Portions of the Southern SAWG Web site are being overhauled to provide easier access to information and resources that will help farmers develop their farm-based enterprises. Included in the renovated Enterprise Development pages will be helpful links to popular learning tools like Southern SAWG's Natural Farming in the South videos, accompanying Enterprise Manuals, and related Farm Stories that offer profiles of successful sustainable farm operations in the region. The new Enterprise Development Resources pages will be arranged by category to simplify the search for information within the Southern SAWG site.

The first resource Web page to receive a facelift focuses on Direct Marketing of farm products. Years of research and programming have yielded an abundance of relevant marketing information that will assist farmers in adding or enhancing direct market strategies, available at http://www.ssawg.org/ed-directmarketing.html. In addition to videos, manuals, and profiles developed by Southern SAWG, the page contains presentations from the marketing track of the 2006 conference. Some are available as downloadable slide shows that can be viewed in most Web browsers; others as documents that can be opened and saved using readily available software. We have also included Web links to external resources from government agencies, university and extension offices, farmers and farm organizations, and other partners.

Much of this work is being made possible through Southern SAWG's ongoing partnership with USDA Risk Management Agency. As the Enterprise Development overhaul continues, look for resource pages on farm product labeling, value added enterprises, and meat, poultry, and dairy production and marketing. Look for announcements of these new resources in our newsletter and on the Southern SAWG Web site.

Like many regions throughout the country, Northwest Arkansas has observed a continued increase in recent years in the number of Latino families who call the area home. Farm market organizers in Fayetteville have also noticed the trend, identifying the regional changes as growth in their potential customer base. The opportunity to reach this relatively new market segment received a boost when Rural Mountain Producers Exchange, the market's sponsoring organization, was awarded a grant this year through Project for Public Spaces (PPS) to develop the cultural diversity of The Fayetteville Farmers' Market. The project outlines a series of events, activities, and promotional efforts that, according to market manager and long time Southern SAWG supporter Jim Lukens, "will help make the market more attractive and welcoming to the Latino community."

Julia Day, Grants Administrator for PPS, said they received 338 proposals in the three categories. "Theirs was a successful proposal and a fundable project because it addressed the needs of low-income communities and ethnic minorities," reported Julia. She added that "the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the next round of market grants will be in the Fall."


The effort is directed not only towards potential customers, but meant to recruit new vendors, as well. Project Director and local farmer Janet Bachmann described the initial stages of the project: “I met with people who were identified as leaders in the Latino community [who]... suggested ways to reach out the Latino community." The recommendations included use of Spanish-language media, bilingual posters, and recruiting a Spanish-speaker to serve as a liaison for the market. Janet relayed, too, that they recommended "holding a workshop for current market vendors to learn some phrases and cultural traditions, and make people feel welcome at the Market."

This advice was taken to heart – the market has distributed bilingual posters and flyers, purchased ads in Spanish newspapers and on broadcast media, and distributed cultural education materials to vendors. They have also hosted bilingual farm tours, which Jim identified as one of the project's high points to date. The first of three tours attracted forty people, of whom nine were native Spanish speakers.

Formal evaluation tools like customer surveys will be used to track the accomplishments, but Jim has cited anecdotal evidence, like feedback from vendors, as indicators of initial success. Further successes are expected, too, with another farm tour and the upcoming expanded version of the market's popular annual Salsa Fest. This event, to be held on August 5th, will feature Salsa music, Salsa dancing, and a salsa tasting where customers can vote on the best salsa from several area restaurant entries. It will also serve to promote the availability of salsa ingredients like tomatoes and peppers offered by local farmers at the market.

Jim and Janet both see this project as long-range work, with opportunities in the future to emphasize more farmer training and recruitment efforts within the Latino communities. This is not an isolated project, either, since farmers and markets throughout the Southern region may learn from Fayetteville's successes and implement similarly effective projects.

For more information on the Fayetteville Farmers' Market, visit http://www.fayettevillefarmersmarket.org

For information on the Project for Public Spaces Farmers' Market grant program, including a list of currently funded projects and the upcoming RFP, visit http://www.pps.org.