Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association

Fresh Facts
Providing knowledge and leadership to grow the farm fresh experience.

President’s Message……
Newsletter #250
Paper or Plastic? August 2009
Volume 24, Number 7
Cash, Debit or Credit that is…I know Ontario is all a buzz about plastic bags but as
we prepare for another season at Strom’s Farm one of our decisions this year is if
we add Master Card and Visa to our payment options. This probably should be a
no brainer…last year Jane Eckert did a consultation at our farm and said as much.
We added debit to our farm in 2001 and we saw an increase in spending per per- Inside this issue:
son. Matt, our representative at UNPS, says that studies show individual sales of Members News 2
$30 or less use debit and above the $30 price point MC and Visa are the card of
choice. Overall, we fall into the first category during sweet corn season but the lat- Online Data Backup 3
ter during pumpkins. During our present economy Matt says studies show more 7 Steps to Marketing 4
people using their debit cards and less using credit. Last fall OFFMA’s ‘On-Farm
Marketing in Ontario’ report showed that 26% of our customers use non-cash Homegrown Ontario 5
methods of payment (19% debit). After researching credit card fees and feeling
A-maze-ing Results 6
dizzy with all the additional percentage fees added on if the card is keyed in manu-
ally or the credit card owner is a ‘high spender’ we are questioning the effort and Book Review: Influ- 7
fees for essentially one month of sales. We also realize once we add credit cards ence
there is no turning back. To offer it for one season and remove it for the next would Upcoming Events 8
be a customer service nightmare. Decisions, decisions…

I’d love to hear what you do at your farm at this year’s picnic. Don’t miss out on this
exceptional networking opportunity! See you on Tuesday, August 18th at Maple-
ton’s Organic Farm!

Membership Survey Included with this mailing

Amy Strom Our research project this year is a survey designed to get a better understanding
OFFMA President of our membership base. We have increased our membership by almost 30% in the
last year so it is timely to find out who those new members are as well as learn
more about the other farm businesses who have been with Ontario Farm Fresh for
years.
Please take 5 minutes to fill out the survey and pop it into the pre-paid enve-
lope. It is also available electronically on our web site if you prefer that
method. The information that is collected will help to build a
stronger direct marketing industry in Ontario.
Each member who returns a survey will receive a thank
you gift for their efforts. Do it now before you get
a chance to set it aside!
Page 2 Fresh Facts

MEMBERSHIP NEWS Classifieds:

New Members....
Tyson Koehn
Koehn's Farm Market
Harrow
New Associate Member
Tierney Rose
Ronahan Food Brokers
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Think PINK
If there is a sheet of pink paper in a
newsletter mailing, it means that
your attention is needed immedi-
ately. Please make certain you take
the time to review it.
Make sure your metal, OFFMA
road sign is displayed for custom-
ers to see during the busy season.
As a member you can submit a classified
ad at any time for free. It will also appear
on line as part of the OFFMA web site.
Recommendations for point of sale
or cash register software
I am looking for member recommen-
dations for simple point of sale
solutions to track sales at our
farm store. Some type of cash
register software we could run on
a laptop. We would want to be
able to enter our products,
prices, print receipts if needed,
calculate daily and seasonal
sales totals, etc. I know there
are cash registers that include
ability to download data to com-
puter files, but am hoping we
could just get some low-cost
software to run on a laptop.
Contact-
Marita Waddell, Waddell Apples,
waddell.apples@gmail.com or phone
613-546-1690

Pick up your
pre-ordered t-shirts.

Check out the

new lending library!

OFFMA’s Annual Potluck Social

(it only comes around once a year)
ce Tuesday, August 18
aran
pp e
al a kert d
. at
on c
l pe rs
ne E excite
d
Mapleton’s Organic Dairy
cia y Ja ne is atten year.
Spe b , J a to hs
i Moorefield, ON
Yes able luck t
e
to b the po
t MapletonsOrganic.ca
Crazy Hat
- try your hand at farmer’s golf Contest
- tour the ice cream processing plant for the
- learn more about CSA’s kids!!!
- visit the new educational barn

It will be a full day of fun and networking!!

Let the OFFMA office know that you are planning on attending.

Online Data Backup Service:
Something every business should consider
By Tracy Matthewman
As a business owner, your data can be a
critical element to doing business. If
you're without it even for a day, how
would that affect you? What if you lose it
permanently? Would your business sur-
vive? Would it suffer? Would it cost you a
lot of time to re-do or replace files?
Apart from business files, many small
business owners keep their personal
files on the same machine. So consider
the loss of precious photos or home
movies, as well as personal journals or
other files.
Any number of things could happen
which would leave you without your criti-
cal files; fire, flood, theft, hardware failure
or just accidental deletion. When looking
for a solution, here are a few things to
consider:
Automatic
The one thing about any small business
is that they are busy, busy, BUSY! I
know. I am one. I don't have time to
spend copying files every day, every
week or even every month, and I'm sure
you don't either. Not that month old files
would be any good to anyone. And, even
if I did have time, I probably wouldn't re-
member or want to spend my time doing
this.
For me, the only option that makes
sense is a software solution that send
my files to an online data backup ser-
vice.
Offsite
God forbid your office explodes from the
friction caused by your fingers on the
keyboard, you want to ensure your files
are backed up as far away as possible. I
don't necessarily mean in India, but out-
side the walls of your office or home of-
fice will do.
Secure
Wherever you do store your backed up
files, you want to ensure they are safe
and secure. If it's through an online data
Newsletter #250 Page 3
backup service,
check with them on
their security proce-
dures. You want to
make sure no one
has access to them, especially if they
contain private, confidential informa-
tion. Also, check with them on the
transfer of data. Does it get encrypted
while sending?
Of course, if you choose a physical off-
site location, you want to ensure they Last month, I per-
have physical security on their location sonally experi-
and that employees do not have ac- enced a hard
cess to the disks. drive failure. The
sinking feeling in
Unlimited Space my gut only got
better when I un-
One terabyte of hard drive space goes
derstood that I
for less than $200 these days, so there would be able to
should be no qualms about you back- retrieve all my
ing up all your files. Look for a solution files. Thank good-
that doesn't limit the amount of files ness for the back-
you can backup. up system and the
Computer Geeks
So whatever solution you choose...my who helped me
recommendation is to at least choose out.
-Cathy Bartolic
one! Don't let another day go by with-
out the security of knowing your digital
life is taken care of. It will help contrib-
ute to your physical life being more
relaxed.
Here is the one I recommend. It's sim-
ple to use, works automatically in the
background and is less than $60/year
for unlimited space. You can't beat
that! One caveat...they don't backup
external drives although the company
says it won't be long before they do.
Carbonite Online Backup. Unlimitied
backup - secure and encrypted for just
$54.95 per year.
Tracy Matthewman is the publisher and
editor of Women Can Do Anything, an
online community and business resource
for business women and female entrepre-
neurs. She is also a graphic designer,
website programmer and Internet mar-
keter.
 Page 4 Fresh Facts
Seven Steps to Marketing Success
Cidnee Stephen, owner Strategies for Success www.strategiesforsuccess.ca and an
authorized Duct Tape Marketing Coach, recently headlined the Women in the North
Conference in Peace River, Alberta. She shared seven steps to marketing success.
Step One: Narrow Your Focus. Eve-
ryone is not your customer. Define
your target audience. Describe your
“ideal” customer and why they buy
from you. Identify and cater to your
most profitable customers and fire the
rest.
Cidnee Stephen
Step Two: Define and Communicate Your
Core Difference. Identify your hook, that is
what customers love or find unique about
your product. Connect the dots between
your products and your customers’ needs.
Assess your competition and build on your
differences. What do they claim is special
about their product or service? Observe
what they don’t claim and make it yours.
Step Three: Build the Know, Like and Trust
Factors. Consumers taste and touch a prod-
uct up to 27 times before buying.
“Trysumers” have replaced consumers in
the marketplace. Customers only buy after
they try. So sample, sample, sample.
Step Four: Create Marketing Materials That
Educate. Create a “marketing kit” of materi-
als that are flexible and can easily be
changed. Avoid printing large quantities at
one time. Let your website be your brochure
and keep it updated. With a website, you
instantly become global.
Step Five: Lead Generators. Three meth-
ods help you develop customer leads easily
and quickly.
Advertising – creates awareness and devel-
ops leads. That’s all it will do.
Referral Marketing System – generates re-
ferrals by building strategic alliances and
partnerships. You tap into your partners’
customers and they access yours. Pick your
partners wisely and make sure their prod-
ucts, business philosophies and practices
compliment yours. Any alliances you estab-
lish must make both you and your partner
look good.
Public Relations -- is a very powerful ‘lead’
generator. If you serve a local target market,
develop a local media list, get to know them
and feed them information about your busi-
ness. Look for people who write about similar
products and services. Learn what publica-
tions your consumer reads. The media is on-
line every day. Get in through the backdoor if
you can’t connect directly with them. Send
them regular media releases and post on
Facebook or Twitter. Facebook now offers a
‘business’ page option where you can post
media releases and business happenings.
There are 175 million people on Facebook, 50
million on Twitter and both are growing.
Step Six: Automate and Dominate – To in-
crease sales go on-line. A website gives you
credibility and a professional image. As farm
direct marketing guru Jane Eckert of Ekert
Agrimarketing says, “If you don’t have a web-
site and you are marketing directly to the con-
sumer, you are losing money.” Include a
‘Refer Us’ feature so your customers can
electronically refer you to their friends.
You don’t need sophisticated computer skills
to have a website. Connect with a high school
and find a student who can create your web-
site or take a course. Use a company like
“GoDaddy.com” that sets up company web-
sites. A website doesn’t have to cost a lot of
money, but it has to look good, provide the
information your customers want, and be up-
dated regularly.
Step Seven: Live By The Calendar – If you’re
in business, you are in the marketing busi-
ness. Marketing is your #1 client, so put it in
your calendar and do it. To make it work, set
a schedule and stick to it. Decide your target
market, which media to approach and slot in
time to market every day. As Cidnee Stephen
says, “Marketing isn’t magic. It’s a system that
takes commitment and discipline to imple-
ment and grow your business.”
This article originally appeared in the Summer 2009
edition of Alberta Farm Fresh Producers Association
Newsletter written by Cindy Cuthbert.
 Newsletter #250 Page 5

Support Ontario, Buy Local

HomeGrownOntario.ca

featuring a red barn with a trillium in the cen-

Are you a retailer, processor or supplier that
wants to be confident that you are offering your
customers Ontario meat and poultry? Join the
more than 400 retailers, foodservice establish-
ments, processors and suppliers who are doing
just that. Homegrown Ontario has established
strict criteria with respect to what can be defined
as Ontario meat or poultry. Those wishing to par-
ticipate in the program must sign agreements
promising to abide by the established criteria.
What is Homegrown Ontario?
In 2006 the Ontario Pork Producers’ Marketing
Board (OPPMB), the Ontario Veal Association
(OVA) and the Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency
(OSMA) came together to form Homegrown On-
tario. In January 2008 and May 2008 respec-
tively, Turkey Farmers of Ontario (TFO) and the
Ontario Independent Meat Processors (OIMP)
joined the Homegrown Ontario program. Collec-
tively, they have a common goal: To brand and
promote all Ontario fresh, frozen and processed
meat and poultry.
An Ipsos Reid Study shows that consumers are
eager to support Ontario farmers and the local
economy by choosing meat and poultry produced
in Ontario. Homegrown Ontario promises to help
make it easier for consumers to identify Ontario
meat products at their local retailer and foodser-
vice establishments with an eye-catching logo
tre. This emblem is a testament to the quality
meat and poultry produced by Ontario’s farm-
ers and processors.
Why Join Homegrown Ontario?
Homegrown Ontario has embarked on a sub-
stantial marketing and media relations cam-
paign to educate consumers on how they can
identify Ontario meat. Extensive advertising
in popular magazines such as Food & Drink
and Canadian Living promote Homegrown
Ontario as do the regular newspaper and
magazine articles and TV appearances on
shows such as Breakfast Television and Real
Life. Consumers are now actively seeking
opportunities to support the Homegrown On-
tario brand.
Signing on to the program is FREE and can be
done online at homegrownontario.ca or by
contacting our trade specialist, John
Iacobucci for a copy of the agreement.
When you sign up to the program your busi-
ness will be promoted on our website and you
will be eligible for free point-of-sale materials
and opportunities for customized promotions.
For more information please visit the trade
section of our website at: homegrownon-
tario.ca or contact John Iacobucci, trade spe-
cialist, at 416-840-0627 or
john@homegrownontario.ca

OFFMA’s NEW informal lending library at the potluck

Over the years, I have collected a number of business books that I

enjoyed reading but once completed did not have further use for
them. They might get more use if other people were able to enjoy
them as well. I will be bringing them to the potluck this year. If you
find you have some books around the house that you can part with
and others may enjoy, please bring them along to the potluck. I
will try to loosely keep track of where these books are but no guar-
antees so make sure it is not something you will want to get back.
-Cathy Bartolic
Page 6 Fresh Facts
“A-MAZE-ING RESULTS”
By Dorene Collins, Marketing and Customer Service Program Lead with OMAFRA
Over the last few issues of this newsletter, I
have been sharing highlights of OFFMA’s
On-Farm Marketing In Ontario 2009 Report.
In this issue I will review the findings regard-
ing “purchase behaviours” to help you in
your merchandising efforts going forward.
92% of customers surveyed indicated that
they made a purchase while at the farm, 3%
intended to purchase and 5% did not intend
to purchase. When the 8% who did not buy
were asked reasons for not buying, 71%
stated that they were not planning on buy-
ing anything –browsing, 15% said they were
not able to find what they were looking for,
and 9% said price. No need to worry – 92%
are buying – a great result!
When asked to identify the categories of
products/services purchased or intended to
purchase on the day of their visit the top
items included:
47% fruit
40% vegetables
25% baked goods
17% agritainment
Is your direct farm marketing operation
meeting these purchase or intend to pur-
chase needs? Could you diversify your offer-
ings to include these 4 top categories?
Reasons for buying from a farm (verbatim
answers) included:
42% sited better taste/quality
30% sited support local farmers/producers
9% healthier
Do your products or service consistently de-
liver on taste and quality?
Top two spending amounts at the farm in-
cluded 48% spending or intent to spend be-
tween $16 to $50 during their visit; followed
by 26% spending or intent to spend between
$6 to $15.
Is there ways to increase their spending
amount while at your farm?
Payment methods included 80% cash; 19%
debit card; 7% credit card which represents
26% of customers using non-cash methods
of payment. Would customers spend more if
you had portable debit or credit card ma-
chines in your orchard or Pick-Your-Own ar-
eas?
When customers were asked about value for
money: “Considering how much you spent at
this farm today, how would you rate the
value (goods or entertainment) you re-
ceived?” The results were very positive with
55% rating as Excellent Value and 34% rat-
ing as Good Value.
When consumers were asked what the farm
needs to improve on, 62% said nothing, 10%
said increase selection of products; 6% in-
crease events/activities; 5% reduce/remove
admission fees; 5% signage. With majority
of consumers stating that nothing needs
improving - this speaks to exceeding cus-
tomer expectations which OFFMA members
consistently strive to do – congratulations!
Regarding farm gross receipts and overall
on-farm sales growth based on those farm
operations that responded, the majority of
on-farm markets estimate that they gross
between $100,000 - $249,999 in total gross
sales per year. Also, throughout the past two
years, the majority of on-farm market own-
ers (70%) reported an increase in their gross
sales.
These results exemplify that direct farm
marketing is a healthy sector of the agricul-
ture and food industry in this province. As
our province becomes more urban based,
the opportunities for this sector will con-
tinue to grow.
The complete On-Farm Marketing in Ontario
2009 report can be seen at: http://
www.ontariofarmfresh.com/about-us/
research/on-farm-marketing-in-ontario-
2009/
Helpful resources:
Visit the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) - Business
Management Unit website at: http://
www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/busdev/
agbusdev.html
Subscribe to our OMAFRA Agricultural Busi-
ness Update Newsletter at: http://
www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/busdev/
news/index.html#agbus
Dorene Collins is Marketing and Customer
Service Program Lead with the Ontario Min-
istry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
Email:dorene.collins@ontario.ca
 Newsletter #250 Page 7

Book Review: “Influence: Science and Practice”

By Robert B. Cialdini
5th edition, Published by Allyn and Bacon

I always think of our direct farm business as a lemonade

stand that has become a touch more elaborate, yet the
basic principles of product, presentation and sales remain.
In his book “Influence, Science and Practice,” Cialdini ex-
amines five built-in mechanisms that all of us have that
make us compliant; often when logic would suggest we
should not comply. These mechanisms coax us to say
“yes!” to the fundraisers and vacuum salesperson to buy “For marketers,
the latest gadget we don’t really need or order from a it is among the
shopping channel on T.V. and internet. Persuasion and most important
compliance are part of our personal and professional lives. books written in
In fact, if you are operating a lemonade stand (or direct farm operation!) your liveli- the last 10
hood depends on it. Reading this book will make your exclaim out loud time and
years.” —
time again “So that’s why I bought that!” and “Now I understand why I said Yes!”
and provide you with some excellent selling strategies. I can recommend this
JOURNAL OF
book highly for the personal and marketing insights it is guaranteed to provide. MARKETING RE-
Submitted by Steve Smith, Smith’s Apples, Port Elgin SEARCH
 Page 8 Fresh Facts

Ontario Farm Fresh
Cathy Bartolic, Executive Director
2002 Vandorf Rd.
Aurora, ON L4G 7B9
Phone: 905-841-9278
Fax: 905-726-3369
E-mail: info@ontariofarmfresh.com
www.ontariofarmfresh.com
2009-10 OFFMA Board of Directors
Amy Strom, President
Strom’s Farm
Jesse Lauzon, Vice President
Springridge
Mark Saunders, Past President
Saunders Farm
Paul Brooks, Brooks Farms
Jay Howell, Brantview Apples & Cider
Anne Just, Kurtz Orchards
Marg Land, Annex Publishing
(Associate Member)
Colleen Pingle, Pingle’s Farm Market
Geri Rounds, Rounds Ranch
Steve Smith, Smith’s Apples
Dorene Collins, OMAFRA
(Advisor to the Board)
Upcoming Events
Aug. 11-12 North American Strawberry Growers Association 2009 Summer Tour,
Illinois, Michigan, Indiana & Wisconsin. Go to www.nasga.org for addi
tional information.
Aug. 18 Annual Potluck at Mapleton’s Organic Dairy, Moorefield, ON
Contact: Cathy Bartolic, 905-841-9278
Aug. 26-28 2009 International Farm Succession Conference, Quebec City, Quebec
Coordinated by the CFBMC, visit farmcentre.com for more info
Sept 15-17 Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, Woodstock, ON
Visit www.outdoorfarmshow.com for additional information.
Sept 22-26 International Plowing Match & Rural Expo, Temiskaming, ON
Visit: www.ipm2009.net for further info
Nov. 6-15 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Canadian National Exhibition Place,
Toronto, ON, go to royalfair.org for further details
Nov 8-11 OFFMA’s Bus Tour to Eastern Ontario & Quebec
Contact: Cathy Bartolic, 905-841-9278
The Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance (OCTA) has developed two
awards this year. They are looking for nominations.
1. The Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance Leadership Award
This award recognizes an individual, business or committee who has
made an outstanding contribution to the promotion of local culinary
tourism in Ontario.
2. Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance Experience Award
This award recognizes an Ontario individual, business or committee
who has within the past year created a new culinary tourism destina-
tion or attraction.

Please visit the OCTA website for more information on these culinary
awards. www.ontarioculinary.com
To nominate yourself or someone else please visit The Summit web-
site at: http://www.ontariotourismsummit.com/default.asp
Deadline for submissions is Friday, August 14 at 4:00pm

The Last Word…..

If you want to see your farm featured on the Ontario Farm Fresh web site, you need to send a picture
to the OFFMA office. On the home page of the web site a different member will be featured each time
the web site is accessed. As a member you want to make sure that the
featured member is YOU at least some of the time. If you don’t have a pic-
ture, let the office know. We are trying to understand why more members
are not sending in their photographs.
Remember photos need to be a minimum of 200 dpi and 5”x7”. If you are
not sure what this means, just send them in and we will see if the photos
are clear enough to be posted on the web.