Marketing & Selling Food

General Marketing Resources

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Local Food Research and Development – This USDA program has many resources about farmers markets, direct to consumer marketing, food value chains and food hubs, wholesale markets and facility design, local food directories, grant programs, and the local food and regional food sector.

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) – The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) administers programs that create domestic and international marketing opportunities for U.S. producers of food, fiber, and specialty crops. AMS also provides the agriculture industry with valuable services to ensure the quality and availability of wholesome food for consumers across the country.

Farmer to Consumer Marketing Series
This is a 6 publication series through Extension Publications
A successful direct farm marketing business requires knowing and understanding effective marketing and management practices. This series of Extension publications, PNW 201–206, provides information about establishing and developing a direct farm marketing business. Production and marketing costs, management practices, personnel management, and financial management are among the topics discussed. Pacific Northwest Extension Bulletin, 2009

Build Your Markets & Grow Your Business – USDA provides resources and tool kits at their online New Farmers Resource center.

ATTRA Business & Marketing – Resources to guide agricultural business planning. In addition, some of these resources offer advice on diversifying, developing new markets and adding value to farm products to increase income.

Marketing Alternatives for Fresh Produce
This publication provides basic information necessary to develop a plan for marketing fresh produce and other specialty products. Pacific Northwest Extension Bulletin, 2008

Fruit & Vegetable Marketing for Small-scale & Part-time Growers
Small-scale fruit and vegetable growers generally have more difficulty finding established markets; therefore, they usually develop marketing systems tailored to their unique situations. It is strongly recommend that you identify and research your market before you become a fruit and vegetable grower. Pennsylvania State University, 2009

WSDA Direct Marketing Farm Products – Washington State Dept of Agriculture provides a Direct Marketing Strategies fact sheet for farmers.

NCAT Marketing Tip Sheet Series – Produced by the National Center for Appropriate Technology. This publication contains 13 tip sheets, each of which describes a particular marketing channel and notes some of the considerations associated with that approach to marketing.

SARE 30 Years of SARE: Our Farms, Our Future Sustaining Communities Through Local Foods and Marketing -This page offers SARE resources created through the past 30 years around marketing local food. Also see full marketing management resource page.

SARE: How to Direct Market Your Beef
This book portrays how one couple used their family’s ranch to launch a profitable, grass-based beef operation focused on direct market sales. Jan and Will Holders’ compelling real-life experiences, with numerous instructional guideposts along the way, provide valuable tips for direct marketing beef from slaughtering to sales.

Selling at Farmers Markets

WSFMA Vendor Resources –  overview of selling at Washington State Farmers Markets from WSU and Washington State Farmers Market Association. Download the full Farmers Market Management Toolkit.

NCAT Marketing Tip Sheet Series: Tips for Selling at Farmers Markets

Farm Stands

How SNAP Works for CSA’s (video) –  Utah State University Extension resource. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is one option for low-income individuals to use their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for buying local, seasonal fruits and vegetables. This webinar recording provides information on (1) how SNAP and SNAP Incentives works through a CSA, (2) how to recruit SNAP members, (3) and what information SNAP members need to join a CSA.

Social Media for Farms

Social Media For Ag. Business – Penn State Extension article

10 Tips for Farm Social Media – Land Grant Press helpful hints, resources and videos on how to market your farm via social media.

Marketing for Profit Webinar Series

The webinars cover five different assessment concepts: self, market, customer, communications and business. Materials made available as part of the Marketing for Profit: Tools for Success online course developed by the Farmers Market Federation of New York for farmers and farm educators.

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WSDA Organic Program

Organic is a labeling term that indicates that an agricultural product has been produced by integrating cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. Find out if organic certification is right for your farm.