ASAP - Cultivating Local: Expanding Market Opportunities For Higher Volume Farms

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Cultivating Local: Expanding Market Opportunities for Higher Volume Farms

This ASAP workshop is targeted towards farmers who are interested in expanding into, diversifying, or improving their sales to mid/large scale markets, and will include sessions on basic business practices, professionalism, food safety, packaging, communication, and marketing techniques to create and maintain a great farmer/buyer relationship. Cost is $10 and includes lunch.

Agenda

Speakers

(Registration form requires free Acrobat reader and opens in a new window.)

Directions to the MHCRS

Date: Wednesday, November 29 ~ 9am - 1pm
Location: Mountain Horticultural Crops Research Station in Fletcher, NC
Cost: $10 (includes lunch)

Topics:

Understanding current market opportunities
How to build a great relationship with your buyers
Food safety and profitability
Growing, packing and marketing panel discussion

Speakers:

Isaac Allan ~ Former Produce Manager, Poppies Market
Allan Henderson ~ CEO, CL Henderson Produce
Diane Ducharme ~ NC Cooperative Extension
Ed Mills ~ Co-owner, Sunny Creek Sprouts
Kate Slattery ~ Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project

To register, download the registration form here. Mail it with your check (payable to ASAP) to:

Higher Volume Workshop 729 Haywood Rd, Suite 3 Asheville, NC 28806

Workshop Agenda:

8:30-9:00 ~ Registration

9:00-9:30 ~ Introduction/Surveying the Market Landscape: Brief overview of market research, including range of schools, hospitals, colleges, restaurants and grocers. What are current and potential local sales in these markets? Appalachian Grown certification is explained, including examples of how it works at the retail level to create added value.

9:30-10:30 ~ Professional Salesmanship, or, The Top 5 Ways Farmers Lose Their Customers and What To Do About It: Basic business tips on communication, consistency, quality, advance planning, and packaging from a buyers point of view. How can mastering these skills help you to sell more of what you grow to the available markets?

10:30-10:45 ~ Break

10:45-11:15 ~ Food Safety on the Farm: One of the largest issues in the food industry is keeping the food chain safe. What does “food safety” mean? What practical implications does it have for local farmers? How can they utilize available classes and certifications to add value to their product and assure their customers of its high quality and safety?

11:15-12:30 ~ Farming, Packing, and Marketing Panel: A local farmer, packinghouse owner, and retailer share their experiences, and answer questions about product quality, pricing, business relationships, transportation, etc.

12:30-1 ~ Lunch (included with registration fee)

Questions about the workshop? Call ASAP at (828) 236-1282 or send an e-mail to info@asapconnections.org.