Page 6—Grower and Marketer, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 11, 2000 ‘Pumpkin Town’ (Continued from Page 5) track. Of the top market needs for berries, customers identi fied blueberries and strawberries. They wanted apples and peaches for fruit crops. For vegetables, cus tomers wanted sweet corn and tomatoes. And they wanted baked goods, too. There was an interest in pick-your-own berries, vege tables, and pumpkins. The site was not good for orc hards. For strawberries, a real concern was frost protection. The farm had to irrigate to protect from frost on June 1 and again the first weekend of October. The farm market serves a small clientele, about 2,102 people from the small town of Stephentown, but gets some tourist traffic from New York City. The farm market started small, said Riggs, in 1996, using about one acre. The huge strawberries that first year “tasted wonderful,” she said. In 1997, the farm har vested about 15,000 pounds per acre; in 1998, about 20,000 pounds per acre; but in 1999, because of severe weed problems, only about 7,500 pounds of strawberries per acre. Work needs to be done to ensure improved har omco Model FI7B available in sizes from 9’3”to 15’0”. Model FISB Flexwings available in sizes from 16’6” to 24’0”. Standard features include 1-1/2” square high carbon cold rolled steel axles, triple-sealed Protect-O-Shield regreasable ball bearings, reversible clevis, and heavy duty scrapers. Optional Shock Absorber Gang Risers are available for rocky conditions. HAMILTON EQUIPMENT, Inc. 567 South Reading Road, Ephrata, Pa 17522 717-733-7951 PENNSYLVANIA Annville - BHM Farm Equipment Bechtelsville - Miller Equipment C 0.... Carlisle - R&W Equipment Co Easton - Forks Equipment Glen Rock - Wertz Farm & Power Eq. Leola - M.M. Weaver & Son Quarryville - A.L. Herr & Brothers Richland - Lebanon Valley Implement vests, including some field re pairs, she noted. About 80 percent of the business is pick your own. The farm employs a strict “rules of the berry patch” for kids and others to follow. A big rule is “no running.” In 1999, the farm stand operated from Aug. 20 through Oct. 18 and was self service until Oct. 31. The market is open from 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Some simple ideas that Riggs followed for her star tup farm market: use items found on the farm of interest to customers. She even pro vided an insect collection from college. “The butterflies captivated every kid,” Riggs said. Some pitfalls she en countered: • The previous owners supplied the least expensive produce around. “Don’t op erate that way,” she said. In stead, ensure them of a quality, healthy product something worth a small premium. • Be wary of priorities. Ensure that plants are or dered, planted, and cared for on time. • Learn to spend time inside the stand. It was hard, Riggs noted, to spend time at the cash register, especially DOUBLE OFFSET TANDEM HARROWS Wholesale Distributor AUTHORIZED DEALERS as she considers herself an outdoors-type person. • Get the signs right. Make them professional looking and allow them to define what your market is all about. • Run the farm, don’t let the farm run you. And don’t forget the vital, family recreational activities to keep the family from burning out. The pleasures: • Meeting a lot of really great people, she said. Home owners told Riggs they had the “best produce ever found.” • A farm market can provide a wonderful, creative outlet. • The market can be in tellectually stimulating, she said. • The market allows you to build your dreams and contribute to society. And having fun is im portant, too. “If you’re having fun doing what you are doing, your customers are going to like coming there,” said Riggs. Roadside Marketing Larry Yager, Penn State marketing agent, noted ways growers adopted new ideas and made some money. One fruit grower got rid of apples and put in a corn maze. The first year, 8,000 people toured the maze at $5 apiece. Another grower, un- 717-867-2211 610-845-2911 717-243-2686 610-252-8828 717-235-0111 717-656-2321 717-786-3521 717-866-7518 Blake can kelp.. Siegers EED CO. Member of Seed One Alliance™ Blake Myers (716) 247-7584 Call 800-962-4999 for a FREE catalog or visit our website at www.siegers.com happy with vegetable pro duction, took three duck ponds and stocked each of them with fish trout in one, catfish in another, and bass in the third. His cost for the fish $2.75 a pound. He sold them at $3.95 a pound. Potential sales were $1,200- $1,600 off an acre of water. “You can’t do that with fruit and vegetable crops,” said Yager. Yager spoke about vari ous ways in which farm mar kets can adapt and change to increase profitability at the Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vege table Convention in Hershey. A market is a matter of “projecting your image lifestyle and habits and trends,” Yager said. Consumers are grazers today, he said, eating on the run. They crave fast food. They don’t have the time to prepare meals. To market to their demands, farm mana gers must realize that mar keting “is not advertising it is location. And the con sumers’ first impression comes from signage.” Produce is now the focal point of most supermarkets, said the extension marketing agent. Markup is 40-45 per cent and more, and is counted on to increase store profitability. ftUY SELL.TRAOC OR RENT THROUGH THE PHONE 717 MS-1164 or 717 394 3047 FAX 717 733 6058 Moo Tuey Wed Fri SAMto 5 PM Thurs 7AM to SPM To survive, farm mar keters must think more like grocery store managers. Edu cate the consumers with sig nage. Develop signature items, said Yager, items that “make you unique,” he said. Foremost, consumers are looking for taste and flavor in the produce they buy. Susan Barton, extension specialist at the University of Delaware, suggested that growers visit Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville, Md. The signage is unique and attractive to consumers, making it an “excellent garden center. “They make a big impact with their road fron tage,” she said. For signage, keep infor mation on it as simple and as short as possible. Make it easy for people to see, using bright colors, plant displays, and “punchy and to the point,” said Barton. Signs should reflect the image of the market, said Barton. They could be as simple as using commodity bags hung over items to sell or more complex signs that provide some planting tips for items. Phrasing should be enticing. But the signs should be consistent and reflect the market’s general personality. ie can help with all your vegetable ieed needs. He has 17 years of experience in the vegetable seed industry. He is constantly evaluating new varieties to increase your yields and boost your profits. You can trust Blake to help you plan variety programs that meet your needs. Call him today! Put his knowledge to work for you.
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