about why we think its so great. We chat, we solicit suggestions, and we sometimes debate. All of this so that more people on our team get to experience what they sell. You know what they say about a little information Wishing you a happy and prosperous fall season,

Inside this issue:

Membership News Book review: One Birds Choice Go QR Crazy Beware the Dangers of Discounts Upcoming Opportunities Upcoming Events

2 3 4 6 7 8

New Product Ice Packs / Ice Mats 6" x 6"

Flexible, Reusable Ice Pack / Ice Mat/ Ice Platter Bends when Frozen Patented Design - soft when unfrozen 9, 2" X 2" cubes linked together. Ideal for: Lunch Boxes Cooler Promotions Picnic Baskets Wine Totes Entertaining -Catering -Buffets Lasts 30% Longer than Ice with No Melting Mess! Made with Safe, 100% Purified Water Printed with Get Fresh. Visit a Farm logo Cost is $1.50 each, 12 minimum Sell them in your market or use them as give aways.

Jesse Lauzon OFFMA President

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Fresh Facts

MEMBERSHIP NEWS
CLASSIFIEDS:
FOR SALEMini straw bales, 12 x 10 x 24, $1.50 wholesale (usually retails for $4.00-$5.00), picked up at the farm, contact Kevin Shantz, 519-634-5252 or info@shantzholmpumpkins.ca
Classifieds are free to all members, send information to the OFFMA office and it will be included in the next newsletter. An email blast can also be sent out to the membership.

Its a hit!
There are close to 40 on-farm markets now selling this Canadian Best Seller. Are you offering this great product to your customers? What are you waiting for? Call Cathy to get a box (8 books) shipped out to you before the season is over. It makes a great Christmas present too.

New Canadian banknotes on the horizon

Canadians will soon be using polymer banknotes as their currency. Check out this website to learn about the innovative security features you and your staff need to be familiar with: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7chpllnU-To
(Thanks for passing this info along, Bob Cobb.)

Agritourism Health and Safety Guidelines for Children

Just released from the National Children's Center is a 40 page handbook full of checklists of what to look for if you are bringing children and families on to the farm as part of your agritourism business. This is an American publication but it is still very valuable for Ontario on-farm marketers and anyone involved with the agri-tourism industry. These checklists are exactly what every operator should be going through to be able to show their due diligence to their insurance company. Additionally if ever involved in a claim - the first thing to show is that you were on top of your game and had prepared all facilities to the best of your abilities - "due diligence". The handbook includes sections on general safety in regards to specific attractions and events such as corn mazes and animal attractions. There is also a fabulous chart on children and the different developmental considerations in regards to age. This is key piece of knowledge if you are targeting certain age groups. As is stated in the handbook - when it is your own farm or Agritourism operation it is easy to grow too familiar with the workings of the business and the potential hazards. Always keep in mind that your customers very likely have almost no farm experience or exposure to all the things you take for granted - whether that is farm animals, farm equipment or even open ponds and rough ground. All of these can be an issue - if you are not looking at them through a customer lens. Taking time to read this publication is a very good step towards creating a memorable and safe customer experience at your Agritourism business this season. The 40-page pdf file is a free download. Follow the link below for your copy. http://www.marshfieldclinic.org/proxy/MCRF-Centers-NFMC-NCCRAHSAgritourismHealthandSafetyGuidelinesforChildren2011.1.pdf (Thanks to NAFDMA for passing this info along.)

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A Barnyard Book Review: One Birds Choice

By Niki Hilton
Welcome to the OFFMA Book Club! This club is just as exclusive as Oprahs, only fresher. If youre looking for an entertaining book when all the farm kids go back to school, pick-up a copy of One Birds Choice, by Ontario author, Iain Reid. After graduating from university and trying to catch a break in Toronto, Reid finds himself accepting a contract job in Ottawa and moving back in with his mom and dad. The memoir chronicles a year spent on his parents idyllic hobby farm, Lilac Hill. While many OFFMA members will relate to the chores Reid endures in order to help with the upkeep of the farm, many others will appreciate the relationship he develops with his parents as he settles back into the family nest. Reid acknowledges there are benefits to both city and country life but after his year at the farm he says, I am drawn to the country for its appeal and quietness as well as the nature, land and animals. I missed that more than I realized when I was living in Toronto. Their family farm is surrounded by 20-foot tall lilac trees and is home to sheep, cats, dogs, chickens, ducks and guinea fowl. The animals in the book turn out to be secondary characters. Our guinea fowl, Lucius, is like another son according to my mom, explains Reid. Animals at the farm become like people. Now, theres a thought that Clip Clop the donkey at Downeys Farm Market and Rocky the rooster at Springridge Farm will agree with! Reid admits that after publishing One Birds Choice, hes gained attention from the media asking to visit Lilac Hill. I was reluctant to do any interviews at the farm and wanted to maintain my privacy, he says. However, after agreeing not to publish anything about his parents or the farms location, he welcomed Andrew Evans from National Geographic Traveler to the farm in July. After exploring Lilac Hill and taking in the farms natural beauty, Evans posted a video, article and photographs on the National Geographic website, which is read by over 12 million visitors per month. Evans boost to Ontario farm life was well received, however Reid has no plans to turn Lilac Hill into an on-farm market. My parents welcome guests and like entertaining but Im very protective of the farm, says Reid. Id like to keep Lilac Hill in the family. I could see making a writers retreat there in the future but its staying a hobby farm for now. His advice to younger generations returning to help run a family farm is, Make sure you have a sense of humour! Reids amusing Have you read a good anecdotes about discovering that their book you would like to resident ram is rather well endowed, collecting eggs from a chicken he deshare with others? scribes as Jabba the Hutt and his parOFFMA is always lookents engaging dialogue add to his honing for information for est account of life at Lilac Hill. the newsletter. Contact Iain Reids memoir, One Birds Choice, the office, if you would proves that spending time on an Ontario like to do a book review. farm can propel you to do great things.

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Fresh Facts

Tip #471Go QR Crazy!

By Bob Negen, WhizBang! Training More and more, your customers are using smart phones to surf the web, interact with friends, and navigate the world. Using QR codes is an easy way for you connect with your customers while they are using their phones. What's a QR code? It's one of those square bar code things you see popping up all over the place. Like this: If you scan this one with your smart phone QR code reader it will take you to our Facebook page. (Be sure to LIKE us while you're there!) Centerville Coin and Jewelry puts QR codes on all her cars with links back to her website. Check out that great call to action: "I DARE U 2 SCAN ME!"

QR codes are great because you can use them to send your customers to a web page, send them a text, add your contact info to their phone and a bunch of other fun stuff.

Get Creative!
Check out these examples of ways your colleagues are using QR codes to connect with their customers AND new prospects... Julie's Corner Store posted this sign on their front door with a QR that points to a video tour of her store on YouTube. If folks stop by before or after the store opens they can still check out what's inside! More ideas... Designs On You printed QR codes on hand fans that she handed out at a community parade. Brit Golf suggests QR codes on gift certificates that bring up a map to your store. Great idea if you're giving the gift certificates to new customers who may not know where you are located. Mike VerDuin, a local Grand Haven printer, offers these ideas... "We put a QR code for Grand Haven Main Street DDA facebook page on three local restaurant place mats with only the caption "Find out what is happening in Downtown Grand Haven" It has added followers to their page and has give us some interesting feedback in the analytics. "Another customer of ours put a QR code on the back of his business card and has it set to a link he can redirect, sometimes it is a video,

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sometimes his blog, sometimes his facebook page. He keeps it fresh." "Worst QR code we've printed was on an advertisement to be hung up in a men's bathroom. We couldn't talk the customer out of it."

use a QR code, so much more to learn. Keep you eyes open, and youll notice them popping up everywhere.
Thanks to Bob Negen from WhizBang! Training for this article. WhizBang! Training helps retailers get the critical business skills they need to run successful stores. For more information, check out www.whizbangtraining.com

Susan likes the idea of sending a post card to your entire mailing list with a QR code pointing them to a speGet it done while having FUN cial mobile phone optimized web page with an invitation/bribe to Staff training has to get done. It's one of the three basic parts of good employee coaching sign up for your email newsletters. (1. give continuous training 2. reward good performance 3. hold staff accountable). Wouldn't you like to have more of your snail mail names turn into Here are three ideas to make staff training FUN. email addresses? Turn your product training into a scavenger hunt where teams have to rush around the The most recent Crate and Barrel catalog we received had a QR code on the back cover sending people to a sweepstakes on their Facebook page. Of course you had to LIKE them to enter the sweepstakes! Great fan builder. Whew! That's a lot of ideas, but there are so many more ways to

store gathering products that match a list of specific features and benefits. Give prizes for the winning team. Have a Jeopardy-style training game... and you play Alex Trebek. Five categories, five questions for each category. "I'll take 'Dress Code Policies' for $300." Create your own advanced training course, "Your Store University". Award employees prizes donated by your vendors as they complete each of their "college classes" and finally "graduate". Hold a graduation ceremony and make it a big deal.

There are lots of other ways to make training fun. Use your imagination!

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Fresh Facts

Beware the Dangers of Discounts

by Carl Fletcher, OMAFRA Strategic Business Planning Lead
When I ask how much discount is required before someone gets your attention most people do not respond until about 15% so the temptation to offer discounts is very real but very dangerous for retailers! For example, you have a 25% margin on a product (calculated as a percentage of sales price sales price $1.00 per unit, cost $0.75 per unit giving a margin $0.25 -- $0.25/$1.00 X100 =25%). You want to know how much more product you will have to sell if you reduce the price by 10% in order to end up with the same amount of profits as compared with the starting price and sales volume. Using the chart below locate the 10% price cut row in the left hand column. Follow the row until it meets the 25% Margin Column. The result is that you will need to sell 66.7% more product at a 10% less price to give the same total profit as selling at the original price. If you can sell 10 at the original price you need to sell more than 16.7 at the discount price to make more money. If at the lower price you sell more than the chart result then you will have more total profits. Because the margin is calculated as a percentage of sales price, if you drop your price by the same amount as your margin then there is no profit as sales price equals the cost of production.

What % More Volume You Must Sell to Equal Total Profits as compared to the Starting Price If you cut your price by _?_% 1% 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 13 (HST) 15 20 25 Present Margin calculated as a Percentage of Sales Price 5% 25.0 66.6 150.0 400.0 X LOSS LOSS LOSS LOSS LOSS LOSS LOSS LOSS LOSS 10% 11.1 25.0 42.8 66.6 100.0 150.0 233.3 400.0 1000.0 X LOSS LOSS LOSS LOSS 15% 7.1 15.4 25.0 36.4 50.0 66.7 87.5 114.3 160.0 200.0 850.0 X LOSS LOSS 20% 5.3 11.1 17.6 25.0 33.3 42.9 53.8 66.7 81.8 100.0 185.7 300.0 X LOSS 25% 4.2 8.2 13.6 19.0 25.0 31.6 38.9 47.1 56.2 66.7 108.3 150.0 400.0 X 30% 3.4 7.1 11.1 15.4 20.0 25.0 30.4 36.4 42.3 50.0 76.5 100.0 200.0 500.0 35% 2.9 6.1 9.4 12.9 16.7 20.7 25.0 29.6 34.6 40.0 50.1 75.0 133.3 250.0 40% 2.6 5.3 8.1 11.1 14.3 17.6 21.2 25.0 29.0 33.3 48.1 60.0 100.0 166.7

Make sure your business has information systems that can let you calculate your total cost per unit including production costs, marketing, selling, distribution costs and retail costs if applicable. You need to know your cost of production in order to calculate your profit margin per product or service. Without knowing your profit margin per unit it is difficult to make profits let alone know what impact a discount can have!

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Upcoming opportunities...
2011 Harvest Market at The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair November 4-13, 2011
The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair welcomes back farmers and small food processors to the Harvest Market. They are excited to announce that the Market will be in its new location as of Opening Day, Friday, November 4th. Offering visitors plenty of local products to take home and enjoy. Located now in Hall C of the Direct Energy Centre at the Royal, the Harvest Market will be situated next to Journey to Your Good Health and the many Agriculture Displays from the Royals Agriculture Competitions such as Honey and Maple, Vegetables and Preserves. Harvest Market applications are now open and booths may be reserved on a daily basis ($75/day), or for the entire length of the Fair ($640/10 days). Participating in the Royal Agriculture Winter Fair Harvest Market can enhance your business year round. Of the 336,000 visitors in 2010, 58% or almost 200,000 were from the 905/416 area this is your opportunity to meet them and make them regular customers! If you require additional information please contact Caitlin ONeill, Agriculture Manager (Tel: 416-263-3440 Email: coneill@royalfair.org) or Melanie McDougall, Agriculture Events Coordinator (Tel: 416-263-3430 Email: mmcdougall@royalfair.org).

Virtual One-on-One Social Media Consulting

OFFMA has been working with Susan Murphy from Jester Creative Inc. to develop a consulting program around social media. It is intended for people who have a basic understanding of social media but do not feel confident to expand. This program will be delivered over the phone, thru Skype or another type of video conferencing. It consists of: 1.Pre-session Survey 2.Initial Discussion and Review 4 hours 3.Consulting Session can be customized to specifically address questions and concerns. Ares covered can include but are not limited to: Building a social media strategy for your business Using social media tools to listen to your customers Establishing or improving your Facebook page Establishing or improving your Twitter presence Overviews and tips for using other popular social media tools like Google +, FourSquare, Groupon, and more. Monitoring and Measurement of social media activities Techniques for managing time and resources for social media activities Creating videos Selling products online Developing your brand online Writing for the Web The consulting session will take 2 hours. 4.Final Report 5.Follow Up a 1 hour session to be held 4 to 6 weeks after the final report has been delivered, to review progress and address and questions which may have arisen. Your Investment Cost is $300 + HST We have 10 spots booked, so if you are interested please call the OFFMA office at 905841-9278. Additional details are available and can be forwarded to you.

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Fresh Facts

Upcoming Events
Oct. 1&2 Oct. 5-6 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 2011-12 OFFMA Board of Directors Jesse Lauzon, President Springridge Farm Steve Smith, Vice President Smiths Apples Amy Strom, Past President Stroms Farm Leslie Forsythe, Forsythe Family Farms Jay Howell, Brantview Apples & Cider Brian Hugli, Huglis Blueberry Ranch Marg Land, Annex Publishing (Associate Member) Hollis Murphy, Murphys Farmstead Colleen Pingle, Pingles Farm Market Geri Rounds, Rounds Ranch Dorene Collins, OMAFRA (Advisor to the Board)

Discover Agriculture in the City, Burlington Mall, FREE Exhibitor Space, Contact Margaret Boyd, AAFC, 519-837-5842 or margaret.boyd@agr.gc.ca Canadian Greenhouse Conference, Scotiabank Convention Centre, Niagara Falls, ON for additional info see www.canadiangreenhouseconference.com Farm-based Education Conference, Shelburne Farms , Vermont contact www.farmbasededucation.org for additional info OFFMAs Annual Bus Tour to the Niagara Region, details included with this newsletter Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON Watch for details at www.royalfair.org Great Lakes Expo, Grand Rapids, Michigan, www.glexpo.com

Nov. 3-5 Nov. 6-8 Nov. 4-13 Dec. 6-8

Jacks Memorial on the Square by Cathy Bartolic

I heard about it on the radio. I watched the state funeral on TV but I really hadnt grasped the effect of Jack Laytons death until I showed up at 6:30 am the Wednesday after Jacks final goodbye at Nathan Phillips Square for the OFFMA coordinated framers market. There were chalked messages everywhere. I mean EVERYWHERE up and down the ramp leading to the rooftop garden, around the front door and on every slab of concrete throughout the square. I couldnt believe it. I did not follow Jacks life closely. I had heard a little about him when he was a Toronto City Councillor and certainly watched as he lead the NDP to official opposition status last fall but that was about the extent of my knowledge of this man. Last Wednesday, I took some time to read the thoughtful chalk messages and pieces of paper taped to handrails and sidewalks. I probably learned more about Jack through that exercise than I would have reading dozens of newspaper articles. Jack really moved people. He earned their respect and admiration. He fought for the underdog and for what he thought was right. Literally, hundreds of people have taken the trouble to go to Nathan Phillips Square and articulate what he meant to them. Many saw him as a charismatic, true leader in every sense of the word. It was a very moving day for me. According to his son, Jack had a couple of sayings that he used during his lifetime. They are as relevant to us in agriculture as they are to a Canadian politician. Whether you liked his politics or not, I hope these sayings hit a nerve with you and you are able to use them for your own inspiration.

You can wait forever for perfect conditions or you can make the best of what you have now.

Always have a dream that is longer than a lifetime.

Dont let anyone tell you it cant be done.