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Enterprise
Development Resources
Direct
Marketing
SSAWG has
developed a host of resources for producers interested in diversifying
and sustaining their operations. Our Enterprise Development projects
provide a list of publications on value-added production, and our
Farm Stories section includes profiles of fruit and vegetable farms
who have successfully implemented value-added plans. In addition
to SSAWG resources, there are organizations and institutions that
offer technical assistance for value added operations.
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Natural
Farming Systems in the South video series
Southern
SAWG has produced several high quality educational videos
featuring sustainable Southern farms that include added value
production in their operations. Click the link above
to see the complete list of videos and accompanying enterprise
manuals, view clips, and get ordering information.
Farm
Stories from SSAWG
Love Creek Orchards
Carol and Baxter Adams added value to their Texas grown apples
by building a commercial kitchen to process pies, pastries,
and preserves that are marketed to their customers through
on farm sales and mail order.
Persimmon Hill Farm
The Bohner Family of Missouri expanded their pick-your-own
berry and apple farm to include jams, jellies, and baked goods,
as well as a savory sauce from their own mushrooms. Assistance
from a local chef and university folks have helped them along.
Maple Springs Gardens
Ken Dawson and Libby Outlaw of North Carolina have farmed
for 20 years, and have found adding value to vegetable crops,
like washed and bagged salad mix, adds to the sustainability
of their direct-market operation.
Green Farm
Under the name of Luke's Natural Products, the Green family
of Alabama transforms their peanuts into a peanut butter in
their on-farm roastery and kitchen that has found popularity
in natural food stores throughout the South.
Harris Farms
In Tennessee, Alvin and Shirley Harris have found that growing
blueberries are big, and jams, jellies, and preserves are
growing bigger.
Johnson's Orchard
Included
in Danny and Nancy Johnson's Virginia U-pick apple orchard
operation are cider, apple butter, and relishes that increase
customer expenditure at their farm stand.
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Links
to other resources:
National
Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (ATTRA) has
published a number of resources for on-farm value-added producers
available online through a searchable database.
800-346-9140
(English)
800-411-3222 (Español)
List
of Alternative Crops & Enterprises for Small Farm Diversification
from Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC)
provides suggestions for specialty crops and farm enterprises.
Also includes links to government and university resources
in the South and elsewhere.
Alternative
Enterprises and Agritourism is an NRCS technical resource
publication that includes success stories, information sheets,
resource manual, and links to additional resources for value-added
operations.
Direct
Marketing with Value-Added Products published by the University
of California SARE Program as part of a 1993 study on retail
farmers' markets and rural development.
Web-based
Sales
Online
sales can provide access to markets otherwise unreachable
by farmers in rural areas. Farmers'
Market Online and Local
Harvest both offer opportunities for internet sales of
value added agricultural products.
Funding
Sources
USDA
Rural Development provides funding for Enterprise Development,
Business Opportunity, and Value-Added Producers.
The
Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
(SARE) accepts proposals in several categories that may incorporate
value added enterprise development.
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Suggested
Publications
Making
It On the Farm: Increasing Sustainability Through Value-added Processing
and Marketing, 1996, by Keith Richards & Deborah S. Wechsler.
Click here to order. This
Southern SAWG booklet was written for farmers who want to take a
bite out of the middlemen by bringing the dollars for processing,
packaging, labeling, and marketing home to their farms, and for
rural community leaders who want to encourage farm-based value-added
businesses in their communities. Compiled from interviews with Southern
farmers and ranchers who are adding value to their products, it
describes some of their practices, discusses 10 keys to success,
and includes a list of resources. 40 pp.
Adding
Value for Sustainability: A Guidebook for Cooperative Extension
Agents and other Agricultural Professionals, 1998, Kristen
Markley and Duncan Hilchey. gcg4@cornell.edu
Provides
introduction to value-adding, a discussion of management considerations,
numerous strategies, and case examples. Produced by Pennsylvania
Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) and the Farming Alternatives
Program at Cornell University. 85 pp. $8.50. Community, Food, and
Agriculture Program, 216 Warren Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca,
NY 14853; 607-255-9832.
Adding
Value through Sustainable Agriculture Entrepreneurship: Overview
and Resources, ATTRA. http://www.attra.org/marketing.html
As
a joint effort of Southern SAWG, the National Center for Appropriate
Technology, and Heifer International, this guide lists over 100
agencies, organizations and individuals that have services for helping
farmers with business development, value-added production, and marketing.
Free. ATTRA, 800-346-9140.
Emerging
Markets for Family Farms: Opportunities to Prosper Through Social
and Environmental Responsibility, 1997, by Kelly O'Neill. http://www.cfra.org/resources/publications.htm
A
report based on survey research of farms, businesses and cooperatives
involved in value-added processing and marketing of agricultural
products, and organizations supporting their work. Discusses strategies
to develop new markets that reward environmental stewardship and
enhance family farm opportunities. 61 pp. Center for Rural Affairs,
PO Box 136, Lyons, NE 68038; 402-687-2100.
Keys
to Success in Value-Added Agriculture, 2001, by Holly Born.
http://www.attra.org/marketing.html
This
publication from Southern SAWG and ATTRA presents lessons learned
by farmers who added value to their farm products and marketed more
directly to consumers. The keys to their success include high quality,
good record keeping, planning and evaluation, perseverance, focus,
and building long-term relationships with customers. 19 pp. Free.
ATTRA, 800-346-9140.
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