2005 Year in Review

Conference on How to Market Farm Businesses – December 1

Source: Rich Knipe, 815/288-3361; rknipe@extension.uiuc.edu; Author: Debra Levey Larson

From farmers' markets to foreign markets -- food entrepreneurs to farmers with an agritourism operation -- advertising can be the determining factor of success or failure, profit or loss. A conference entitled, "Marketing Strategies for Consumer-Driven Agriculture" will feature speakers and breakout sessions designed to help small, medium and large sized farm businesses learn how they can be more successful at advertising and marketing themselves.

"People starting ventures in the food and ag industry face many challenges," said Andy Larson, specialist with University of Illinois Extension's Initiative for Development of Entrepreneurs in Agriculture and one of the conference coordinators. Larson said that some of the challenges include preparing for fluctuations in everything from weather and fuel prices to product design and exchange rates. "That's why we've invited such a wide variety of experienced businesspersons to lead breakout sessions," said Larson. "We're bringing in folks like Wally Furrow from Furrow Vineyard & Winery and Noreen Dollinger from Dollinger Family Farm to talk about how to attract customers to an agritourism enterprise and to keep them coming back for more.

"We're also bringing in people like Pat Bayor from Goodness Greeness and Will Allen from Growing Power to talk about some of the finer points of food distribution and how to get your farm product on customers' tables whether they're down the street or across the border. That way, whatever the size or type of business, people will be able to come home from this conference with innovative marketing ideas that they will be able to apply to their own operations," Larson said.

The conference will be held on Thursday, December 1 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Interstate Center in Bloomington, Illinois.

In one breakout session Tom Ward, University of Illinois Extension specialist in computer training services will present information on how to develop and build a strong and profitable presence on the Internet. "Even as recently as three or four years ago, web-based marketing was seen as optional for businesses," said Ward. "Today, being in the yellow pages isn't enough. Every successful business has to have a website," said Ward. He will be teaming up with Jim Crum for his breakout session to discuss Crum's efforts on US Wellness Meats.

Early registration for the conference is $40. After November 25, the fee is $50. To register, contact Kim Tack (309-792-2500; kimtack@uiuc.edu) or visit Illinois IDEA. http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/iidea/ for more complete information. The conference is sponsored by University of Illinois Extension, the Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research (C-FAR), USDA North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE), the U of I Agroecology-Sustainable Agriculture Program, and the McLean County Farm Bureau.

by  Editor, theCity1.com
November 13, 2005