Reading Time: 4 minutes Gluten-free, organic, GMO, free-run — these just hint at the kind of vocabulary being tossed about by consumers today. Packed with good intentions and a little knowledge, such notions are warping the demand for food products, and they may be laying a path for legislation. Never before has there been so much being written, said […] Read more
What do your customers care about?
Check out the mainstream books, films and other media that are shaping what consumers think about what you do
A market for non-GMO corn
Consumer demand is having a larger impact on what and how farmers may grow
Reading Time: 5 minutes In times with volatile commodity prices, farmers are apt to put more effort into researching opportunities such as identity-preserved markets, particularly for soybeans. After all, as we often hear, a $1 premium looks better if soybeans drop towards $10 per bushel than when they’re above $13. But what if there could be IP premiums for […] Read more
Selling farm-direct to consumers
Small, direct-market farmers are building better business cases for their farms. But will business smarts be enough?
Reading Time: 8 minutes Allison Fenske pulls a reluctant grey cat off her dining room table to make room for her jars of homemade pea-shoot pesto, pickled beets and spicy slices of jicama turnip. She points to the turnips. “Jonathan says he always tells people you can eat them the way you’d eat an apple, and I was like, […] Read more
The GMO debate is far from over
The labelling issue is more about perceived risk or benefit than it is about science
Reading Time: 4 minutes With the Vermont GMO (genetically modified organism) labelling law now in effect, a number of companies has begun to voluntarily label all of their products sold anywhere in the U.S. rather than end up having to produce different labels for different states. They are, in effect, treating the Vermont law as the national standard for GMO […] Read more
Is it time to drop the term ‘commercial farmer?’
When you call yourself a commercial farmer, consumers may hear ‘factory farm’
Reading Time: 6 minutes Labels are a tricky business, especially in an agriculture where there is a dictionary full of words you can use to describe other farmers, or that you can use to call yourself. Are you a farmer, or a producer? Or are you a grower, or a rancher? More to the point, what do you call […] Read more
Best practices for direct farm marketing and five things you need to avoid
Once you’ve got your value-added product or service ready to go, the hard part’s done, right?
Reading Time: 5 minutes Not so fast. Chances are you are going to need to work hard to build product awareness. The experts agree you need a plan for how you’re going to let your potential customers know why they’re going to want to do business with you. The marketing plan is a vital part of your business plan […] Read more
Your value-added idea
These tips from successful farmers can help you develop that winning concept
Reading Time: 5 minutes Entrepreneurial talent seems to come naturally to many farmers. But that doesn’t mean you’ll always be a natural at value adding. There’s a world of difference between getting a good deal on a load of fertilizer versus launching a new value-added product. In fact, value adding can feel like uncharted territory. But that can be […] Read more
Farmers finding the right image
More farmers across the country are taking charge of their image, for the good of their farms, and the good of the industry
Reading Time: 10 minutes Located just 20 minutes southwest of Montreal, the farm looks a lot different today than when it was established by Elwood and Marie Quinn in 1982. It sounds a lot different too, which is just what they wanted. Thanks to Philippe and Stephanie Quinn, the farm’s second generation, the enterprise has been transformed from a […] Read more
Where’s the consumer voice in sustainable agriculture?
Farmers must make consumers knowledgeable about what sustainability means
Reading Time: 3 minutes Consumers are the forgotten beneficiaries of ag sustainability, and forgetting to communicate with them can be one of agriculture’s most damaging errors, says farmer and philanthropist Howard Buffett. “Consumers are our shareholders,” Buffett says. “At the end of the day, they do count, whether we like it or not.” Nick Betts, who doubles as co-ordinator […] Read more
Our share keeps falling
Farmers’ portion of the consumer food dollar is plummeting. At the very least, it’s something consumers should know
Reading Time: 5 minutes The disconnect between farm commodity and retail food prices is worsening. Throughout 2013, major media warned consumers of rising food costs, with BNN on May 16 reporting, “How much Canadians pay for their food is becoming a major concern.” That same day, CBC added its voice, saying, “Canadian families are planning to cut back on […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
