Wearing Multiple Hats [Opinion]

It’s no secret — growers know how to grow. Most of you have spent years perfecting your craft. You attend conferences in the winter to learn about new crop protection tools, disease-resistant varieties, and equipment that will help you better do your job. Last winter, I attended some trade shows and conferences and sat in on many educational sessions, too. I was happy to notice that sessions covering one aspect of operating a farm that is equally as important as production were well attended also. In case you were wondering, the sessions were on marketing.

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In spite of the number of people in the marketing sessions, however, there still is the tendency for growers to get caught up in the “job” of growing and forget about the other aspects of running a successful operation. As we head into the summer months, it is time to take stock of what you are doing to ensure customers know what you have to offer.

When Will The Tomatoes Be Ready?

For those of you who operate a roadside stand or farm market, take the time to ask your customers questions about what you can do to better meet their needs, because, after all, in many cases your customers are going out of their way to visit your farm market. Take these requests and suggestions from your customers seriously.

This month’s cover subject, McGlasson Farms, knows the value of customer feedback. Lon McGlasson and his family always take the time to talk to customers and then listen to what they have to say. This fifth-generation family farm has been successfully operating a farm market and pick-your-own operation in Northern Kentucky for years. From conversations with the folks who make the trip to their market, this family learned that customers not only expect freshness when they visit, they also want to know the specific dates as to when tomatoes will be in the market. The McGlassons also realized that they could sell a lot more sweetpotatoes.

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Responding to these requests, the family upped the number of tomato plants it starts in the greenhouse from 5,000 to 20,000. They now advertise in several local papers, letting customers know which crops will be featured. To keep up with the increase in demand for sweetpotatoes, the McGlassons now plant about 3 to 4 acres of the crop.

Making these adjustments has helped keep this grower profitable. The question now is: What are you doing to keep the customers coming back? With freshness a given at farm markets, it is important to know what customers want and then cheerfully give it to them. Too many stories today are about how customer service is slipping by the wayside. As a grower with a farm market, make sure that your operation is all about customer service. Be sure to offer customers many products from which to choose, and make sure your sales staff is not only smiling, but ready, willing, and able to help. Believe me, the customer will appreciate it and so will your bottom line.

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