From The Road: North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association 2015 Convention

By Christina Herrick|February 25, 2015

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Above, Amy Holmberg of Holmberg Orchards & Winery in Gales Ferry, CT, takes a selfie with Frosty, one of the furry residents of Lucky Ladd Farms in Eagleville, TN. (Photo credit: Christina Herrick)
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Tourgoers enjoy a jumping pad at Lucky Ladd Farms. (Photo credit: Christina Herrick)
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Trishia Merril from Stanley Pond Adventure Farm in Astatula, FL, and Bob and Sara Ricci of Bob’s Corn & Pumpkin Farm in Snohomish, WA, take a spin on the large tire swing at Grandaddy’s Farm. (Photo credit: Christina Herrick)
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Allison Schmitz of Scott’s Yankee Farmer, LLC, in East Lyme, CT, takes a ride on the 150-foot Landslide at Grandaddy's Farm. (Photo credit: Christina Herrick)
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Marc DeGagne and Erin Crampton of Crampton's Market in Winnipeg, MB, take a break at an over-sized swing at Granddaddy's Farm. (Photo credit: Christina Herrick)
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American/ and Western Fruit Grower managing editor Christina Herrick is pictured with her fellow Bus 3 tourgoers. (Photo credit: Christina Herrick)
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Grandaddy's Farm in Estill Springs, TN, offers NAFDMA tourgoers plenty of activities to check out. (Photo credit: Christina Herrick)
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Bill Kirpatrick (right), owner of The Apple Barn and Cider Mill in Sevierville, TN, talks about the renovations to the facility. (Photo credit: Christina Herrick)
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NAFDMA tourgoers watch wine production at The Apple Barn and Cider Mill in Sevierville, TN. (Photo credit: Christina Herrick)
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Ben Bever of Tanners Orchard in Speer, IL, talks about crowflow and dispersion with Phil Quinn of Quinn Farm in Quebec while at the Apple Barn and Cider Mill. (Photo credit: Christina Herrick)
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A fire pit for smores is a unique offering at Autumn Acres in Crossville, TN. (Photo credit: Christina Herrick)

During the 2015 North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association (NAFDMA) convention held in Nashville and Knoxville, TN, members enjoyed touring agritainment venues throughout the Volunteer State and attended two days of sessions last month. These sessions and workshops focused on employee management, finances, retail display tips, and more. But, above all, practical tips on increasing sales were a focus throughout the week — for example, appealing to all of your customers’ senses.

“If you don’t have a bakery, we highly recommend you do. Smells add to the farm,” Barb Hall of Edwards Apple Orchard, Inc., in Poplar Grove, IL, says.

Hall led a session on retailing in a seasonal farm market. She offered tips on selling private-label food products such as limiting selection — pick the best products to sell, and above all, offer samples.

“Sampling is a must if you sell food. It’s a hassle and an expense, but it’s amazing the product you’ll sell when you sample,” she says.

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Signs are important in the market, Hall says. She encouraged session attendees to indicate best-selling, organic, locally made products. Recipes also help to sell product.

While at stops such as Grandaddy’s Farm, Lucky Ladd Farms, The Apple Barn, Oakes Farm, Autumn Acres, Honeysuckle Hill Farm, and Gentry’s Farm, tour-goers assessed the operations’ staff, signs, parking lots, crowd dispersal, farm market displays, safety, and more. These comments were relayed back to the tour hosts to help improve their operations.

In between tour stops, buses were turned into mobile classrooms, where issues, needs, stumbling blocks, advice, and successes were discussed at length, all designed to give NAFDMA members the best advice from their peers.