Courtesy of Roxanne C., Philadelphia PA Soil building. Sustainable growing practices. Eliminating waste. These are what new farmers obsess about. They’re overlooking something that has a far more important impact on their business. No matter how good a grower you are, your farm’s success is dictated by something you can’t...
Here’s a small touch that can generate a big increase in sales – offering a shopping basket at your stand. It works in several ways. It makes it much easier for customers to load up if they aren’t having to juggle different items and encourages impulse buys. It also puts...
Courtesy of Roxanne C., Philadelphia PA Farm to Vase. Slow Flowers. Floral Foraging. Handcrafted Heirlooms. Seasonal Blooms. The 50 Mile Bouquet. Sound sort of familiar? All the groundbreaking trends that powered the local food movement are now doing the same for local flowers. Is it a good time to get...
Courtesy of Roxanne C., Philadelphia PA It took several generations to dismantle local food supply chains but SPIN farmers like Mary Ackley, owner/operator of Little Wild Things City Farm in the heart of DC, are rebuilding it pretty quickly, without Trump-size infrastructure investment or government policy changes. All she’s using...
Courtesy of Roxanne C., Philadelphia, PA Whatever else the ever-expanding ecosystem of food activists, advocates, bloggers, media celebrities and nonprofits has accomplished, it has convinced consumers that the big food companies can’t be trusted to be honest about how they make food, and what’s in it. Ketchum, the big public...
Courtesy of Wally S., Wally’s Urban Market Garden, Saskatoon SK SPIN farmers are always experimenting with niche crops to stay on top of trends, or sometimes create them. This is an advantage we have over larger scale growers – we don’t have to bet the farm to discover our next...
Courtesy of Wally S., Wally’s Urban Market Garden, Saskatoon SK Here is one certification that is easy to get, may go beyond certified organic, and is more relevant and cheaper and less intrusive to implement – Bee Friendly Farming. A few criteria are required to make your farm pollinating insect...
Courtesy of Julianna Tan, owner/operator, Those Girls at Market, Saskatoon, SK I’m just playing with you. Instagram doesn’t mean any of the above but it should be a tool to help you build a following and keep up with the cool kids. In the exponentially fast-paced world of social media,...
