THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX TO DEVELOP MARKETING STRATEGIES FOR ORGANIC VEGETABLE PRODUCERS IN HARRIS COUNTY
Extension Education
Steve Morgan
County Extension Coordinator
University of Georgia
Hamilton
Abstract
\r\n In the competitive world of agriculture, having an effective and efficient marketing system is critical for an operation. This is especially true in organic vegetable production for two reasons. First, producers have to demand higher prices to offset input costs. Secondly, vegetables are perishable and must be marketed in a timely manner. In 2009, Georgia’s Finest Organic Farm began operating on 20 acres as a certified organic vegetable farm. During the first year, the farm did not have a complete marketing strategy and experienced 30% spoilage. The producer asked the Harris County Extension Agent to develop a marketing plan to achieve the following goals. 1.) Increase knowledge of the general public about organics. 2.) Increase public awareness about product quality of Georgia’s Finest Organic Farm brand. 3.) Increase total sales for the farm. In order to accomplish these goals, the county agent worked collaboratively with the producer to host two educational/marketing seminars at the farm. Executive chefs from the Metro Atlanta area, along with local area residents and a large wholesale food distributor took part in the seminars. As a result of the program, 25 executive chefs are more eager to incorporate organic vegetables into their menu. Also, a leading organic grocery store chain selected the producer as grower of the month and featured their products in two of their leading stores. Finally, the top wholesale food distributor in the southeast gave the farm an “open purchase order” and ended up buying over $9000.00 worth of product from the farm.
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Poster has NOT been presented at any previous NACAA AM/PIC
This poster is being submitted for judging. It will be displayed at the AM/PIC if not selected as a State winner. The abstract will be published in the proceedings.
A poster file has not been provided
Authors: S.M. Morgan
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Morgan, S. Harris County Extension Agent, University of Georgia, Georgia, 31811