A2B-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, July 29, 2000 TAKING CARE WHEN CHANGING COURSE John Berry Lehigh County Marketing Agent The owner of an existing busi ness, having enjoyed some mea sure of success, decides to steer a new course for the company, launching a new product aimed at new markets. Management is eager for an additional source of revenues, and commits to this new direction with the best of in tentions, assuming that since the business has an established market presence, sales in the new area will follow. Then the business ends up floundering on the submerged reefs of market misunderstanding. A fledging entrepreneur launches a new business with much fanfare, touting unique new products and promptly sails into oblivion with the company lost to the mists of insufficient markets. Both these entrepreneurs scuttled their businesses by fail ing to realize that most con- Farm Meetings Scheduled Six farm meetings have scheduled to discuss mastitis concerns. The meetings will focus on monitoring and evalu ating mastitis situations, identi fying the kinds ot infections that are ■ present, and strategies I for preventing and I combating mastitis. I Speakers include: Glenn Shirk, Lancas ter County Extension Dairy Agent; Jeff Mamett, Upjohn Pharmacia; and at some of the meetings, local veterinarians and milk sanitarians. Times and locations of the meetings are: • Wednesday, Aug. 2, 10 a.m., Meadow Vista Farms (Don, Gerald and Eric Risser), southwest of Elizabethtown at 166 Risser Road, Bain bridge, Pa.; 7 p.m., Thomas Zartman, 890 Hill Top Road, west of Ephrata. • Thursday, Aug. 3, 9 a.m., Levi Esh, south of Georgetown at 205 Quarry Road, Quarry ville, Pa.; 7 p.m., Nelson Weiler, 2568 Newport Road, Man heim, Pa. • Friday, Aug. 4, 10 a.m., Neffdale Farms (Charles, Ken and Roy Neff), east of Stras burg at 604 Strasburg Road, Paradise, Pa.; 7 p.m., Elvin Reiff, south of Mount Joy at 1775 Pinkerton Road, Mount Joy, Pa. A sub-type lunch and dinner will be pro vided. Thus, reserva tions are required. Reservations can be made by noon the day sumers do not purchase from you because you have a unique product or a recognized com pany name. They are drawn to your business because they have an unmet need for which you have an attractive solution. They will make their purchase from you if they believe you offer the best value. Therefore, you should verify sufficient need exists before launching your business into new product direc tions. Otherwise you may end up with mediocre results from having to spend massive adver tising budgets trying to convince people they need your new widget (instead of spending pru dent advertising dollars focused on where consumers can get what they already want). As part of your prelaunch planning, ask yourself, if con sumers are satisfied with present products, why would they want to switch? Resist the temptation to provide your own answers. Conduct independent market research in your local trade area. The cost of this research will be far less than the cost of failure. What are the existing barriers before the meeting by calling the Lancaster County Cooperative Extension office (717) 394-6851, or by notifying the host farm. to entry? If competitors already exist, you will need to overcome the advantages they already have. This usually requires con siderable time, effort, and money. For aspiring entrepreneurs, the focus should be on uncover ing a clear consumer need that can be met through the applica tion of their areas of expertise. Then and only then should they start developing a product to fulfill that need. For owners of established businesses, if they want their company’s name and reputation to aid in this process, they should not stray far from the products upon which their repu tation has been built. For exam ple, if you have a successful automotive dealership, your name will not be of considerable benefit if you open up a subsidi ary selling home insurance. As you plot the future course for your business, the founda tion of your navigational philos ophy should be a strategic map based on a strong content of marketing knowledge. You must strive not only to under stand your customers’ needs today but, even more import antly, how these needs are changing and where they will likely be tomorrow. Whether you have a new or an existing business, without effec tive application of this future market knowledge or a sus tained spate of fair winds known as luck, your company’s voyage of profitable existence will be significantly shortened. JMHH BUY SELL mSw~ Mon., Tues., Wed Secretary Hayes Conducts Plum Pox Briefing In Adams County BIGLERVILLE (Adams Co.) Agriculture Secretary Samuel E. Hayes Jr. recently conducted a briefing at the Pennsylvania State University Fruit Research Laboratory to explain how farm ers can apply for indemnity pay ments and to announce the limited expansion of the plum pox virus (PPV) quarantine area. Hayes announced that the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Plum Pox Virus Commercial Orchard Fruit Tree Indemnity Program is in place, and applications will be ac cepted through the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant Industry. “Following recent meetings in Washington, D.C., with federal agriculture officials, we arrived at a formula to compensate growers that will be managed through the state,” Hayes said. “Now growers who are im pacted by PPV can receive some reparation for the losses that this disease has caused.” Hayes also announced that the department recently de tected sites outside the current quarantined areas of Latimore and Huntington townships in Adams County and South Mid dleton Township, Cumberland PHONE: Lancaster Poured Walls • Agriculture •Commercial •Residential Call for Prices On: • SCS approved Manure Storage Pits • Basements • Retaining Walls • Footers • Floors Customer Satisfaction Is Our Goal Lancaster Poured Walls 2001 Jarvis Rd. • Lancaster, PA 17601 • (717) 299-3974 aB-H3E Square Bale Tuber - Ag- aggers . 4-7 tons per minute Up to 600 tons per bag (12 x 300) Agri-Service LLC Rental & Custom Services MsSSmtk 14137 Pennsylvania Ave. ~ Hagerstown, MD 21742 / V (301) 665-9333 or TOLL FREE (877) 412-4224 County. “Quarantined areas will expand to include Dickinson Township, Cumberland County, and portions of Menallen and Tyrone townships in Adams County,” Hayes said. “Inspec tors with the state Bureau of Plant Industry and the U.S. De partment of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health In spection Service currently are surveying farms in the affected areas to determine the extent of infection as we take steps to eradicate this disease from our commonwealth orchards.” PPV affects stone-bearing fruits, including peaches, plums, nectarines and apricots. It is characterized by round spots (pox) on fruit, leaves, stems and seeds. It does not kill trees, but makes fruit unmarketable and drastically reduces yields. The disease does not affect humans. Pennsylvania is a leading pro ducer of fruit, ranking fourth nationally in peaches. Adams County is Pennsylvania’s lead ing fruit-producing county. In 1998, the value of Pennsyl vania’s stone fruit production was approximately S2S million. Last year, Gov. Tom Ridge re leased $2 million to contain and eradicate the plum pox virus in Pennsylvania. ~ •’", — { v’v ■ i dSni '*•<£*..'■ * f i , \ 6’-10’ Ag-Baggers Custom Bagging & Tubing Large Rental Fleet Call Toll Free 877-412-4224 New & Rental Machine Sales \ T
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers