Retail Farm Market School

Retail Farm Market SchoolJohn Berry

Ag Marketing EducatorPenn State Extension

This material is based upon work supported by USDA/NIFA under Award Number 2010-49200-06201.

Introduction

• Pennsylvania ranked #3 nationally for dollar value of direct-to-consumer farm sales

• At least 4,200 retail farm marketers

• 5 member statewide Team

• 50% of my time

Limitations• Only the Education Professionals I tried to

reach

• Available time

• Transferring the “heavy” produce focus to other farm retail products

• Cost of local School– perceived value of School

Methodology• Traditional Extension education

• Tell me, Show me, Let me do it

• Advisory groups

• Tested, and modified

Literature Review• Penn State Extension

• Ag Marketing Resource Center

• Cornell Small Farms Program

• County / Regional / Campus

• Associations

• Farm Bureaus

What this project did . . . .

• Worked through network of retail farm marketer advisory groups and industry leaders for needs assessment

What this project did . . . .

• Developed a curriculum based on farm and grocery retail marketing principles

What this project did . . . .

• Tested the curriculum and modified as evaluations, comments and advisors suggested

What this project did . . . .

• Submitted a project pre-proposal, and full proposal that did get funding

What this project did . . . .

• Offered curriculum and subject matter training to colleagues across some of the northeast and mid Atlantic states

– Retail Farm Market School– Adult Education– Food Retail Trends

What this project did . . . .

• Delivered (and will be delivering) local programming directly, and through partners

What this project did(and is doing) . . .

• Partner support

• Evaluating experiences– Trainers– Farm Retail Marketers

Material sample

Material sample (continued)

Material sample (continued)

Evaluations to date

• Train-the-Trainer

• Pre / Post School

• “review” results

• Anecdotal

Do you expect to conduct aRetail Farm Market School?

58%

8%

33%

yes no I don't know

Pre / Post School

• Pre:What do you want to get out of the day?

• Post:What did you get out of the day?

“review”

• 92% returned

“review”

• 92% returned

Conclusion• There is a need for education as described by

retail farm marketers

• These project materials (and others) begin to address this need

• Innovator & Early Adopter level materials are the most lacking

• There seems to be a continuing demand for education, support and service to this growing segment of U.S. agriculture

Retail Farm Market SchoolJohn Berry

Ag Marketing EducatorPenn State Extension