Farming is hard. Planning, planting, harvesting, pest management, weed control, disease prevention — all on top of putting out the fires on any given day. And that’s just the fieldwork. Farmers are also tasked with marketing, branding, and selling their products. There are many factors to consider when creating a strong marketing plan, especially when deciding which channels are worth investing time and energy into. While market channels vary greatly depending on your geographic location, we hope this guide helps you get started.
CSA Model
A CSA (community supported agriculture) is essentially a subscription-based model that creates a collaborative dynamic between farmers and their customers. Customers join as members of the farm, generally a few months before the beginning of the season. In return, farmers provide a box of produce to members each week of the season. Many farmers like this model because it gives them security before any seeds are planted and a trusting membership community.
With all the pros of a CSA, some farmers have struggled with the marketing side. How do you find a significant number of people interested in paying up front for produce they may not see for months, and that they don’t choose, like you would in a grocery store or farmers market? The CSA model takes a lot of creative advertising and consumer consciousness building. In a webinar on CSAs that RAFI’s Farmers of Color Network held last year, the staff of Transplanting Traditions (a farm in Chapel Hill, NC supporting food sovereignty in the refugee community) shared that the key for the first few years of their CSA was asking farmers in the area who also had CSAs if they would suggest Transplanting Traditions to customers once theirs were full.
Additionally, farmers have found creative and collaborative ways to make the CSA model more attractive to customers. For example, partnering with another farmer who grows different products (such as flowers, eggs, or chicken) expands the range of items that customers can add to their shares. This collaboration also allows farmers to share the burden of production, as growing for a CSA can be quite tricky. For instance, let’s imagine you have 75 members sign up for a 24-week season. You are promising to have 75 boxes of three to eight different items every week, which can be risky. Being familiar with succession planting is extremely important for CSA growers, as well as getting to know your neighboring producers for the occasions when crops fail or you need to supplement.
Transparency and education are also important for CSA growers. There will no doubt be a week where something fails. The corn was eaten by squirrels, a late frost took out what were supposed to be your early tomatoes, or seed corn maggots ate your sugar snap peas before they had a chance to sprout. Being able to share the struggles of farming with your CSA members is important so that the members understand if the boxes are lighter one week or if you have to include produce from a neighboring farm. In this way, CSA farmers often serve as frontline educators to the realities of eating local and the importance of supporting farmers directly.
Wholesale
Wholesale operates similarly to a CSA model in that farmers can secure sales before harvest. Additionally, many wholesale buyers are looking for large quantities, which simplifies the crop planning process. A farmer can focus on a few things they enjoy growing and bring in a profit.
However, this is only true for the most ideal wholesale scenario. Elvin Eaton of Fairport Farms in Kittrell, NC shared some of the challenges of selling to wholesale buyers. While wholesale can be less demanding on the planning and planting end, “volume demands can vary along with prices.” Additionally, “connecting with these markets can be challenging for new farmers,” he says.
Some wholesale buyers, especially larger ones, require certifications and/or liability insurance. For example, GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) certifications are often required for larger wholesale buyers to ensure that food safety precautions have been taken by the growers. Another option is selling to small wholesale buyers such as local groceries, cooperative groceries, or restaurants. While the quantities at these establishments may not be as high, quality and consistency requirements often are.
Wholesale can be a great option because it can take the complexity of marketing out of the equation. Once you know what a buyer is looking for and make a connection, you can then plan accordingly and arrange for drop-offs throughout the season — spending the rest of your time tending to your crops. Make sure you know what certifications are required; planning and partnership building on the front end will position the collaboration to be a long-lasting and successful one.
Farmers Markets
Farmers markets are another direct-to-consumer option. These markets vary greatly — some are outdoors, some indoors, some in metropolitan areas, some in rural areas. These variations can make them hard to plan for. Visit the markets you’re considering and talk with other vendors and the manager. Most markets have an application process conducted by its board of directors which usually opens a few months before the season starts.
In addition to a board of directors, many farmers markets employ a market manager, who is often responsible for visibility and promotion. This is a unique benefit farmers markets have over other market channels. Similar to wholesale, once you are in the market, the majority of the advertising is taken care of — customers know where to find locally grown goods in their area thanks to the market manager’s efforts. Thus, a farmers market is a great way to be introduced to customers and get your brand out into the community.
Farmers markets can be a less risky direct-to-consumer option for farmers than a CSA or wholesale accounts. Each of those requires specific quantities each week. If a crop fails and you are at a farmers market, you simply don’t have that product that week, but you have others. With a beautiful display, no one will notice or know that something you planned to have is missing.
Another good practice is having multiple market channels. LaKay Farm, located in Louisburg, NC, has built from the momentum of one market channel into another. Myrlande and Dulime Saint-Jean are first generation Haitian farmers who are passionate about grass-based agricultural models and holistic treatment for animals. In 2023, they began selling their pasture-raised eggs at a farmers market. With the success of the market, they were able to expand their offerings to include poultry. They have also expanded to selling eggs and poultry as add-on options for area CSA vegetable farmers.
When speaking about the farmers market experience, the farmers shared, “Joining Durham Farmers Market has been a blessing for LaKay Farm. It helps us reach out to more customers and meet new farmers. It also helps with our cash flow which allows us to increase our production for 2024. Overall, it has been a great experience.”
Angel Woodrum works as RAFI’s Market Access Coordinator assisting farmers markets and farmers looking to expand market opportunities. Originally from Kentucky, Angel moved to North Carolina in 2015 to complete her Master of Divinity with a concentration in Food & Ecology at Wake Forest University School of Divinity. Since graduating, Angel has worked on various small-scale vegetable farms and currently co-owns a small market garden with her partner.