Happy Fourth of July, all. I hope it's not too dry where you are that you can't light up a sparkler and chill down a watermelon to celebrate the freedoms given to us by God and protected by our Constitution.
This week, since we're all spending so much time with family and neighbors in celebration, I'll keep my remarks short and send you over to a neat resource I have used several times in the last year. My family joined Georgia Organics in late 2005; we are not currently a "certified organic" farm but as part of our market research and strategy going forward, that is certainly one area we are evaluating. By joining up with GO, we have access to a mentoring program with farmers who are already working an organic farm plan; conferences that address new products and how to grow and market them; and speakers and policymakers who bring new ideas.
We grow "organically" by the USDA standards: we do not use synthetic or chemical fertilizers or pesticides, and we use organic seed whenever possible, and heirloom, open-pollinated seed almost exclusively. Since our philosophy lined up with that of GO, it made sense to join and learn from them.
One of the most attractive features of their very informative and attractive website is the Marketing Tool. This survey allows you to key in information about your homestead and the surrounding geographic and demographic specifics. The results page will tell you whether or not a farmer's market booth is right for you, or maybe the CSA approach is a better one for you to explore. The Tool covers all aspects of Direct Farm Marketing. It also has testimonials from several Georgia farms that are successful in each of the market channels. I have spent a couple of valuable hours working through the survey to help guide us in our decision making.
If you don't take the time today to look over the Marketing Tool page, bookmark it for a rainy day when you can't weed, mulch, or pick berries. I can promise you it will open your mind to new possibilities.
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Denise Burns is the wife of Mike and the mother of Cooper, William, and Eston. Her family farm website is Burns Best Farm, and she blogs here at HSB at a blog with the same name.
